The National Band for Arab Music revives the legacy of musician Abdel Fattah Sukkar in an evening in Dar Al-Assad

Within the plan of the Culture Ministry to honor musical and artistic exceptional personalities, and in recognition of the legacy he presented to the Syrian and Arab song, Dar Al-Assad for Culture and Arts honored the late musician Abdel-Fattah Sukkar through an artistic concert performed by the Syrian National Band for Arab Music led by Maestro Adnan Fathallah.

The band selected a variety of songs composed by Sukkar through different time periods, each song narrates a musical tale from memory and various forms he had  presented during his long and rich artistic history. The audience enjoyed listening to the singers Asim Sukkar, Alissar Al-Saeed, Rayan Jarira, Ghazwan Al-Zaeem and Hiba Fahma, singing heritage songs composed by the late artist.

 In a statement to SANA, Adnan Fathallah, the band’s leader, confirmed that the musician Sukkar is one of the composers who formed a special identity for the Syrian song. He was the founder of the Syrian folk song, as he formed a milestone in the history of Syrian and Arab singing, where he composed melodies for great singers.

Fathallah considered that the concert was an opportunity to present young voices, with the participation of Asem Sukkar, the son of the late musician, pointing out that the effect this musician left has had an influence on the old and new generations.

Singer Ryan Jarira, a third year student at the Higher Institute of Music, noted the importance of his participation in the evening, which honors the works of a great and well-loved musician, considering that his participation gives him the opportunity to stand on the stage in front of the audience to show his artistic abilities.

It is worth mentioning that the musician Abdel Fattah Sukkar was born in Damascus 1930. He started as a singer and composer on the radio stations of Jerusalem and Damascus, as he composed many songs for himself before focusing on composing for others.

The most important stage in his artistic career was his cooperation with the late singer Fahd Ballan for 10 years, which resulted in 50 songs, in addition to a large number of compositions for the great singers, such as Mohamed Abdel-Muttalib, Mowaffaq Bahgat, Fouad Ghazi, Nasri Shams Al-Din, Thiab Mashhour and others. He also the composed  graphic music for the plays and  drama series of the great artist Duraid Lahham, such as “Ghourbeh” and “Sah An-noum”.

He died at the age of 78, on December 20, 2008.

As for the National Band for Arab Music, it consists of seventy singers and players. It was formed along with the establishment of the Higher Institute of Music in 1990. It was restructured to take its professional form in 2003 by Maestro Issam Rafe’. In 2013, Maestro Adnan Fathallah was appointed to be its leader.

Amal Farhat