<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><o:SmartTagType
namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceType"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="City"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
h1
{margin-top:2.25pt;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:21.5pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
p.caption1, li.caption1, div.caption1
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:14.4pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
color:#666666;}
@page Section1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:138503493;
mso-list-template-ids:-888250242;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0B7;
mso-level-tab-stop:36.0pt;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-18.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0cm;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0cm;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Georgia;font-weight:bold'>December 3, 2006<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<h1><NYT_HEADLINE type=" " version="1.0"><b><font size=6 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:21.5pt;font-family:Georgia'>A Diva Brightens a Dark Time in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Beirut</st1:City></st1:place> <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></NYT_HEADLINE></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Georgia;font-weight:bold'><NYT_BYLINE type=" " version="1.0">By
KATHERINE ZOEPF<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Georgia;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Georgia'></NYT_BYLINE><NYT_TEXT><img width=600 height=320
id="_x0000_i1128" src="cid:image001.jpg@01C717C7.DE4D7F20" border=0><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 color="#909090" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#909090'>Shawn Baldwin for The
New York Times - The Lebanese singer Fayrouz performing Friday night in the
musical comedy “Sah el Nom” in Beirut, Lebanon<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=4
color=black face=Georgia><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;
color:black'>BEIRUT</span></font></st1:City><font size=4 color=black
face=Georgia><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region></span></font></st1:place><font size=4
color=black face=Georgia><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;
color:black'>, Dec. 2 — As she stepped onto the stage, a tiny figure in
apricot-colored silk, some in the audience broke into tears, while others
clapped and cheered. As she lifted her lace parasol, turned her famous hooded
eyes to the balcony, and her song began, ululations of joy erupted from several
elderly Lebanese ladies in formal evening dress seated near the stage. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>Fayrouz was performing
in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Beirut</st1:City></st1:place> again
at last, and her country, it seemed, had never needed her more. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>In recent days,
armored personnel carriers have moved into position along highway on-ramps, at
major Beirut intersections and on a bridge overlooking the Hezbollah
demonstrators at Martyrs’ Square, and fears and rumors that civil war
might return have swirled. All the while, Beirutis of every sectarian stripe
seemed to agree on this: Fayrouz must sing as planned. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>In the Arab world, the
emotional resonance this 70ish diva commands is difficult to overstate. Many of
the great anthems of Palestinian and Lebanese nationalism — not
factionalism — are her songs. Passengers on cheap overnight buses between
Syrian cities know that morning has come and their destination lies near when
the driver turns on Fayrouz. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>From <st1:City w:st="on">Damascus</st1:City>
to Ramalla to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Amman</st1:City></st1:place>,
Fayrouz’s unmistakable deep, quavering tones echo from radios and tape
decks in cafes, shops and taxi cabs, reminding people of the long-lost rhythms
of village life and the longer-lost, golden years of peace. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>“Fayrouz is the
music of our lives,” said a young Arab Israeli man in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Haifa</st1:City></st1:place> last week, who gave his name as Said.
“She plays from dawn till midnight, every day, everywhere we go. She is
the symbol of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region> and of
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Palestine</st1:City></st1:place>. We
all love her.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>Just how true that is
in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region> seemed clear on
Friday night, as she took the stage before tens of thousands of people at a
convention center on the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Beirut</st1:City></st1:place>
waterfront, to perform in “Sah el Nom,” a musical comedy. They had
braved the demonstrations, blocked roads and multiple security checks to occupy
white plastic chairs while scores of soldiers with AK-47s patrolled outside.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>Some came from <st1:City
w:st="on">Beirut</st1:City>, some from Saida, a mainly Sunni town considered
the gateway to southern <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region></st1:place>.
Rosine Hajjar, 28, a psychotherapist from the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Bekaa</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>,
a predominantly Shiite region, said she had planned and saved for months for
this night. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>“Fayrouz is a
dream for all Lebanese people,” Ms. Hajjar said. “She is majestic,
she is mysterious, and it is very rare to see her. There were so many rumors
this weekend of a coup d’état. But Fayrouz refused to cancel, and my
sisters and I are so happy. Whether there is a new civil war or not, I feel
sure that this will be the first and last time in my life that I will ever see
her.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>Amal Hachem, 29, a
lawyer from a Christian neighborhood in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Beirut</st1:City></st1:place>,
said: “The fact that Fayrouz went ahead with this means a lot for
Lebanese people. She is the symbol of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region></st1:place>. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region>
in war, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region> in peace,
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region></st1:place>
in revolution. She brings us together.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>“Sah el
Nom” concerns a self-serving king who demands impossible favors when his
people ask for help, but who comes to change his ways through the intervention
of a good, brave village woman, played by Fayrouz. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>But even symbolism and
inspiration sometimes have to take a back seat to age and the sound requirements
of a convention center. As the performance progressed, there were hisses and
whispers — soon hushed by diehard admirers — as her lips
occasionally moved out of time to the voice singing from the speakers, or as
she focused on dancing, and the voice sang on. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>Born more than 70
years ago — no one seems certain just how many — as Nouhad Haddad,
she was dubbed Fayrouz, or Turquoise, by an early musical mentor. For more than
50 years, she and several family members — her husband, the composer Assi
Rahbani, his brother Mansour, a lyricist, and a son, Ziad — have been the
musical royal family of the Levant. The Rahbani brothers wrote most of the
material that Fayrouz has regularly performed throughout her career, including
“Sah el Nom.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>They are the rarest of
public figures in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region></st1:place>:
artists whose standing is above politics. Throughout the 15 years of <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s
civil war, they never took sides. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>Fayrouz was to sing in
“Sah el Nom” at the ancient Roman acropolis in Baalbeck, where an
international music, theater and dance festival is held each summer. But the
Israeli-Hezbollah war began that very evening, and the performance was
canceled. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>Throughout the 34-day
war, Fayrouz’s patriotic songs, including “To Beirut” and
“The True Lebanon Is Coming,” were everywhere. But she never
appeared. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>The festival’s
organizers decided to move the program to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Beirut</st1:City></st1:place>.
Fayrouz had not performed here since 1994, and ticket sales were frantic. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 color=black face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'>May Arida, the
festival’s president, watched as the audience filed in on Friday night.
“We knew there would be some fear,” she said. “We
didn’t make the decision until yesterday, but we finally decided that the
show must go on. In a difficult time, we need Fayrouz.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>