Remediating Fairuz

The short film Alia directed by Raghed Charabaty is a "haunting and poetic glimpse into the flashpoint that started the Lebanese Civil War." In the film, a man reminisces about Alia and "the last few moments before the death of his beloved" which are imagined as marking the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War. The monologue is spoken like …

Rising Star Mayssa Karaa

The National reviews rising star Mayssa Karaa's concept show, When Music Matters, performed at the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi Festival. The young Lebanese singer first rose to international fame with her Arabic rendition of Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit, featured on the soundtrack of the film American Hustle. As Saeed Saeed puts it: the song …

Arab Music on Italian TV

A new show on Italian TV hosted by Syrian journalist and television host Naman Tarcha will showcase Arab music, from Umm Kalthum and Fairouz to Sabah Fakhri and Warda. Arab music will be focused on for the first time on Italian public television in RAI Uno's program UnoMattina, with Syrian journalist and television host Naman Tarcha …