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Under the title of "Baalbek Nights Return,"
conductor Lubnan Baalbaki – whose first name means "Lebanon" and
whose last name means "from Baalbek" - led the orchestra on
Friday night alongside his sister, singer Soumaya.
The country once held several music festivals every summer,
drawing international acts every weekend. This year, the modest
reopenings feature almost exclusively Lebanese performers.
Members of the audience in Baalbek swayed and sang along as
Soumaya crooned Arabic tunes on a stage set up inside the temple
of Bacchus, her silver gown glittering under the spotlights.
She performed traditional ballads as well as original songs
written by Lebanese poets and scored by her brother.
For many, the evening was a welcome escape from the crises that
have hit Lebanon over the last three years.
A financial meltdown described by the World Bank as one of the
worst since the industrial revolution has led to rampant power
cuts and medicine shortages across the country.
Lebanese have been further strained by the Beirut port blast of
2020 and several waves of the coronavirus pandemic.
"This is an exceptional day," Soumaya told Reuters after the
performance. "Despite all the difficulties that have shadowed
our work, we put on this festival. It's an act of defiance – an
act of faith in this country, in its image as a nation of art,
culture and soft power that generates change."
It was her first ever performance in her namesake city. Her
brother last performed there in 2019, just months before
Lebanon's collapse began.
"Music and arts were the most hard-hit by the coronavirus
pandemic. Artists were the first to stop working and the last to
return. This moment is so important for musicians and on a
nationwide level," said Lubnan.
"The crisis has pushed us to return to Lebanese talent and real
Lebanese voices. Tonight, Soumaya's performance on the stage in
Baalbek reminded us how important and refined our musical
culture is," said Micheline Abi Samra, a member of the audience.
"We were so happy and the coming days will be even better," she
told Reuters.
Upcoming acts at Baalbek include Lebanese rock band Adonis,
French-Lebanese pianist Simon Ghreichy, and Iranian dancer Rana
Gharghani.
"We are living through very difficult circumstance and very dark
days," said journalist Ricardo Karam, who attended the Baalbaki
performance on Friday. "They made them beautiful, they made them
vibrant."
(Reporting by Laila Bassam; Editing by Maya Gebeily and David
Holmes)
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