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Thanks Ray...your words mean a lot to me. For those who might think my playing is effortless, this is far from the truth...the journey is always full of twists and turns - but if you are in touch with what matters to you, the view is magnificent...whatever you do and wherever you are. Yes, my wooden headjoint was my companion for 4-5 years. I then engaged with a very characterful headjoint by Miguel Arista. But since this Spring I have committed to a glorious headjoint by Marco Granados...his #3 - I am slowly discovering its world.

Tara! Thank you so much for your wonderful encouragement...I will drink your words to venture deeper into my journey. I miss you!

He is certainly a neglected composer...difficult to him in a box...radical, accessible, challenging and traditional in equal measure

@@wissamboustany9027 …but definitely French!

You have sensitive ears!! You have to remember that the audience hears a different reality to the microphone, which is closely placed. The audience hears very little air in the sound.

Very kind of you

ANAM is one of the finest music schools in the world

I was so glad we were able to meet today...music DOES make the world a better place. And so do trees

Thank you Kate...I have been receiving so many lovely messages...feel very humbled!

What wonderful encouragement! THANK YOU

Yes...it is OUTRAGEOUS music....sensual, dangerous, ahead of its time...

Desperately sad times..There is so much pain and suffering in the world that could be avoided.

Thank you...our thoughts and best wishes are always with you.

Thanks for your comment...I suppose for you, it isn't a debate - you have clearly been able to overcome the deterioration of your eyesight through memorising. The benefits of memorisation go FAR BEYOND being able to see or not, or whether soloists or chamber musicians do it or not. Memory lies at the heart of learning deeply, finding consistency and reaching beyond the page into ourselves and our audience. It is at the root of being able to know your musical environment so well, that you are able to rise to your highest potential in a consistent way. In my view, it is the first step towards finding expressive power in whatever we play. Good luck with your musical adventures!

@@wissamboustany9027 I do agree with you there - memorisation is an incredibly important skill, especially so in today's world of the soundbyte. My background is equal folk and classical and I also started composing really early so sightreading took a backseat and when I do it's basically to take a summary of how a piece works. Also, as a synasthete, music is shapes for me which helps! However, that said, sightreading does make it easier to understand the grammar of music and how it lies under the hands and for me that is a bit of a gap. I really envy the people who can just knock off a bit of Liszt like it was nothing! On the positive side I've actually turned this eyesight thing completely around so it's lovely being able to get back to the composing again. I know when I grew up there was a very didactic approach to music teaching and people who had gone through all the grades and whatnot really did tend to be "bookbound" - really could not play a thing unless they had a sheet of paper in front of them, but I guess that has changed somewhat by now.

@@Blacksquareable Why would anyone want to 'knock off a bit of Liszt like it was nothing'? Memorising slows down the learning process so that we can find more depth. It also allows the body time to catch up with the mind. Forcing anyone to memorise seems a pointless exercise to me...the process needs to be driven by LOVE - love of the idea of finding freedom and depth - that is what drives the process for me... Thank you for sharing your thoughts....

Thanks so much, Alfred!

May I share the flute improv you did over my backing track early last year? Do you have an HQ version of it somewhere?

@@AlfredPotterGuitar Hi again, Alfred...am sending you the recording via WeTransfer right now. It was part of a livestream concert from my home, so not exactly 'professional recording quality'...but it is what it is

@@wissamboustany9027 Thank you, friend!

Thank you so much...it is simple, uplifting music!!

thank you so much Jackie!! simple is usually beautiful...and tone is usually a by-product of that!!

thank you so much! I decided that the Khoury and Mozart were the best pieces...we will have to wait for another time and a new level in the future!! it was a privilege working with you

...exactly....LIFE IS TOO SHORT to get annoyed by silly things. Sometimes smiling is the best strategy!

Thank you for taking the trouble to share your views. Your comment reminds me of a childhood experience of mine, when at age 4 my parents put on a recording of a late Beethoven string quartet....to their horror, their darling son immediately covered his ears with his hands and screamed 'turn this music off!!!'. My parents were devastated because they thought that their son was unmusical. The truth is, that I was simply reacting extremely strongly to the dissonances in Beethoven's music...my reaction was an expression of how sensitive I was to the music, which hit me like a lorry. Dissonance is one of the fundamental facts for life (and music); of course, resolution and/or harmony are too. This is precisely what makes music interesting, challenging and captivating - the phenomenon of dissonance finding its way to resolution...this is the the essence of the language of what we call 'harmony' in music. Houtaf's music relies on this aspect of musical language, much like many other composers, juxtaposing several rhythmically slightly misaligned (and therefore clashing) layers, creating a kind of echo chamber of converging realities melting into each other. When you zone into the underlying chords and melodies, these are actually simple, deep, yearning and emotionally charged and evolving melodies. From the comments I received after the concert, this piece stood out from the other pieces and the audience was stunned by its radiant beauty. But of course, I have no choice but to accept and respect your reaction....which you are 100% entitled to. Thanks

@@wissamboustany9027 This is a really beautiful explanation of the role of dissonance in music.

