contents
    Summer 2002,
vol. 44, No. 1/2
 
<
  
________________

Beirut suite Concert
  The Beirut Suite Concert for Celebration and Remembrance    
  -      In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the faculty of Engineering and Architecture, in collaboration with the Lebanese Higher National Conservatory of Music, presented the "Beirut Suite Concert" with music composed by Professor Pierre Azoury of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
      The concert, given on May 7 in Assembly Hall, was dedicated to the memory of the late FEA Dean Raymond Ghosn, who served from 1963 until his assassination in 1976.The concert was notable for its variety in both style and content. It started off with a classical/romantic ceremonial march for organ. This was followed by two extracts from "Themes from Gibran" for piano with narrated text. The extracts (Reason and Passion, Friendship) are from a set of seven themes, with a piano composition following each theme, all derived from Khalil Gibran's "The Prophet."
      Next, a poignant elegy (To the Memory of a Friend) for unaccompanied soprano was obviously in memory of Dean Ghosn. The subsequent guitar solo (Anita's song), a melodic song without words in a popular style, broke the melancholy of the previous work. The following ballet suite (Three 		IPiano Improvisations with Ballet) featured background music (recorded by Professor Azoury at the piano) which was in complete contrast with the music in the previous works. The style, which can be loosely called "modern" and is actually lyrical, melodic, and highly rhythmic, was matched by the figurative choreography of Mrs. Salwa El-Khatib and her daughter Leila.
      The concluding work, the "Beirut Suite" which was the centerpiece of the concert, comprises ten movements and was given its premiere that evening. It is a study in contrasts, portraying life in Beirut during the dark days of the Lebanese civil war. The work is scored for a variety of instruments, including piano, flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet and violin. A soprano figures in four of the movements, one of which (Beirut) evokes the colorful history of the Lebanese capital. The final movement (Dance) includes the well-known folk tune "Ala Dal'una." Almost all the performers are instructors at the Higher National Conservatory of Music. The single exception was the organist, Professor Ramzi Sabra (Assistant Dean for Research in the Faculty of Medicine).
      Master of Ceremonies was Professor Paul Meers of the Civilization Sequence Program

  - These pages are subjected to AUB's General disclaimer and copyrights
- The AUB Bulletin is the official news publication of the American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
- It is published monthly by the Office of Information and Public Relations, Diana Sabbagh Building, Room 111. Tel.: 01-353228, Fax: 01-363234 or AUB extension: 2670/1, e-mail: ifkhoury@aub.edu.lb or information@aub.edu.lb
- Responsible Editor, Dirctor of Information and Public Relations: Ibrahim Khoury - Deputy Editor and Layout Designer: Henry Matthews - Advisor Nabeel G. Ashkar - Associate Editor: Elain Larwood
- Web Design: iMAD Zeineddine — e-mail: imadsz@hotmail.com