Fairuz

Neighbor to the Moon, Ambassador to the Stars, the legend of today is yesterday's shy little village girl. The superstar is acclaimed by millions as magical, brilliant, and angelic.

Born and raised in Lebanon, Fairuz began her musical career as a teenager. From chorus girl at the Lebanese radio station in the late 1940s, to critical and popular acclaim from the 1950's to today, Fairuz is acknowledged not only for her musical talent and contribution, but also as a cultural and political icon. A symbol of a people, a heritage, a quest for peace, and of humanity.

Met with unprecedented enthusiasm, Fairuz's early songs featured the singer's distinct vocal timbre and lyrics expressing romantic love and nostalgia for village life. They meshed with a delicate orchestral blend in which certain Arab instruments figured prominently but which also subtly incorporated European instruments and European popular dance rythms.

In 1957, Lebanon's President Chamoun presented Fairuz with the "Cavalier", the highest medal ever conferred on a Lebanese Artist. In 1969 a memorial Lebanese stamp was issued in her name. In 1963, King Hussein of Jordan presented her with the Medal of Honor, followed by his Majesty's Gold Medal in 1975. In Brazil, the crowds attempted to carry her with her limousine. In 1981, while touring in the U.S., Senators, Governors and Mayors of various cities honored her. Reporting on her record-breaking concerts at the Royal Festival Hall in London the Daily Mail wrote: "The box office was besieged as never before. Tickets changed hands at more than 1,000 Pounds on the black market. Takings reached a record, breaking the previous best when Frank Sinatra was in town."

Referred to as "The Soul of Lebanon" in the 70's, Fairuz became a pre-eminent figure, a superstar of current music in the Arab world.

"More than just a singer's name, Fairuz is a concept whose connotations are ethnic and nationalistic, as well as musical and poetic."
- Dr. J. Racy

Related Links:
Fairuz's Biography
Origins of a Legend
Fairuz Online

Jerusalem In My Heart
The album was originally released in 1972, but this 1997 edition includes three additional tracks (one of them live recordings). The album in a whole is a mixture of different feelings, grief, pain, hope and glory by the Arab world's undisputed diva. For almost 50 years, her singing has expressed the whole of the emotional scale of Arab life with unmatched intensity.

Includes an elaborate CD booklet that contains rare pictures and some articles on Fairuz in Arabic, English and French. One of the pictures shows Fairuz with Jerusalem officials handing her the city's key.

Listen to Zahrat Elmada'en (the flower of cities) 8 mins, Real Audio

The Very Best of Fairuz ***HIGHLY RECOMMENDED***

This is a compilation album features the most popular hits of Fairuz. Almost everyone in the Middle East knows these songs! This selection is an excellent introduction to Fairuz and the Rahabanis. Released in 1987.

Listen to El Quds Alatika (the old City of Jerusalem) 3 mins, Real Audio

Rajioun
Originally released in 1957 as a response to the Palestinian catastrophe 'AlNakba', this album placed flames in the hearts of the Arabs at that time and earned the Rahbani Brothers the title 'Abbaa El3amal Alfedaii' (Fathers of the Sacrificial Resistance).

The emotions filled in Fairuz 's voice, and the great poetic/musical pieces are what make this album a 'prodigy' as Nagat Kassab, a critic, calls it in the article 'Art and Land', written in 1957 and found in the booklet of the album.

Rajioun means "we shall return." The music is opera-style. Re-released in 1992.