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For maestro Harout Fazlian, however, it was one
of the most special of his career.
On a stage in the ancient temple of Bacchus, Fazlian conducted
the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra and three choirs in an
hour-long concert that included works by the Lebanese composer
brothers Assi and Mansour Rahbani, Verdi and Beethoven.
There were no crowds due coronavirus restrictions, but the
performance, captured by 14 cameras and drones, was broadcast
live on almost all the main Lebanese TV stations as well as
streamed online.
"Every person will have a front row seat," said Fazlian, who
came up with the idea during Lebanon's coronavirus lockdown two
months ago. "This beautiful temple has gone through so much for
3,000 years, but it has survived, and we will survive."
Lebanon's glamorous music festivals - which once attracted jazz
legends like Nina Simone, and the great Arab singers Um Kulthoum
and Fairouz - were already struggling. Economic woes and
regional conflict hit organizers in recent years.
Fazlian said he wanted to send "a message of hope and
solidarity" as Lebanon sinks deep into the worst financial
meltdown of its history, compounded by the global coronavirus
pandemic.
His was the only concert of the Baalbek music festival this
year, Lebanon's oldest, which since 1956 helped make the country
a cultural lodestar for the region.
Nayla De Freij, head of the Baalbek festival committee, said all
the artists and technicians worked on Sunday's massive project
for free.
"It's like a big scream that we want life to go on," she said.
(Reporting by Issam Abdallah; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
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