"The City of the Sun" radiated Baalbek's singing and joy, the day before yesterday, during a huge concert without the audience is the only one for this year in the framework of the ancient Lebanese festival, in an event that wears great symbolism in light of an unprecedented crisis in the country.
Over an hour of time, the Lebanese watched through local TV stations and social media the concert titled "Voice of Resilience", and was performed by the Lebanese National Philharmonic Orchestra led by Maestro Harot Vaseline.
More than 150 participants distributed among players and singers of cours across the courtyard of the Temple of Bacchus in the Roman Castle on the UNESCO List, largely preserving the requirements of physical spacing imposed by the outbreak of the Corona virus.
In a remarkable scenario, signed by Jean-Louis Mange, and an elaborate theater scene that took into account the privacy and symbolism of the historical site, the participants circled inside the Roman temple in a circular ring with Hala Nour, similar to the bright sun with golden threads in the heart of the "City of the Sun".
Viewers also moved with the camera between the corners of the Temple of Bacchus, whose columns were illuminated in different colors overshadowed by red, with TV directing using the latest visual technology, including especially aerial footage that showed the historic castle on which the major artists in Lebanon and the world stood since the launch of the Baalbek festivals more than before From six decades.
The music program included a variety of artworks, in which the classic compositions as "or Fortuna" from the texts of Carmina Burana and "The Song of Joy" by Beethoven mixed with Lebanese songs from the works of the Rahbani brothers in addition to rock.
During the ceremony, the temple’s poles also displayed scenes reminiscent of the most prominent names hosted by the festivals since the Fayrouz plays and the Umm Kulthum concerts in the sixties and seventies, through the world’s leading singers, plays and ballet dancers, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Maurice Bejar and Miles Davis.
During the evening, the Lebanese actor Rafik Ali Ahmed also presented a theater scene adapted from the story "Tear and Smile", by the Lebanese writer and philosopher Gibran Khalil Gibran.
The Lebanese interacted on social media with the party, whose organizers described it as a "cry of hope", to ensure that "culture in Lebanon will not die." Many, including politicians and media people, praised the event, which provides a positive scene on Lebanon that contradicts the prevailing atmosphere due to the stifling economic and social crisis in which the country is plunging.
During the summer, Lebanon usually witnesses a number of concerts and music festivals throughout the country, which in the past two decades have attracted some of the most famous international artists, including Shakira, Sting, Andrea Bocelli and Placido Domingo.
However, the country is currently experiencing the worst economic collapse in decades, with a liquidity crisis and banks failing to provide depositors with their money in dollars, in addition to the high rate of inflation, which left about half of the population below the poverty line. Added to this are the consequences of the "Covid-19" pandemic and the closure that accompanied it.
A few parties
None of the other Lebanese festivals has announced artistic programs for this year, but press information recently spoke about the tendency to hold a few concerts of Lebanese artists during August and September, attended by a small audience in compliance with the measures to combat the epidemic.
Festivals
She has hosted, since the Fayrouz plays and Umm Kulthum's concerts in the sixties and seventies.
The Lebanese watched the party on local TV and social media.