Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts recently held two concerts dedicated to Lebanese singer, songwriter, actor and musician Wadi al-Safi featuring a choir of 60 singers, 15 musicians and a dance troupe, celebrating al-Safi’s history and accomplishments across 70 years of music, Syrian DP news / SANA reported.
According to DP al-Safi said in an interview,said that he “loves Syria and its people just like he loves Lebanon because he’s a sentimental man, not a man of politics”
Al-Safi reportedly said that artists should not retire stressing that one who is born an artist should die as an artist and must continue to give until his last breath, adding “creativity doesn’t die… it’s the soul that doesn’t have faith, hope, creativity and generosity that dies.”
A-Safi said his last song was titled “Ya Binti” (my daughter) with lyrics by Sara al-Hajiri and Toni Abi Karam and music by George al-Safi, noting that he dedicated the song to the Syrian television. He added that he’s currently working on a song titled “Rah Eid el Zaman” (I will bring back the time) which is written and composed by Suheil Fares.
Wadi al-Safi who was born Wadih Francis in Niha al-Shuf, of Mount Lebanon in 1921 is a Lebanese cultural icon, and is often called the “Voice of Lebanon”. He started his artistic journey at the early age of seventeen when he was nicknamed al-Safi during a singing contest held by the Lebanese Radio and was first among fifty other competitors.
He helped give the Lebanese song its identity by developing folk and country singing, stirring homesickness to country and countryside in expatriates.
Al-Safi reportedly received medals from many countries and participated in several major festivals, “dedicating his art to God and uniting people’s heart, with his music reviving humane, national and religious values for 70 years.”
DP news / SANA
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