Latest news with #Ziad
L'Orient-Le Jour
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Between Assi and Ziad Rahbani, an intellectual conflict that sums up Lebanon's modern history
It was in the living room of Assi Rahbani's house in the Metn district's Antelias — a space Ziad Rahbani once called a 'republic' — that the young genius we have just lost was raised. In this "living room republic," the romantic artistic movement of the Arab East took shape, glorifying nature, heritage and the countryside through music, language and dialect that helped craft a new Lebanese just seven years old, Ziad listened as Said Akl debated with Ounsi al-Hajj over the meaning of the word "homeland." This room was not merely a site of musical or theatrical creation. As Ziad himself once put it, it was a "decision-making center." Yet the "prodigal son" did not "follow the line." He rebelled against this cultural project — in an intellectual rupture that, in many ways, encapsulates Lebanon's modern history. More on this...
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Entertainment
- L'Orient-Le Jour
'Ziad changed the way I see things': Singer Salma al-Musfi
As Lebanon mourns the loss of Ziad Rahbani, who passed away on Saturday morning at age 69, Lebanese singer Salma al-Musfi shares with L'Orient-Le Jour her first encounter with the Lebanese artistic genius. The album 'Monodose,' fruit of a 'real collaboration' The two artists met for the first time in 1986. At the time, Musfi, who was 18 years old, was performing in a concert, covering songs by the American artist Madonna. "Ziad came to listen to me at that concert and, apparently, my voice interested him," she says, reached by telephone from Paris. "A few months later, he called me, and that's when we started working together," she adds, crediting Madonna for their meeting and collaboration. "I was living in France, but I often returned to Lebanon," Musfi recalls. "During one of these trips, Ziad suggested making a CD, telling me that we would do it 'for us, just for fun,' and it was in that spirit that 'Monodose' came to life," she continues. "It was a wonderful experience, a true collaboration, and I am proud of it," the artist adds. During Ziad Rahbani's last tour in Europe, the two artists performed together twice: once in Paris at the New Morning jazz club and again in London. 'Collaborating with Ziad changed the way I see things' "Collaborating with Ziad changed the way I see things," the Lebanese artist confides. "We grow up with certain ideas in mind, ready-made visions… But Ziad opens new perspectives," she continues. "All those years spent with him left a deep impression on me," adds Musfi. "He accomplished a great deal and, above all, did so with accuracy. He deeply touched entire generations and continues to do so today. There are young people, aged 16 or 18, who listen to him and are moved by his songs, while people in their 90s still listen to him. Ziad crosses generations; he speaks to all ages." Recalling Ziad Rahbani's "unique" way of putting words together, the Lebanese artist concludes by addressing him with a message: "Farewell, Ziad, you are no longer here, but you will always remain among us. We are saying goodbye to an iconic figure, for all of Lebanon, which is in mourning today, but also for the entire Arab world, which grew up with his voice, his words, his ideas."
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Entertainment
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Ziad, ‘Maro of L'Orient-Le Jour' and the lost generation
It was Beirut in 1983. On the steps of a private university, students linger between classes, unsure whether the professor will show up, while in the distance, the rumble of a new round of fighting begins to rise. The tension in the air feels like the buildup before a storm. After so long living with the constant threat, drawing close and retreating again, they barely notice it anymore. There is always a backup plan if going home becomes impossible: an underground parking lot, a friend who lives nearby. Then there is Sarufim, who doesn't care. He's from the North. If there's shelling, it isn't meant for him. He urges the others not to take it personally. Suddenly, the shells start to fall. Some land on campus. You come to recognize them by their sound. They are all leftovers from foreign wars or surplus still in use: Russian GRAD Katyushas, Russian RPG-7 anti-tank weapons, American LAW rockets. The walls shake, legs give out, and everyone takes cover wherever they can. The professor won't be coming. No one will go home until things calm down, which might take until dawn. Fear gives way to euphoria. To keep the adrenaline rush from crashing, someone suggests heading to the demarcation line — the 'Green Line' — just a stone's throw away, to buy falafel sandwiches. Someone cracks, ' El-falefel taybeh, bas mish kel