Maalouf not for Hollywood

For star trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, famed for his award-winning film soundtracks and jazz-inspired mixing of eastern and western sounds, improvisation is “a way of life”.

“Improvisation is a discipline that people don’t understand well,” the Franco-Lebanese musician, who has played with Sting and Elvis Costello among others, said.

“For me it symbolises and sums up perfectly the best way to live, alongside each other,” he said during a trip to Lebanon to prepare for the Baalbek concert.

“To succeed in communicating with each other we must listen to each other and have empathy with others, despite the differences.” The 36-year-old, fled with his parents – both musicians – during the country’s 15-yearcivil war and settled in France. He plays a four-pistoned instrument invented by his trumpeter father in the 1960s, as well playing the piano, composing and teaching. He also wrote the score for Japanese director Naomi Kawase’s Radiance which was nominated for a Palme d’Or at this month’s Cannes film festival.

Despite his film music success, he doubts he could work in Hollywood. “Hollywood is an industry that operates according to codes. It is very rare that a film goes outside the usual framework of the Hollywood film industry. If Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino for example asked me to compose music for their films and told me what they want... I would be obliged to refuse,” he said.