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Syria Honors Wadi al-Safi
Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts recently held two concerts dedicated to 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.
In an interview, al-Safi said that he loves Syria and its people just like he loves Lebanon because he’s a sentimental man, not a man of politics, noting that his recent honoring at the Opera House in Damascus is a continuation of Syria’s support throughout his career.
Lebanese singer and musician Wadi al-Safi said that Syria consecrated his presence in the world of art since the beginning of his career, and that the Syrian audience embraced him before any other country.
Al-Safi lamented the current state of decline in Arabic music, stressing the importance of ethics in the longevity of any work, particularly artwork, saying that an artist without ethics is like a writer without literacy or a poet without feelings.
He said that the reason for this decline is that contemporary Arabic music lacks artistic ethics and basis, noting that there are many promising new artists that cause optimism in the return of Arabic music to its former glory.
Al-Safi said that artists’ retirement at a certain age shows weakness, stressing that one who is born an artist will die 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.”
On his latest project, al-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 was born Wadih Francis in Niha al-Shuf, Lebanon, in 1921. His rare voice combines purity, power and compassion. He began his career at the age of 17 when he nicknamed al-Safi during a singing competition organized by a Lebanese radio station, winning the first prize and earning the title of Lebanon’s best singer.
He helped give the Lebanese song its identity by developing folk and country singing, stirring homesickness to country and countryside in expatriates.
Al-Safi received medals from many countries and participated in the most important 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