Listen to the article
As part of the Ghalboun International Festival, Vivaldi’s Oriental Four Seasons took place on Friday, August 2, 2024, at the St. Gabriel Winery.
The Vivaldi’s Oriental Four Seasons’ cultural event, held within the Ghalboun International Festival, attracted classical music lovers. The concert was preceded by a wine tasting, accompanied by cheese, charcuterie, and a variety of bites to please every palate.
Conducted by maestro Harout Fazlian and his orchestra, Vivaldi’s Oriental Four Seasons, infused with oriental notes, carried the audience on a cloud of poetry. Indeed, actor Rifaat Tarabay wonderfully embodied Vivaldi’s sonnets for the four seasons, marrying each word to the soaring music and painting in everyone’s imagination memories of bygone days. Thus, life and its four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, unfolded in Ghalboun, an authentic and welcoming Lebanese village.
The event organizer, Joëlle Hajjar, affirmed: “In this space of entertainment that the Lebanese people need given the circumstances, we must preserve a part of culture. Entertainment might fade, but culture questions people. Thus, it evolves. Culture shapes citizens, who become better equipped to make life choices because they are educated about priorities. It is unfortunately difficult nowadays to convince people to make room for culture because they are so much into the consumption mode. We were lucky to have Mr. Gebrayel, who agreed to provide his venue for the only festival that highlights classical music this year.”
Discussing the idea and process of organizing this concert, Maestro Harout Fazlian stated: “It’s not the first time I’ve added an oriental touch to classical music. The idea is to integrate an Arabic element into it. I hear it in my head, and I arrange it. It’s almost like a dialogue between the baroque violin, the Arabic Nay, and the oriental Qanun. This is a dialogue between different styles, merging into one. It’s the same musical language with different colors.” About the poetry, he added, “It’s originally Vivaldi’s poems that the poet Henri Zogheib translated into Arabic to make them accessible to the general public.”
Moreover, renowned actor Rifaat Tarabay insisted: “This is specifically a theatrical performance. Theater brings the text to life.” Regarding the harmony between his poetry delivery and Vivaldi’s musical language, he added, “That was particularly challenging. One needs to listen, knowing when to say a word while the music progresses. I really had to train a lot with the orchestra.”
This memorable evening celebrated the timeless beauty of Vivaldi’s compositions and shed light on the rich cultural fusion that can bring new life and perspectives to classical music.
