Every night this week sounds of a revolution have echoed through Beirut streets, but last night, a few kilometers away in the Chouf mountains, a revolutionary new sound echoed through majestic palace walls.
Russian soprano Anna Netrebko’s performance at the Beiteddine Art Festival Thursday night was extraordinary by all accounts. Netrebko’s moving voice, along with that of tenor Yusuf Eyvazov, was paired with the melodies of the Filarmonica Gioachino Rossini Orchestra conducted by Marco Boemi, and injected with an unusual dose of fun.
Considered the biggest international opera star the world has seen since Luciano Pavarotti, she not only has a “dark gold on red velvet” voice and dazzling stage presence, she’s determined to give opera a makeover. After touring the world’s top opera houses with sold-out shows, gracing magazines like Vogue, and making a multitude of TV appearances, the “Madonna of opera” came to our very own little country for a very special night.
For 30 years, the persevering organizers of the Beiteddine Art Festival have continued to bring us top talents from around the world, inspiring the Lebanese with an array of music, song, and dance, as well as highlight our very own gems. Thank you, dear organizers, for persisting through six years of scheduling conflicts with Netrebko in order to give us the sonic pleasure of her voice!
