The visionary Lebanese composer, playwright, pianist and political provocateur Ziad Rahbani died on Saturday at the age of 69, AP quoted the state national press agency as a proverb.
The report was confirmed by a person close to Rahbani, but the cause of death was not immediately clear.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described Ziad Rahbani as a complete intellectual and cultural phenomenon, the death of Rahbani as a national loss.
He issued a statement and appreciated Rahbani as “a living conscience, a rebellious voice against injustice and an honorary mirror reflecting suffering and marginalized”.
Joseph Aoun also stressed that Rahbani’s fusion of classical, jazz and oriental music “opened new windows for Lebanese cultural expression”.
“Ziad was a natural expansion of the Rahbani family, which gave Lebanon great beauty and dignity,” the president added.
About Ziad Rahbani:
Ziad Rahbani was born in 1956 in Antelias, near Beirut and was the eldest son of the legendary Lebanese singer Fayrouz and late composer Assi Rahbani.
Since his childhood, Rahbani showed signs of amazing talent and composed his first musical work at the age of only 17 years.
Rahbani’s mother considered one of the most famous and famous artists in the Arab world and made some of his compositions on her selections. The Lebanese folklore mixed with western symopulation and phrasing.
Rahbani was a composer of stunning scope by fulfilling traditional Arabic melodies with jazz, funk and classic influences and creating a hybrid sound that immediately became recognizable.
His big songs include Ouverture 83, Bala Wala Chi (without everything) and Kifak Inta (how you are).
In recent years, Rahbani has appeared less in the public eye, but its influence has never disappeared, because the younger generations rediscovered their games online and sample his music in protest movements.
He was survived by his mother, Fayrouz, now 90, his sister Reem and Brother Hali.
(Tiad Rahbani
