Beirut (AFP)

The Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra played Sunday evening without audience in the heart of the Roman ruins of Baalbek bathed in light, symbolic "message of resilience" launched by a prestigious festival in a country facing the collapse of its economy and the epidemic from Covid-19.

The evening, broadcast live by Lebanese televisions and on social networks, is the only concert organized this year by the Baalbek International Festival, on the eponymous archaeological site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and located in the is from the country.

Under the direction of conductor Harout Fazlian, the approximately 150 musicians and choristers were installed in the open-air enclosure of the temple of Bacchus, decorated with impressive Corinthian columns. Without audience to applaud them but filmed by drones.

They started with the national anthem, then continued with "O Fortuna", the incipit of Carmina Burana. The evening's repertoire combines classical music, rock, but also compositions by the Rahbani brothers, two famous Lebanese musicians, or the Beethoven Hymn to Joy, in tribute to the 250th anniversary of the birth of the German composer.

The concert lasted just over an hour. At the end, the conductor saluted his musicians and choristers, who cheered enthusiastically.

Summers in Lebanon are traditionally punctuated by concerts and shows organized by different festivals which attract hundreds of spectators.

Internationally renowned artists, such as Shakira, Sting, and even Andrea Bocelli, have been playing in recent years.

But this year promises to be austere in a Lebanon in crisis which is gradually easing its confinement. The Baalbek festival is the only one to have organized an event for the moment. The others have not yet revealed anything about their programming.

"Our cry is a cultural cry, a way of saying that Lebanon does not want to die, that we have an excessively productive and creative cultural and artistic sector," Nayla de Freige, president of the Baalbek festival, told AFP on Sunday. , founded in 1956.

"We want to give a message of civilization, hope and resilience," she added, adding that the participants have mostly agreed to play for free.

The country is experiencing an unprecedented depreciation of its currency and an explosion in inflation. According to the authorities, 45% of the population lives in poverty.

The economic difficulties were one of the catalysts in the fall of 2019 for an unprecedented uprising against the political class, accused of corruption and incompetence.

The crisis was exacerbated by the containment measures adopted for two months against the Covid-19 pandemic. The country has officially recorded 1,873 cases, including 36 deaths.

© 2020 AFP