Naji Hakim - Cello Works (Gwendeline Lumaret; Naji Hakim)

Information

Composer: Naji Hakim

• Arabesque & Variation
• Missa cum jubilo
• Prélude et habanera
• Montmartre
• Levantine Variations

Gwendeline Lumaret, cello

Naji Hakim, piano

Date: 2025

Label: Métier

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This album showcases the world premiere recordings of solo and chamber works for cello by Naji Hakim, performed by Gwendeline Lumaret with exceptional virtuosity and expressive depth. Blending Western classical techniques with Middle Eastern influences, Hakim draws on sources such as Gregorian chant, Levantine folk melodies, and French modernist harmony. Highlights include Arabesque et Variations, based on a song by Sayyed Darwish; Missa Cum Jubilo, inspired by Gregorian Mass IX; Prélude et Habanera, echoing Bach and Ravel; and Levantine Variations, built on Bint El Shalabiya. This recording enriches the contemporary cello repertoire through its cultural fusion and musical innovation.

Naji Hakim, born in Beirut on October 31, 1955, is a celebrated organist and composer known for his fusion of Western and Middle Eastern musical traditions. A student of Jean Langlais and graduate of the Paris Conservatoire with seven first prizes, he also holds a licentiate from Trinity College London. Hakim has won ten international awards and received honors such as the Prix André Caplet and the Papal Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. Formerly organist at Paris’s Sacré-Coeur and then La Trinité (succeeding Olivier Messiaen), he is a professor in France and the UK. His wide-ranging oeuvre spans instrumental, symphonic, and sacred vocal music.

Gwendeline Lumaret is a distinguished French cellist who began her musical training at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Lyon, winning top prizes in cello and chamber music by age fifteen. She debuted as a soloist at fourteen with Elgar’s Cello Concerto and later earned a concert diploma from the École Normale de Musique de Paris under Alain Meunier. A prizewinner in international competitions, she has studied with renowned cellists including Philippe Muller and Lluis Claret. Lumaret performs widely as a soloist and chamber musician, collaborates across cultures through her association SAFPEM, and teaches at the Conservatoire in Besançon. She also holds qualifications in orchestral conducting and music pedagogy.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz