Upon the invitation of the President of the National Higher Institute of Music, composer Hiba Kawas, a concert was held at the National Museum as part of the "Chamber Music" series launched by the institute. The concert featured renowned Lebanese violist Ribal Malaeb, Slovenian violinist Tanja Song, and Jordanian-British pianist with Lebanese citizenship, Karim Said. Malaeb was chosen in continuation of a campaign initiated by Kawas aimed at bringing back Lebanese expatriate musicians who have excelled in international arenas, allowing them to share their musical knowledge and rich experience with their homeland and the National Conservatory.
This project is significant for strengthening ties between the expatriate and resident communities in Lebanon, as well as enhancing Lebanon and the conservatory with global skills. Malaeb is among the most prominent Lebanese musicians known internationally. His love for his country motivated him to respond to the institute's president's invitation to share his musical expertise with the conservatory, as he serves as the First Chair in the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra and the Coordinator of the Strings Department at the conservatory. Malaeb is a graduate of the University of Music in Vienna and serves as the Artistic Director of the Sumito Foundation in Zurich, where he is also the founder of the Malaeb Chamber Music Festival in Switzerland.
The National Museum transformed into a dazzling night, transporting attendees to the age of nobility, where the classicism of inspiring music and impressive performances merged with the grandeur of music and the magic of the space. The concert was attended by cultural, diplomatic, and political figures, including the ambassadors of Colombia, Uruguay, Australia, and Spain, along with former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Mrs. Amina Berri representing the Minister of Culture, former ministers Elias Hrawi and Mohammad al-Mashnouq, and a select group from Lebanese cultural and media circles.
The trio of Malaeb, Song, and Said delivered a distinguished performance, with standout moments from Ribal Malaeb and his wife, violinist Tanja Song, the Concertmaster of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, acclaimed for her numerous international awards in violin performance in Austria, alongside renowned pianist Karim Said, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London and the founder of the Amman Chamber Orchestra and the Amman Institute of Performing Arts. The newspaper "Independent" praised Said as "a natural conversationalist," and he gained prominence in 2009 as a soloist with the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by the late Sir Colin Davis. This was not the only concert he will hold in collaboration with the conservatory; there will be ongoing collaborations and upcoming performances announced at a later time, including a "masterclass" at the National Higher Institute of Music, where Said began his first lessons the day after the concert.
The trio impressed the select audience with a high and outstanding level of chamber music, particularly through the repertoire presented by Malaeb and Song for viola and violin, especially considering the rarity of works for these two instruments combined, creating a sublime world of magic and astonishment, enhanced by Said's skilled piano performance. The musicians were able to create a distinctive musical blend characterized by remarkable harmony and fluidity in performance, evoking a magical effect on the audience at a very high and inspiring level. Notably, the performers' ability to engage listeners through striking harmony and the relationship between simultaneous melodies, as well as the high technical level they exhibited—especially with the viola, which Malaeb played, an ancient instrument that poses significant challenges—stood out. The musical program included pieces by Max Bruch, Robert Schumann, Frédéric Chopin, César Franck, Manuel de Falla, Handel Halvorsen, and Jules Massenet.