Dissonance - a necessary part of music. Dissonance leaves us craving for resolution and that is how music is propelled forward and how we are carried on a journey in sound. Music with no dissonance would be sweet but probably sickly and surely boring. It is the level of dissonance that matters and everyone has a different threshold of tolerance. In my opinion the more one is exposed to challenging harmony, the more one can take. It is simply a matter of where you are on your musical journey and a matter of taste. It is useful to compare with the art world because it's plain to see! Just because Picasso and Van Gogh could draw like a photograph, didn't mean they always chose to. Any living composer could write something homogenous and pleasing but that would be like giving an artist only half a palette of co-ordinated colours and in the process completely culling their expressive power. Some people stop at Mozart ( although at the time many considered his music to be harmonically outrageous! ), for others the threshold is perhaps Wagner or Stravinsky, and some people enjoy music that others would not even call music! No artist who pushes the boundaries EVER pleases their contemporaries. Khoury has chosen a degree of dissonance appropriate to what he wanted to express - the important word being 'chosen'. Personally I find it very beautiful and poignant - this is just at the edge of my harmonic comfort zone - the perfect place to be.

@@nicolawoodwardflute6605 Thanks for coming in with your perceptions....beautifully put....

Thank you...your warm spirit and encouragement bring their own light to this world

Yes...it is very emotional and has a great direction....thank you!!

Amalia! Thank you so much!

I always thought it was the other way around with me!!

@@wissamboustany9027 well Wizz, I think you powerfully gave us the original message of Islam - the Taliban should read their Qur'ans a bit more carefully; Qur'an 4.163 - 'Allah gave the Psalms to David.' Psalm 150 - 'Praise ​him with tambourine, dancing,organ and the flute...'

thank you so much!!

Thank you habibi. I hope all is going well. Perhaps I will be able to visit Bahrain again one day...

Thanks Rachael!

Thanks Tess...it is one of the most hauntingly beautiful melodies I know.

@@wissamboustany9027 Same here. Adore it totally. Can't get it off my mind!

...absolutely right....thank you for your thoughts. Apart from the compositional style and structure, it is also a highly charged, daring and sensuous piece, pushing to the limits of emotion, while at the same time retaining a veneer of attractive and accessible melody. Genius.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts...I am sure that you are able to see many things that 'sighted' people can easily miss. I think we should all learn to see through our hearts.

Thanks Lorna...

Thank you Sean...

Thank you Olga. I miss you and hope all is going well with you and your students!

Thank you!!

Thanks very much Julian....I look forward to discovering your various channels.

Habibi....thank you!

Thanks so much....will have to learn some more of the Fantasies soon....

I am sorry but I don't understand what you are saying.

@@wissamboustany9027 sir, it's really heard for play that' was coz all mixed notes,sounds..you didn't put on a procesor.you played and how it was easylly who can see. I told if you do to play on processor that should another 😄 infinity will be.😁I just thought.that was all mixed notes sounds scales all of things it being amezing.. ☺️ Please play for Sometimes.just will fun..

@@meditation69 Using a processor would be the lazy way! And using a processor starts to sound more unnatural.😁

@@wissamboustany9027 no sir no.that dont be unnatural.all of things grammatically note's,scales,sound vibration all be right as usealy be same to same. I told just mix media like a marketing plan sounds of creativity 😁😁 Just for one day..

Thanks Natalia...I hope you are fine

Gracias Wissam. Te deseo todo lo mejor.Espero nuevos videos!

Si, todo sigue mas o menos en orden.Por la epidemia serte mi oficina. Ahora sin trabajo 😔

@@nataliadavkova5784 ❤️

Thanks...these were my first steps into conducting. The are other more recent performances and documentaries on RUclips and on my website. I hope that I can resume my conducting over the next years.

Thanks!! I will make sure the wind continues to come out of my flute (as opposed to somewhere else!!)