In Spain, virtuoso violinist pays tribute to war-torn Lebanon childhood

In the garage where he sought shelter from bombs in his native Lebanon, Ara Malikian discovered the power of music.

The bearded and heavily tattooed 52-year-old paid homage to this childhood hiding spot in his latest album released online in January called "Petit Garage".

"It was a place full of rats and cockroaches," he said during an interview with AFP in Madrid where he has lived for the past two decades.

"We would hear the bombs, it was a very dramatic situation and suddenly some of us started to make music, others to sing, everyone dancing," he added.

"I saw how music and art changed people's mood, gave them hope, joy. We forgot all our sorrows, the war and the bombs."

Born in Beirut in 1968 to an Armenian family, Malikian started playing the violin at a very young age, encouraged by his violinist father who has performed with legendary Lebanese singer Fairuz.

"From the moment I was born, he put a violin against my chin and, whether I liked it or not, I had to play it," he recalled.

"Luckily I fell in love with this instrument, so I had no psychological problems," he added with a smile.

"It is true that my father was very strict, very severe, he forced me to study and practice for hours since I was very little."

The hours of work turned him into a prodigious musician and allowed him to go to Germany to perfect his skills.
But there he found a "very, very conservative" world of music conservatories which did not appeal to him.

"I had to earn a living so I secretly played in bars and nightclubs," said Malikian, adding he learned the importance of being "mad and open-minded" during this period.

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