yom!' ('Falafel is good, but not every day.') It's a line from a Ziad Rahbani play, instantly recognizable to everyone there. They're broke students, often underfed at the handful of shabby cafés nearby, numbing their despair with hash, or worse: A truly lost generation, with no plans and no prospects, boxed into a narrow world and dreaming of impossible 'elsewheres.' But the word ' falefel,' delivered deadpan in imitation of Ziad, sets them off. Fifty students, who just moments ago stared down death, double over laughing. Someone picks up the mood by singing 'Ismaa ya Rida ' ('Rida, Listen'), soon joined by the others who had been frozen in fear just moments earlier and are now beginning to relax. The original 'Ismaa ya Rida,' a book by Anis Freiha assigned in sixth grade, is addressed to the author's son. It recounts short tales about the innocence of village life in Lebanon before modernity and the pull of the city began to change everything. But when Ziad Rahbani reuses the title, it is to unravel the bitterness of a time when the price of lettuce is soaring, when the lettuce you plant no longer belongs to you, when you spend everything you have on a meal only to wake up hungry the next day and must struggle again to eat. 'Listen, Rida, Arabic is no longer a useful language. Tune in to Radio London in the evening and learn English with Mary, who spells and explains.' Their eyes drift off. London… if only. Or really, anywhere but here. And again, it is Ziad who carries them out of this world with 'Al Bostah' ('The Bus,' song written by Rahbani). In the heat of a wheezing bus, a man dreams of Aliya's black eyes [another song by Rahbani], which could belong to any classmate at this university. The bus is a miniature version of their daily lives. Few words are spoken, but the weight of a narrowing existence creeps in, where ugliness and obsolescence are beginning to take over everyday life. 'One's eating figs, another a head of lettuce, and that one over there, with his wife — God, what an ugly wife he has!' Hands and feet tap in rhythm, and impromptu dances break out. All anyone can think about are Aliya's beautiful eyes, repeating through the chorus of a song that is, in truth, oppressive. Everyone knows that without Aliya's eyes, life would not be worth living. Until dawn, on the steps of this university — behind which a future might still take shape, if only it functions and peace returns — Ziad Rahbani's cathartic lines ring out. His last two plays sweep away the sweet illusions of 'Dad's Lebanon.' In 'Film Ameriki Tawil ' ('An American Feature Film'), he gathers eight characters in a psychiatric hospital, each with his own phobias. There is the Armenian, whom Ziad calls "stereo" because his neutrality allows him to move freely between East and West Beirut. Yet both his shops — one in the East and one in the West — have been destroyed simultaneously. Two addicts believe their weed dissolves sectarian tensions. There is a Christian obsessed with the idea that Muslims are out to get him. And a traumatized man who shows his ID to everyone he meets, explaining that he turned on his high beams only because the others had burned out. They act it out, laugh at themselves and recognize themselves in this social satire that is not even a caricature. In 'Shi Fashel' ('A Flop'), Ziad delivers the final blow to the Rahbani tradition by showing the impossibility of returning to the cheerful folklore of village life. Nothing works. Everyone is at odds. Rehearsals are impossible, paralyzed by pockets of fighting that prevent the sets from arriving, by misunderstandings among the cast, by interfaith tensions and by the constant phone calls from Mrs. Jureidini, the worried mother of one of the actresses, glued to her transistor radio and calling to share updates. Journalists come and go with absurd questions, including the sublime 'Maro of L'Orient-Le Jour,' a caricature entirely foreign to Arab culture. She cheerfully assumes the play is about the departure of 'the Gharib,' the foreigner — clearly meant to refer to the Palestinians — and ends up chatting about clothes and diets with the lead actress. In a fluted voice, she asks what the circle means in all the paintings. She is told it is the mark left by the bottom of a jar, randomly placed by the props handler. So much for 'The Village of Glory,' the title of a play that upends the myth created by the brilliant trio formed by Ziad's father, uncle and iconic mother. The break between the pre-war generation — drunk on imagined glory and patriotic virtue — and a youth trapped by war, scraping by between lulls in the fighting, was complete. By turning his back on his family's tradition and by weaving quarter-tone jazz into his parents' folkloric rhapsodies, Ziad opened the eyes of the blind. Ziad brought the two 'Beiruts' together in the same joyful bitterness, the same elegant despair.
