Beirut: At sunset on July 10 and 11, the hills of Ixsir will transform into an open-air stage for two magical evenings. More than a concert, this orchestral performance offers a fully immersive artistic experience, where every detail becomes part of a sweeping narrative of beauty and myth.
According to National News Agency – Lebanon, inspired by the enchantment of One Thousand and One Nights, the performance is conceived, designed, and conducted by Lebanese-Armenian Maestro Harout Fazlian. It brings East and West into harmony, blending oriental instruments with Rimsky-Korsakov’s iconic Scheherazade (1888), a masterpiece of the Russian school known for its vivid orchestral storytelling.
Under the summer sky, the all-female Firdaus Orchestra, a pioneering initiative by ExpoCity-Dubai dedicated to empowering women through music, will take the stage with 26 professional musicians. With delicate artistry, they will weave melodies and tales into a singular moment suspended between mountains and vineyards.
This landmark event marks the first performance by a UAE-based orchestra in Lebanon since the lifting of the travel ban, a powerful gesture of cultural diplomacy and renewed regional connection through creativity.
The concert is further enriched by a parallel literary narrative, with Jana Abi Ghosn voicing Scheherazade and Jalal Chaar as Shahryar, in a poetic text by Henri Zoghaib that returns the tale to its Levantine origins.
Set in a purpose-built amphitheater nestled among Ixsir’s vineyards, the scene evokes a vision of a flying carpet, floating between earth and sky, inviting the audience into a world of wonder.
In this context, Maestro Fazlian comments: “I always strive to offer my audience something truly creative and unique, an experience they won’t find elsewhere. It’s about more than the music; it’s about awakening all the senses and keeping the wonder alive. I am grateful that IXSIR embraced my vision for the setup, which, though complex, is essential to creating this immersive journey, which has become a signature. I’m confident my adaptation of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade will be more than a concert, it will be a magical experience.”