Jebel Lebnan - Mohammed Fairouz (b. 1985)

Lieurance Quintet Carmen A. Lemoine, flute Andréa Banke, oboe David Cook, clarinet Zachary Hague, bassoon Jeb Wallace, horn Faculty Artist Recital Wiedemann Hall Wichita State University February 26, 2017 Interlude: Nay (0:00-2:16) ii. Lamentation: Ariel’s Song (2:17-9:04) iii. Song and Little Dance (9:36-12:47) iv. Mar Charbel’s Dabkeh (13:25-17:45) For more information, visit http://www.carmenlemoine.com and http://www.wichita.edu/music. Jebel Lebnan literally translates as “Mount Lebanon.” This work for wind quintet was commissioned by the Imani Winds and musically chronicles events from the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) and their effect on the current face of Lebanon. The first movement (not performed on this recital), “Bashir’s March,” refers to Bashir Gemayel, leader of the Lebanese Phalange Party held responsible for the massacres at the Sabra and Shatilla Refugee Camps. The movement is marked “intense and relentless with no compassion or tenderness” and opens with a wild scream in the clarinet and piccolo. The movement continues on a downward and conflicted spiral symbolic of violence until it collapses. Following this movement is an interlude for solo flute called “Nay” (the Arabic word for flute). This interlude is the free song of an Arabic flute heard in the night from the distance of the mountains. This leads to a funeral march, “Ariel’s Song,” which is a slow movement and a heartfelt lamentation on the wanton loss of life (the war resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities with many more people displaced). Following this funeral march is something of a reawakening. This is a celebration of the resilience of the Lebanese people as spring follows winter (I have always been amazed by the capacity of the Lebanese to go clubbing in Beirut while the city is being bombarded). The final movement, called “Mar Charbel’s Dabkeh,” is an Arabic round dance. This is mostly lyrical music and embodies the concepts of simple song and melody so cherished in the Arab World. It invokes the spirit of Mar Charbel, Lebanon’s Patron Saint. —Mohammed Fairouz