Third Year Recital
Remal presented 25 minutes of original compositions which was equivalent to 75 pages of scores for his third year recital at WAAPA. The recital received a very warm welcome by the audience and had so many elements in it such as Remal's unique orchestral style, his Arabic vocal, field recordings, electronics and visual elements that narrated the story of each piece. The recital had all 4 pieces, Cave Hiraa' Fajr, Voyager and Malaika.
Malaika
Malaika means angels in Arabic. It is a soundscape piece that transforms the listener to a future event that could take place hundreds of years into the future. The pieces rely on Biblical prophecies which predicts that one day the Earth will be flattened white and the supreme universal power that controls and govern the universe will descend on Earth alongside the angels. That day, mankind and the angels will join their voices together to praise Almighty God. The piece starts with the Trumpet sound and it aims to take the listener to what that day might sound like. Remal vocal resembles the prayer sounds that comes out of the Mosques across the Islamic world in everyday life.
Cave Hira'
Cave Hiraa' is a piece that expresses the peace and atmosphere inside the popular Cave Hira' in Arabia over the mountains of the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia where the Prophet Muhammad first got visited by the Arch Angel Gabrielle in year 610 A.D. to inform him that he was the last prophet and messenger chosen by almighty God to mankind. The piece approaches the peaceful environment he once enjoyed inside that cave when he used to meditate for years before his first encounter with Gabrielle using the Indonesian Gamelan as a peaceful instrument over the Arabic Hijazi mode. The Arabian Hijazi mode attempts to gives the listener a taste of Arabia and the desert sound.
Voyager - 1st Movement
Voyager is about the space station 'Voyager' that was launched by Nasa in 1977 and is travelling through the universe and to search for other planets and civilisations across the universe. The piece describes the moment it attempts to land on one of the planets, where different voices comes out of that planet that expresses the common aspirations we all share in the universe. The use of the Arabic language as an ancient language combined with electronics, soprano, as well as the strings takes the listener to a different mysterious world. What is intriguing about Voyager is that the piece keeps changing directions and it is heading towards the source of light that connects all the universe. The different sounds used in the piece are meant to be the different languages and sounds to praise the same creator and master of the universe, the same One God we worship here on Earth. Remal believes that everything in the universe is connected and all the creation is praising the same creator in so many different ways. Voyager tends to explore that unique universal connection with the source of light we call God. It is the human Journey to seek answers that drives the piece and the exploration aspect of Voyager.
Fajr
Fajr is about a Palestinian refugee who seeks shelter in the cave away from war and bombardments. Fajr means dawn in Arabic. Remal uses unique train screeching sound that was recorded live here in Perth underground tunnel to express the daily life and the journey we all attempt to catch in everyday life. The emergence of the Choir out of the mechanical screeching train tracks expresses the deep relationship that has evolved between mankind and the industrial mechanical world. It is also expressing the souls departing the world as a result of war. Remal realised through his field recordings research that there is music and choir that comes out of the train tracks. Remal tends to emerge the human choir out of the the train tracks choir and synchronise them in a powerful and intriguing way revealing the tensions of life as we take our daily journeys on the train. The piece also expresses the fear of a Palestinian refugee who is hiding away in a cave away from war and jet fighters over the city of Gaza as the train taking off in Perth - Australia. which acts as a contrast of different mornings experiencing different realities on the same day at the same time.