Destiny

In November 2004, I was invited to the World Performing Arts Festival in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, Pakistan. At this festival I met a number of fascinating people, and performed with some very talented musicians. It was there that I decided to start recording a new album. The festival organizers asked me to perform the closing concert, accompanied by my violinist and two Pakistani musicians: a tabla player and a bansari flute player. It was a great honour for me, and I took it as a sign to start my new album ‘Rafik studio’ Lahore, inspired by the perfumes of the Punjabi capital and the warmth of the people there. My album was subsequently enriched by a number of encounters: first in Montreal, during my North American tour in the summer of 2006, then in Belgium at Mani studios. This album is about exile, its pain and its sorrow. It talks about the difficulties of leaving behind one's country, parents and friends, and giving up one's memories and childhood as lost. The musicians who perform on this album are my friends, and have frequently performed with me on stage. All are living in exile, some for over 35 years. They come from ten different countries, and each one has brought a touch of his own culture to this album.