Photos: Lebanon holds Baalbek concert despite coronavirus, economic crisis

A philharmonic orchestra performed to spectator-free Roman ruins in east Lebanon Sunday, after a top summer festival downsized to a single concert in a year of economic meltdown and pandemic.

Held amid soaring Roman columns, the Baalbek International Festival was founded in 1956. This year, it's being broadcast on local and regional TV stations and live-streamed on social media in an effort to spread "unity and hope."

The concert with 150 musicians and choral singers opened with the national anthem followed by "O Fortuna" from the cantata "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff. It included a mix of classical music, including Beethoven and Verdi, as well as tunes from Lebanon's Rahbani brothers composers and beloved Lebanese singer Fairouz.

The orchestra was expected to play a mix of classical music and tunes by composers ranging from Lebanon's Rahbani brothers to Beethoven. The 150 musicians and chorists were scattered inside the Temple of Bacchus.

Festival director Nayla de Freige said most artists were performing for free at the UNESCO-listed site. The concert represents "a way of saying that Lebanon does not want to die. We have an extremely productive and creative art and culture sector," she said. "We want to send a message of civilisation, hope and resilience."

Lebanon is known for its summer music festivals, which have in past years drawn large crowds every night and attracted performers like Shakira, Sting and Andrea Bocelli. Other festivals have not yet announced their plans for this year.

The festival's website said this year's program, entitled "Sound of Resilience," was "one of the first big cultural events and a premiere in the Middle East after the confinement due to COVID-19."

The dramatic setting - a massive Roman forum - was always part of the festival's magic. Sunday's concert was held at the Bacchus Temple, which stands in front of six columns that remain from the Temple of Jupiter. The ruins date back to the second and third centuries.

Lebanese watching the 55-minute show at home posted nostalgic sentiments on social media about bygone days that have been replaced by an economic crisis and growing poverty and hunger.

"It is as if we are saying farewell to the Lebanon we knew and dreamed of," said economist and political activist Jad Chaaban on Twitter.

Lebanon is currently being shaken by a severe economic and financial crisis, made worse in recent months by the coronavirus and lockdown restrictions. The financial crisis is rooted in decades of systematic corruption and mismanagement by Lebanon's ruling elite, who critics say refuse to reform despite a nationwide uprising that erupted last October and a rapidly deteriorating economy.

Although the lack of an audience is new, the festival suffered a 23-year hiatus during Lebanon's civil war. It resumed in 1997, later hosting concerts by world-renowned artists including French singer Charles Aznavour in 1999, English musician Sting in 2001 and France's Johnny Hallyday in 2003 and tenor Placido Domingo a year later.

The concert was led by the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra with choirs from Lebanon's Notre Dame University, Antonine University and the group Qolo Atiqo, as well as young Lebanese musicians.