There wasn't a single audience member seated in front of the Temple of Bacchus during the Sound of Resilience concert on Sunday.
“I would not call it a concert. I’d call it a message of solidarity and unity,” Lebanese maestro Harout Fazlian, who conducted the performance, told Lebanese TV station LBC of this year’s iteration of the Baalbeck International Festival.
“People in their homes will be having front seats for one hour during which they can forget everything and listen to music,” Fazlian, who is the festival's artistic director, added.
The annual festival was streamed live this year, without an audience in attendance, to stick to the safety measures put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was broadcast live across major Lebanese television channels, as well as on social media platforms and on MBC's Shahid.
The concert, held under the theme Sound of Resilience, featured the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, the choirs of the country's Antonine University and Notre Dame University, and the group Qolo Atiqo.
With 150 instrumentalists and choral singers seated at the centre of the Roman ruins, washing the floodlit colonnade of Corinthian columns with the music of Beethoven, Verdi, the Rahbani brothers and Fairouz, it was difficult not to feel a surge of emotion.
Also moving were the comments flooding into the YouTube page’s live chat, as drone footage of the concert streamed worldwide. Millions tuned in to watch the concert, and emojis of red hearts and roses piled up in the chat box, along with messages of solidarity and strength.
“This is the sound of our great country when politics are muted,” one user, Gaby Jabbour, wrote.
“It’s as if it’s a glimpse of what Lebanon can look like at all times,” another user, Mira Feghali, wrote.
However, some pointed out that the decision to stream the concert on TV and social media meant many locals couldn’t watch it as there have been near around-the-clock power cuts and the internet is too slow to stream video. People shared pictures of dark highways without streetlights due to the cuts.
Since economic woes in the autumn sparked mass protests from October last year against a political class deemed irretrievably corrupt, tens of thousands have lost their jobs or part of their income, and prices have skyrocketed. Banks have have suspended dollar withdrawals, while the local currency has lost more than 80 per cent of its value to the greenback on the black market.
Compounding the crisis has been the coronavirus pandemic, as measures to stem the spread have exacerbated the situation. Lebanon has recorded 1,873 cases of Covid-19, including 36 deaths.
“Yes! This is happening despite everything happening!” Twitter user Oulaya Samhoun-Jawad wrote just before the concert was broadcast. “This is how resilient we are!”
Baalbeck as a barometer
Baalbek itself became a militia stronghold during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, but conservation and tourism have revived the ruins over the past three decades.
Lebanon is known for its summer music festivals, which in the past have drawn drawn large crowds and attracted performers such as Shakira, Sting and Andrea Bocelli. Other festivals have not yet announced their plans for this year.
First held in 1955, the annual Baalbeck Festival is one of the region's key cultural events and has helped to bolster Lebanon's music scene over the decades.
In the past, the festival has welcomed legendary performers on to its stage, including Umm Kulthum, Fairuz, Ella Fitzgerald and Joan Baez. Segments of their performances were shown during Sunday’s live-streamed event.
The festival celebrated its 65th anniversary this year – as well as the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. In many ways the festival has been a touchstone for Lebanon throughout the years, and not only the festivals that took place, but also those that didn’t.
The Lebanese Civil War meant the festival had to close its doors from 1975 to 1996. When it returned in 1997, it marked the historic occasion with lavish shows by the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Marek Janowski, and the Lebanese dance company Caracalla Dance Theatre.
The festival also halted in 2006 due to the month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. More than 1,000 Lebanese civilians and 270 Hezbollah fighters were killed, while Israel lost 115 soldiers and 43 civilians.
Festival director Nayla de Freige told AFP that most artists performed for free at the designated Unesco World Heritage site.
This year, the concert aimed to represent "a way of saying that Lebanon does not want to die. We have an extremely productive and creative art and culture sector," she said.
The Baalbeck Festival is currently led by a committee of 12 volunteers, and its mission statement says one of its main aims is to "continue to project a positive image of Lebanon to the world", to fight "for a better country by promoting culture, tourism, and peace".
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Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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US Industrial Market figures, Q1 2017
Vacancy Rate 5.4%
Markets With Positive Absorption 85.7 per cent
New Supply 55 million sq ft
New Supply to Inventory 0.4 per cent
Under Construction 198.2 million sq ft
(Source: Colliers)
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Supercharged%203.5-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20400hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20430Nm%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh450%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More coverage from the Future Forum
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
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- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
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Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)
Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14
Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)
Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31
Bangla Tigers win by six wickets
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The five pillars of Islam
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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4pm Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The five pillars of Islam
