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On September 21, Karim Saïd will conduct the Amman Chamber Orchestra in the world premiere of “Nour,” an orchestral rhapsody honoring the Holy Land, composed by Naji Hakim.
Oh Lebanon, oh despair. How difficult it is to describe you in these bleak times. Were you not once celebrated as the land of superlatives? Glorious at times, tragic at others. All these dramas you endure stoically leave, alas, a landscape filled with wars, chaos, and lamentations. While some are intent on adorning you with the funereal hues of death, others are working with determination to revive your original colors. Not in the name of cultural resilience, too often invoked in vain, but in the name of a profound truth, an indelible history and identity. At sixty-nine, Naji Hakim tirelessly pursues this mission. A vocation, as he puts it: to elevate humanity to the Divine through his music, to borrow Beethoven’s expression.
Musical Traveler
From Bruges to Beirut, from Munich to York, from Cork to Dudelange, this musical traveler roams the world, spreading the Good News here and there. In his own way. It is in Amman that Naji Hakim will anchor on September 21 to unveil his latest musical creation, “Nour” (meaning “light” in Arabic), dedicated to the Holy Land. “It was through my colleague, Mathilde Vittu, that I was introduced to Michele Cantoni, the General Director of the Palestine Philharmonic, based in Bethlehem. Our first collaboration took place on August 26, 2015, with the French premiere of my symphonic piece Baalbeck at the CRR in Paris, performed by the Palestine Youth Orchestra under the direction of Nicolas Simon,” the Lebanese-French composer explains to Ici Beyrouth.
The success of this project led Cantoni and Vittu to commission a motet for three choirs and an instrumental ensemble based on a text by Mahmoud Darwish, titled “Tibaaq” (meaning “counterpoint” in Arabic). The piece premiered at the Church of the Annunciation in Lyon on June 30, 2018, with the Amwaj Choir of Palestine, the Little Singers of Lyon, and four musicians from the Palestine Philharmonic. “Subsequently, Michele Cantoni commissioned me to write a symphonic work for the Bethlehem Philharmonic, but its premiere has not yet occurred. Finally, ‘Nour’ will be premiered in the Kingdom of Jordan on September 21, 2024, in Amman, a location close to Bethlehem,” Naji Hakim announces proudly.
Paschal Candle
According to the Lebanese musician, the title of this orchestral rhapsody evokes the light of the paschal candle, a symbol of Christ’s resurrection and the return to life. “This light resonates particularly in the Holy Land, the cradle of Christianity,” he notes. While this composition is rooted in Christian tradition, it stands out for its exclusive use of Levantine folk themes, devoid of any liturgical or religious references. Nevertheless, the Christian essence remains present, intrinsic to all works by Naji Hakim, who believes that his music must be written for the glory of God; otherwise, it would be useless, echoing the words of the French organist Charles Tournemire. “Thus, even outside the religious context, my work is grounded in my Faith,” insists the former titular organist of the grand organ at the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre.
Concertante Writing
In his new piece, the composer has chosen to explore themes from the folk repertoire of the Holy Land, such as “Dommak Doom,” “Arrozana,” “Lamma Bada Yatathanna,” “Ya Hweydalak,” “Weyn A Ramallah,” and “Marmar Zamani.” These melodies form the foundation of the harmonic colors that unfold throughout the work. “The orchestration for chamber orchestra favors a concertante style, with rhythmic overlays and a counterpoint of timbres, providing a musical richness while preserving the transparency of the orchestral texture,” explains Naji Hakim.
The world premiere will be performed by the Amman Chamber Orchestra under the direction of the young conductor and pianist, Karim Saïd, who has already performed in prestigious venues such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Grand Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, under renowned conductors including the illustrious Daniel Barenboim. “It was the Lebanese cellist, Jana Semaan, who introduced me to Maestro Karim Saïd. He enthusiastically embraced the project of creating ‘Nour’ with the Amman Orchestra and demonstrated exceptional professionalism,” says the sixty-something artist, adding, “I hope that one day this work will also be performed in Lebanon.” Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
