Damascus-SANA
After two years of leading the Lebanese Maestro Andre El Hajj for the Syrian National Ensemble for Arab Music, he returned today to lead it in a Syrian-Lebanese musical evening, during which she presented a bouquet of contemporary works and songs of the beautiful time.
The evening program was distinguished by its diversity, as the band performed works by Syrian and Lebanese authors, including Andre Al-Hajj, Gilbert Yammine, Antoine Farah, Iyad Kanaan, the Rahbani brothers, and Maestro Adnan Fathallah, Dean of the Higher Institute of Music and leader of the band.
During the evening, the band presented a group of songs from Sabah, Zaki Nassif, Nasri Shams El-Din, and the Rahbani brothers, “Walk, my grandfather.”
Composed by Maestro Fathallah, the band played the piece “Atifa” to be played after its arrangement by Muwashah Omar Al-Batsh, “I said when he missed me.”
Among the works that were presented in the evening were also “Mink Anna” and Longa Noa Athr, Darb Al-Sayyadi and Remembrance.
Maestro Al-Hajj is the first non-Syrian orchestra conductor to lead the Syrian National Ensemble for Arab Music, thus making it his second Arab experience after leading the Sultanate of Oman’s orchestra, where he found similarities between the Syrian and Lebanese national orchestras in terms of their efforts to consolidate Arab principles and artistic calligraphy and their vision in preserving the Arab musical heritage and openness on other experiences.
It is noteworthy that Maestro Andre El Hajj founded many Lebanese musical groups, including Music Places, participated in many Lebanese and international festivals, and issued two musical works entitled Bass Music and Places. And in the Arab world.
Rasha Mahfoud
