SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Compositions of Malek Jandali include protest chants from Syria, his homeland.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YA ALLAH")
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Chanting in non-English language).
(Chanting in non-English language)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Chanting in non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting in non-English language).
SIMON: His family back home was targeted for those acts of dissent. And here he is in 2021, telling NPR's Deborah Amos about the time his parents were beaten because he put what the Syrian regime considered a dangerous word into his lyrics.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
MALEK JANDALI: I composed a very simple song. I called it "I Am My Homeland."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I AM MY HOMELAND")
JANDALI: (Singing in non-English language).
"My love for you is fire in my heart. When am I going to steer you free?" That word, free, was the troublemaker (laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I AM MY HOMELAND")
JANDALI: (Singing in non-English language).
SIMON: And now, of course, the regime of Bashar al-Assad has fallen. Malek Jandali joins us now from New York. Thank you so much for being with us.
JANDALI: My pleasure.
SIMON: What has the last week been like for you?
JANDALI: The last week has been historical. I was in a state of shock, joy. Tears were falling. I couldn't express myself, so I found myself on my piano, trying to express myself through music. I'm still, as I speak to you, in a state of disbelief to be honest with you - 54 years of a brutal dictatorship and a long journey for the Syrian people since 2011, and here we are.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SIMON: May I ask you if you've been able to communicate with friends or family or anyone there?
JANDALI: Yes. I have been in touch with my relatives, with my friends throughout Syria. Many people actually, as we speak, already returned. People are chanting in the streets and dancing. As we speak today, people organize themselves to start sweeping and cleaning the streets. And, you know, Scott, for the last 54 years we did not have a country. Today, the Syrian people have the chance to have a country, and they are feeling the concept of citizenship for the first time.
(SOUNDBITE OF MALEK JANDALI AND THE ZAGREB PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA'S "SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN B FLAT MINOR")
JANDALI: You know, I transitioned in that revolution from being a performer and a pianist into a composer for one term, one word - symphony, which means to synch together. And I said to myself, where is the Syrian symphony? So I wrote my Syrian symphony.
(SOUNDBITE OF MALEK JANDALI AND THE ZAGREB PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA'S "SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN B FLAT MINOR")
JANDALI: The mission of music is to search for beauty and truth. And through your powerful program and for joining me in searching for beauty and truth, I would like to plead to American orchestras to embrace living composers who are documenting current events for the generations to come. When I lost hope for the last 15 years, I came up with an idea just to survive and don't lose hope. It is our duty as citizens, as Americans, as artists, as people of the free, as humans to join in our symphony for peace, document the moment for generations to come.
(SOUNDBITE OF MALEK JANDALI AND THE ZAGREB PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA'S "SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN B FLAT MINOR")
SIMON: You are the founder and CEO of Pianos for Peace. As the name suggests, it's a group that tries to bring peace and unity through music. I wonder if you would like to bring any of its programs to Syria in the coming months.
JANDALI: You nailed it, Scott. I mean, I just had a discussion with one of the Syrian business philanthropists, and we are going to transform prisons, dark prisons, into music schools. So I'm inspired. I am full of hope.
SIMON: You must, at the same time, understand there's a lot of concern about what happens in Syria over the next few weeks and months and years. You've got a lot of people - factions, as we would call them - that agreed that they wanted to get rid of Assad, but may not agree on much else.
JANDALI: It's a very legitimate concern, Scott, but let me state the facts - Syria, for the last 54 years, according to Human Rights Watch, was a slaughterhouse. That brutal dictator was against humanity, torturing children, gassing them to death, raping woman, eradicating synagogues, destroying churches that Jesus Christ himself preached at. Today, we have children who were born in these prison cells. So I have concerns, but my hope is my rich history. My hope is the revolution for freedom and dignity - that's what the people ask. And my hope is music.
(SOUNDBITE OF MALEK JANDALI AND ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA'S "PHOENIX IN EXILE")
SIMON: Mr. Jandali, is there a piece of your music that you'd like to suggest we all listen to now that would say something about Syria and history and hope?
JANDALI: "Phoenix In Exile."
(SOUNDBITE OF MALEK JANDALI AND ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA'S "PHOENIX IN EXILE")
JANDALI: One of my early works was titled "Phoenix In Exile." It was recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
(SOUNDBITE OF MALEK JANDALI AND ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA'S "PHOENIX IN EXILE")
JANDALI: The phoenixes in exile are rising today as I speak to you. And I'm honored to be part of the symphony for peace and join the people of Syria in their noble quest for freedom, dignity and, most importantly, peace.
(SOUNDBITE OF MALEK JANDALI AND ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA'S "PHOENIX IN EXILE")
SIMON: Malek Jandali, composer. Thank you so much for speaking with us today.
JANDALI: My pleasure.
(SOUNDBITE OF MALEK JANDALI AND ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA'S "PHOENIX IN EXILE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