See - Sada Elbalad
a day ago
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Videos: Fayrouz & World Bid Farewell to Ziad
Rana Atef On Monday, Lebanese legend Fayrouz bid farewell to her son, iconic composer Ziad El Rahbani. The funeral witnessed a heavy presence of Lebanese people, young people, and artists who bid farewell to a real friend and icon who shaped their souls and minds with her revolutionary musical concepts and bold political and social perspective. Ziad, who started his career at the age of 12, combined with his mother to present a new and modern form of Al Rahbania music that colored the heritage of Lebanese and Arabic music. In songs like "Kaifak Enta," "Sabah We Masa," "Al Bosta," "Oudak Ranan," and "Saaoloni El Nas," Ziad introduced the world to a new dimension for Lebanese folk music by adding faster tempos and jazz influences. Ziad's fame arguably extended beyond his association with Fairuz's works, as he performed many songs in his own voice, some of which became iconic pieces echoed by generations. Among these are: 'Bala Wala Shi', ''Aaysha Wahda Blak', and 'Ana Msh Kafir'. Returning to the play "Al-Mahatta, which also marked his first appearance on stage as a police officer—a role he also played in "Mais El Reem", the play for which he composed the introduction—Ziad would go on to write and direct his own plays. These carried his distinct imprint and reflected his political and social views, often filled with satire and criticism of the prevailing reality. Among his plays are: "Sahriyyeh", "Nuzul Al-Surur", "Bel Nisbeh La Bukra Shu", "Shi' Fashil", and "Bikhuss Al-Karama w Al-Sha'ab Al-Anid". In 1980, his play "Film Ameriki Taweel", set in a psychiatric hospital, achieved phenomenal success. In it, he condensed the problems of Lebanese society and its sectarian divisions, which at the time were fueling the flames of civil war. Ziad also participated in several radio programs that coincided with major events shaking Lebanon, most notably the civil war between 1975 and 1990. Through these programs, he expressed his political stances on the rapidly unfolding events. These included: "Baadna Tayyibin... Qoul Allah", "Nuss el Alf Khamsmiyyeh", "Al-'Aql Zineh", and the series "Announcement No. 1, 2, 3, 4", which followed the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. His broadcasts often featured biting satire and memorable phrases that were later quoted by many to describe the political scenes in several Arab countries. Ziad also played minor roles in films, such as in the Lebanese movie "Tayyara min Wara" and the Algerian film 'Nahla' in the late 1970s. In both films, he composed the soundtrack—another facet of his multifaceted artistic creativity. Ziad also wrote a series of journalistic articles, most notably a regular column for Al-Akhbar newspaper, which he contributed to between 2006 and 2018. In the early 1970s, Ziad published a book titled 'Sadeeq Allah', a poetry collection he wrote in his early teenage years. During the funeral, the iconic Fayrouz appeared in a simple and gentle form. She appeared to the world for the first time in long years with the same face and simple clothes the audience was used to. She appeared to be faithful and patient in front of such huge grief. During her life, she lost a daughter, a husband, and now, a son. Famous Lebanese actress Carmen Lebbos was seen in a heartbreaking mood, as she had deep ties with Ziad for more than 15 years. Iconic composer Marcel Khalil and singer Heba Tawaju also showed their respect for the late friend and the iconic Fayrouz. 🔴 [ #Live ] Sitting in the church with her daughter, Fairuz mourned her son's coffin. As she entered the church, she sang "Ana al-Oum al-Hazina" (I am the grieving mother), a religious hymn usually sung at Easter. 📸 Mohammed Yassine/ L'Orient Today — L'Orient Today (@lorienttoday) July 28, 2025 Among the recalled songs and tunes of Ziad, the people recalled the religious hymn Fayrouz sang during the ceremonies of the Great Friday when she sang a hymn depicting the cries and the farewell of Virgin Mary to her son, Jesus. Saydeh Church Charbila Priest directed in his speech at the funeral of Ziad some gentle words to that Fayrouz. He said that your children are many, around the world. They are those who wake and sleep listening to your voice and music. الأم الحزينة.. — MariaMe Fneiche (@mariame_fneiche) July 28, 2025 He also praised Ziad's manners as the man who said the truth, loved all people, and was brave. السيدة رندى بري تعزي السيدة #فيروز بوفاة ابنها الفنان الكبير #زياد_الرحباني في كنيسة سيدة الرقاد في بكفيا — nbnlebanon (@nbntweets) July 28, 2025 read more 2 Most Inspirational Green Projects in Egypt AEW Dynamite, WWE NXT to Strive over Viewership Tonight Egypt Marks 70th Anniv. of 2011 Revolution, National Police Day In Depth: WWE NXT Halloween Havoc In Depth: AEW Dynamite, WWE NXT Tuesday Viewership Strive Videos & Features WATCH: Egyptians Break Ramadan Fasts in Matariya Videos & Features GrEEk Campus Hosts Jobzella Fifth Career Fair Videos & Features 3 Iconic Ramadan Songs of All Times Videos & Features Top 4 Destinations to Visit in Upper Egypt News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence"
MTV Lebanon
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- MTV Lebanon
Watch: A Tribute to Ziad on His Final Farewell
Lebanon says its final farewell to the incomparable artist Ziad Rahbani, whose legacy is a mark no one can ever replicate, leaving hearts heavy with sorrow and eyes brimming with tears. On this solemn day of parting, we send words straight from the heart to Ziad—the visionary creator, the sharp critic, the fearless satirist, and the deeply loving soul… Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MTV Lebanon News (@
