BAALBEK FESTIVAL RETURNS FROM A TWO-YEAR HIATUS
Esther Krenz Muller
Daily Star
July 8 2008
Lebanon
Lebanon’s esteemed summer extravaganza returns with a six-concert
program, starting in Beirut
BEIRUT: After a two-year hiatus due to political unrest, aerial
bombardment and the like, the Baalbek International Festival returns
this year with a program of six weekly, one-off performances from July
27 to August 23. As usual, the event will offer a variety of genres,
from pop and "World Music" to opera and jazz to oriental and Western
classical music.
With big names like pop sensation Mika, Mexican diva Astrid Hadad,
opera singer Hasmik Papian, Brazilian jazz artist Tania Maria, oriental
songstress Warda al-Jazayria, and Lebanese classical pianist Abdel
Rahman al-Bacha, Baalbek’s organizers expect to draw in more than
20,000 festival-goers this season.
The Baalbek Festival has a venerable history reinforced by its choice
of venue. The ruins of Baalbek that host the concerts are the site
of the Hellenistic-Roman city of Heliopolis – Baalbek taking its name
from the Canaanite sun god, Baal.
Lebanese President Camille Chamoun founded the Baalbek Festival in
1956. Since then, the event has hosted a wide range of international,
regional and Lebanese talent, from jazz icon Miles Davis and flamenco
innovator Paco De Lucia to Lebanon’s Caracalla Dance Theater. It has
thus played a crucial role in promoting and celebrating trans-cultural
performing arts in Lebanon and the region.
Pop sensation Mika will kick off this year’s festivities with a concert
on Sunday, July 27. Organizers have decided to break with tradition
this year, teaming up with their erstwhile rivals at the Beiteddine
Festival and events organizer 2U2C to host the opening concert at
Beirut’s Martyrs Square. Organizers say they’re moving their opening
night to Beirut to accommodate the large number of expected fans,
though obviously the venue (the epicenter of the 2005 "Independence
Uprising") reverberates on other pop-cultural levels as well.
A self-taught piano virtuoso with a four-octave vocal range, Mika, 23,
is often compared with Robbie Williams, Scissor Sisters and Queen’s
late vocalist, Freddy Mercury. Lebanese-born but nowadays living and
working in London the singer, songwriter and producer’s debut album
"Life in Cartoon Motion," set records in the US and Europe.
"My music is all about transitions," Mika explains. "Transitions
are important, because everything gets destabilized, and that makes
you question and re-evaluate everything. For songwriting, that’s an
endless source of inspiration."
In addition to the Martyrs Square show, Baalbek will this year feature
five performances at the Temple of Bacchus . Complementing these shows,
the ancient Roman Acropolis – estimated to have been completed near
2,000 years ago – provides the perfect milieu for Lebanese cultural
nights.
Mexico’s flamboyant Astrid Hadad is an emblematic cabaret
performer. Known as a "traveling museum of popular culture," Hadad will
enthrall audiences when she struts her stuff on August 2. The lure of
her enigmatic voice and wild music, which range from rock, rumba and
cumbia, to pure Mexican ranchero, have captivated audiences worldwide.
Her unique style is a blend of eccentric theater, Mexican imagery,
plastic and popular art. With bawdy mockery, she pokes fun at the
traditions, stereotypes, symbols, and political fundamentalism of
Mexican and Latin culture. The costumes and settings are so surreal
and outlandish, critics have described her performance "as the most
provocative stage act since the Weimar Republic was in bloom."
On August 9, internationally acclaimed Armenian soprano Hasmik Papian
will perform a mixed programmed of ranging from the German baroque to
Italian romantic arias, accompanied by pianist Avo Kouyoumdjian. Papian
has graced such prestigious operatic stages as New York’s Metropolitan
Opera House, Paris’ National Opera, La Scala in Milan, and the Vienna
State Opera.
Her repertoire ranges from Bellini’s Norma, Mozart’s Donna Anna,
Rossini’s Mathilde, Halevy’s Rachel and Bizet’s Micaela, to
Puccini’s Mimi, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Boito’s Margareta/Elena,
and Tchaikovsky’s Lisa.
Brazil’s Tania Maria Quartet will perform on August 16. Renowned
for her intoxicating vocals and keyboard artistry, singer, pianist,
and composer Tania Maria, drives this funky, grooving foursome. Her
music is an eclectic fusion of Afro Latin pop; brimming with funk
and native Brazilian beats like Choro and Samba.
Maria’s deep and sultry voice, spontaneity, daring improvisations,
and twisting melodies have made her one of the most widely admired
jazz musicians worldwide. Her latest album "Intimidade" ("Intimacy"),
is her 26th release.
"There is nothing sexual about it," Tania says of the album’s
title track. "It’s just sensual! All artists have a very intimate
relationship with their instruments; for musicians, intimacy is the
moment of composition when you question yourself and are filled with
wonderment. Intimidade also means opening yourself up to others and
conveying your passion."
After her immense popularity and success in Baalbek at the 2005
festival, Arab diva Warda al-Jazayria will be back at the Temple of
Bacchus to woo listeners on August 21. She will be accompanied by
the Khaled Fouad Orchestra.
The Algerian War of Independence saw Warda, otherwise known as the
"Algerian Rose," seek refuge in Beirut in 1958. She achieved widespread
critical acclaim when she moved to Cairo, becoming one of the most
famous and popular singers of the Arab world.
Warda has performed at venues like London’s Royal Albert Hall,
New York’s Madison Square Garden, Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, and Paris’
Palais des Congres, and has played several film, television and
theatrical roles.
The festival will end with a performance by Lebanese pianist Abdel
Rahman al-Bacha on August 23. Bacha has distinguished himself as one
of the Middle East’s leading classical pianists.
His program will include: Bach’s "Prelude and Fugue" in C-Sharp
Minor, Beethoven’s "Sonata No. 14," Chopin’s "Impromptu No. 3" in G
Flat-Major op. 51 and "Sonata No. 2" in B-Flat Minor ("Funeral March"),
Ravel’s "Pavane Jeux d’eau," T. Bacha’s "Oriental Rondo Nostalgia,"
and Albeniz’s "El Albaicin," "Evocacion," and "Triana."
The Baalbek Festival runs from 27 July until 23 August. Tickets and
information about busing back and forth to shows are available at
Virgin Megastore and Baalbek itself (08 370 520; 03 891 695). For more
information see or email Baalbek@baalbeck.org.lb