Music lovers in Abu Dhabi were treated to an unforgettable experience on May 18, 2006, when the 'Voice of Lebanon', Fairouz, performed a concert at the Emirates Palace hotel.
The historic concert came during a time of looming unrest in the Middle East, as Lebanon went to war with Israel a month later.
Fairouz’s music was a moment of perfect harmony and a beacon of hope. Her performance included songs from her celebrated oeuvre, including two songs which had rarely been performed live; Ya Rayt and Am Yil’abou El Wlad.
The programme featured two long sessions, separated by an intermission, rounded off by the singer’s more adored songs, such as Zourouni and Ughniat El Wada’a.
The legendary singer glowed on stage, with the lights making it a very intimate experience for those in attendance. The concert was held to raise money for autism research.
Conducting the orchestra accompaniment for the concert was Karen Durgaryan, who at the time was the principal conductor of the Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Durgaryan had been conducting Fairouz’s concerts since 2000.
Many dignitaries and diplomatic representatives attended the concert, including Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, who was Minister of Education at the time.
The appreciative and excited audience roared and applauded as the diva took to the stage, with the first song, Kan Enna Tahoon, setting the scene for what would be a night of nostalgia and yearning.
The set list included an eclectic selection of Fairouz’s songs, some of which were from films, while others took on a political flavour, calling for unity and harmony in the Arab world.
The setting, the Emirates Palace hotel, had opened its doors a year earlier after much anticipation. The hotel became the capital’s focal point for luxury, culture and the arts, hosting a series of classical music concerts, art exhibitions and film premiers. It is now known as Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental.
Fairouz was no stranger to UAE audiences, having performed two months earlier in Dubai at the American University.
Fairouz first performed in the UAE in 1979 as part of the opening ceremony for the Expo Centre Sharjah and returned to do more than 50 shows spanning the next 40 years.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
