Bavarian radio recalls “Fairuz in Baalbek”

August 31, 2020, evening: French President Emmanuel Macron visits Fairouz at his home, kicking off his visit to “Greater Lebanon” on the occasion of the first centenary of his announcement (September 1, 1920). A few days ago, the event was the talk of a country mired in its crisis. Fayrouz occupies the television screens. Recovered concerts, especially the Parisian concerts Olympic (1979) and Percy (1988). The Lebanese media follows the rhythm of the arrival of Macron’s caravan to Rabieh, where Fairuz’s house was, and where a group of people awaited him with disapproval and chants of freedom. The army is also present, forming a shield of separation between the “protesters” and the French visitors. We cannot stop dwelling on the symbolism of the date of August 31, 2020: it is the last day in the first 100 years of the history of the Lebanese entity, with its current borders. But this date has another connotation.

August 31, 1957, night: Fayrouz dominates Baalbek for the first time. The event is the result of an effort by Zulfa Chamoun, the first lady of the time, to introduce a patriotic element in the festivities of the City of the Sun, which were originally aimed exclusively at Western art, specifically classical music. The two brothers Rahbani and Fayrouz were chosen to undertake this mission. “Harvest Season” is the title of the work produced by the brothers, while Fairuz signed a contract with the festival for one Lebanese pound. For the first time, Fairuz in front of the six columns of the Temple of Jupiter. For the first time, her voice interwoven with Nasri Shams El Din’s voice. The singing of the band signs the folk dance. They are also the first “Lebanese Nights” to become a fixed date in the Baalbek summer. Fayrouz, the bird of the sun and neighbor of the moon, rings in range.

As far as we know, one of the many articles about Macron’s visit in the Lebanese and French press did not stop on this occasion, or rather on the congruence of the two dates. “Greater Lebanon” is occupied these days by other concerns, and France will only worry about what it means. In fact, BR Klassik (one of the most important German and European “institutions” in this field) drew our attention to this memory of the Bavarian radio specializing in classical music. This radio broadcasts a daily program (at 8:30 am Berlin time) entitled “What happened on this day?” As the title indicates, the program is dedicated to remembering an event that marked the history of classical music and that took place “on this day.” As for the episode of August 31, 2020, it bore the following title: “August 31, 1957: Fairuz in Baalbek.” It was prepared by Torsten Bruce and lasted 3 minutes and 4 seconds, although this greeting from the Bavarian radio was, in our opinion, deserved and natural, it was unexpected, and therefore our joy with him was double. Not only because the show rarely deals with an event outside of classical music history, how if this event took place in this region of the Eastern Mediterranean world? And not just because the anniversary coincided with Macron’s visit to Fayrouz. It is also due to the beauty of the episode, the poetry of its script and the deep research carried out by its coach. The latter appears to base his information on sources who attended the Baalbek feast. Here are some excerpts: “The evening began with a normal beginning: the orchestra plays. The dancers sew an oriental wedding. Then a young woman arrives on stage and begins to sing, with her pure and sweet voice, her voice that cannot be forgotten ”. “One moment, Fayrouz appeared on the columns of the Temple of Jupiter, full of blue and surrounded by lights, he looked like the Virgin Mary in a cloud. Her soft voice echoed throughout the temple and reached the plain of Baalbek. “The background music accompanying the reading of the text: the songs” Don’t Ask Me “and” Al-Bint Al-Shalabya ​​”(distributed by Ziad Rahbani from the album “Eh Fey Amal”).
The episode also tells us that “The President of the State, Camille Chamoun, warned the musicians in the following way: Tomorrow after the concert, I will hang a necklace around your neck if it suits you or a rope if you disappoint.” Perhaps this is a modified version of the story that Mansour Rahbani recounts in his memoirs (published by Henry Zughaib): “A few days later, we were summoned to the Republican Palace in Kantari and we met with the President of the Republic, Camille Chamoun, who He began by saying: “We agreed with your party. Run it and we nnatikm or nnatikm. The first: that is, we hang you a plaque, that is, a medal, and the last: that is, we will execute you.
Brothers Rahbani and Fayrouz did not disappoint that night. Rather, they created a creativity that flew through the Baalbek sky and impressed the memory of the attendees. The inscriptions are already attached to the breasts. Let us listen to the story of the Bavarian ether: “This is a magical moment for all present who will remain under its influence even decades later. As for Fairuz, it is the beginning of a world career ”.

* You can listen to the episode in the following link

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