VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, Dona Nobis Pacem

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958)
Dona Nobis Pacem
Yasmina Sabbah, Conductor
Le Chœur de l’USJ
The Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra
Julie Martin du Theil, Soprano
Philippe Nicolas Martin, Baritone
Chadi Zein, Art and Stage Director
Concert Foreword
In the crazy times we are going through, being able to still make music has indeed become a blessing we do not take lightly. We try as much as we can, in every concert we perform, to raise our voices to make a difference in our community. Our past two concerts have been fundraisers for the Lebanese Food Bank and Healthcare workers of Hotel Dieu. Today, we sing for peace.
The center piece of our program will feature Vaughan William’s Dona Nobis Pacem - Latin for “grant us peace”- a mesmerizing piece that combines poems by Walt Whitman, a speech to British Parliament, and passages from the bible. This work is a cry for peace, in which the composer takes us on a journey from the horrors of war to a universal plea for world peace, all messages pertinent and vital in today’s Lebanon. While it was written as a warning before World War II and a plea not to repeat the carnage of previous wars, its message of harmony and reconciliation amidst chaos and violence is what we need most during these uncertain and difficult times. Composed in 1936, the work served as a rallying cry for the anti-war movement capturing the fear and anxiety of the people leading up to the war. On the eve of the Blitz, the BBC tried unsuccessfully to broadcast the work throughout Germany as a piece of musical propaganda. However, during the war itself, the piece was performed throughout Britain to give the population some hope of a future of peace.
This message tightly connected to our Lebanese in which we are reminded of the past horrors of war, in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past and that there are no winners in war. Lebanon has endured a bloody and violent 15-year civil war and a series of violent events leading to the August-4 explosion. Though our bloody past has not been forgotten, and while peace may still be far, we have no choice but to dream for it. The recurring prayer “grant us peace” haunts the entire work, finally triumphing over the terrors of war which are explicitly described in Whitman’s poems.
CREDITS
Scenography:
Chadi Zein
Digital Scenography creation:
Chadi Zein
Digital Scenography editing:
Mounir Serawan
Led operation/programming:
Ziad Abou Ghosn
Lights:
Hagop Derghougassian
Lights operation/programming:
Jean Kissawan
Sound Recording and mixing:
Sound People
Jean Gibran
Tracy Helou
Pierre Kamel
Eliane Noujeim
Rami Ouzon
Cinematographic extracts for Teaser and Led:
Karim Ghorayeb - DOP
Ralph Moussa - DOP
Roger Ghantous - DOP
Visual Archives for Led:
“Beyrouth, points de vue”
a film by Hady Zaccak
“Marcedes”
a film by Hady Zaccak
“MISSING…”
an exhibition organized by
UMAM
Documentation and Research
Paintings from Tamara de Lempicka’s artworks.
Stained glass, Adam and Eve, lincoln’s medieval cathedral, London
Photographic images taken from the commonly used Lebanese War Archives.
Costume design: Elie Saad
Graphic Design: Karim Farah
Teaser, Foreword and TV add creation: Chadi Zein
DOP & editing: Mounir Al Serawan
Arabic Translation: Katia Tawil
Subtitles: Tracy Helou
A big THANK YOU from the heart to:
Père Gabriel Khairallah et les Pères Jésuites
Église St-Joseph
USJ
LPO
Daniele Jacob
Lena Arslanian
Elio Mahouly
Monica Borgman
Marie-Claude Souaid
Ghalia Daher
Hratch Tokatlian
Ramzi Haydar-Dar Al Mousawwer
Ralf Karam-Black Bird Production
M.Hagop Arslanian
Toufic El Assaad
Souad Haydar Khoury
Shehadé Abdel-Masih
Alaa Abou Said
Ziad Abi Ghosn
Richard Salemeh
Rich Lights
M.Joseph Matta
All members of Le Choeur de l’USJ
All musicians of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra
Rayan Abi Faraj
Aline Ouais
Leila Maroun
Libeyrouth Ensemble
And all who collaborated in order to make this tribute concert happen.
This concert was made possible with the Support of:
Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Thank you to our Sponsors :
Rotary Club of Lebanon
Fondation Philippe Jabre
LiBeyrouth des arts vivants et de la culture
DHAS Dantziguian Hrayr
S-Gestion
380 Three-Eighty
Elie Saad Couture
Burgundy
Agenda Culturel
L’Orient Le Jour
MTV Lebanon
June 18, 2021
Saint-Joseph Church, Beirut, Lebanon
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended, music belongs to the rightful owners.