Ziad Rahbani

Lebanese composer, pianist, and playwright

Ziad Rahbani (زياد الرحباني, born 1956) is a Lebanese composer, pianist, playwright, and political commentator. He is the son of Fairouz, one of Lebanon and the Arab world's most famous singers, and Assi Rahbani, one of the founders of modern Arabic music. His compositions are well known throughout the Arab world. He became by far the most influential Lebanese artist during the civil war. Many of his musicals satirize Lebanese politics both during and after the Lebanese Civil War, and are often strongly critical of the traditional political establishment.

Ziad Rahbani is the son of the Lebanese composer Assi Rahbani and Nouhad Haddad, the Lebanese female singer known as Fairuz. Rahbani was married to Dalal Karam, with whom he has a boy named "Assi" but he was later found out not to be his biological son. Their relationship later ended in divorce, prompting Karam to write a series of articles for the gossip magazine Ashabaka about their marriage. Rahbani composed a number of songs about their relationship, including "Marba el Dalal" and "Bisaraha". Rahbani has a long standing relationship with Lebanese leftist movements, and is a self declared communist. Furthermore, in an interview with the journalist Ghassan Bin Jiddu, Rahbani stated that the bloodbath massacres in the Palestinian camp Tall a Za’tar by extreme rightist Christian militias in 1976 was the main reason that drove him to leave to West Beirut. Notwithstanding, he also expressed his support to the Lebanese resistance and its project in the face of "the Israeli occupation and its Zionist Apartheid regime". Coming from a Christian family, his politics and viewpoints have meant that he has been at odds with some of his right wing teenage surroundings. During the Lebanese civil war, Rahbani resided in the religiously mixed, West Beirut suburbs.

Rahbani's first known artistic work was "Sadiqi Allah" (My Friend God), a collection of writings between the years 1967 and 1968 when he was in his teens. In 1973, at age 17, Rahbani composed his first music for Fairuz, his mother. Assi Rahbani, his father, was hospitalized and his mother Fairuz was to play the leading role in Al Mahatta by the Rahbani brothers. Mansour Rahbani, his uncle, who had written the lyrics of a song about Assi Rahbani's forced absence, gave Ziad Rahbani the task of composing its music. The song "Saalouni El Nass" (People Asked Me) gained Rahbani recognition in the music world. Rahbani appeared for the first time on stage in Al Mahatta where he played the role of the detective. He also appeared later on in the Rahbani Brothers' Mays el Rim in the role of one of the policemen. Rahbani's first step into theatre was with the Bkennaya Theater in Sahriyyeh. He followed that with highly politicized string of plays. "In 'The Harvest of Thorns: Political Comedy Theater in Syria and Lebanon,' Aksam Al Youssef wrote,"Under these circumstances, as a young adult, Ziad imposed himself on the artistic scene as a playwright, director, composer, pianist, and actor. In a short time, his original theatre would become the center of attention for young people who found in it the voice of a lost generation caught in the throws of war and violence. As an actor, besides appearing in his own plays, Rahbani starred in Randa Chahal Sabbagh's 2003 film The Kite.

Before, during and after the war, Rahbani released and co released several albums like: Bi hal shakel, Abou Ali, Halleluja, Shareet Ghayr Houdoudi, Houdou Nesbi, Ana Mouch Kafer, Hakaya al Atfal, Bema Enno, Monodose (with singer Salma Mosfi) and Maaloumat Mush Akidi (with singer Latifa). He has also written the music for singles performed by others such as "Rafi2i Sobhi El Gizz", "Kifak Inta", "Iza baddik" and "Abban 3an Jidd". He has done some orchestrations for songs like "Madih el Zoll el Ali", "Ahmad el Zaatar" and "Moussakafoun noun". Rahbani has also mixed several albums such as Al ra2i el 3aam and Moussakafoun noun. He has held concerts like the Oriental Jazz Concert in the BUC Irwin Hall, the Las Salinas Concert, the Forum de Beirut Concert, the Picadilly Concert, and "Mniha Concert" in Mont La Salle Ain Saadeh, the latter with his cousin Ghassan Rahbani. He also performs live occasionally in pubs like "Medusa", "Mon Général" and the "Téatro".

Year Original Title Translation Producer Songwriter(s) Vocalists Label Main Tracks 1973A Rahbani FestivalZiad Rahbani Assi & Mansour RahbaniSayed DarwishVoix de l'OrientAllamouni1977Kyrie EleisonZiad RahbaniMagida El RoumiSamy ClarkeLady MadonnaJoseph SakrYouhanna Al Habib SaderNahnou SahirounSayidiBil Afrah Wedding Music Assi & Mansour RahbaniZiad RahbaniSayed DarwishHalim El RoumiMohamed Sultan Philips Zourouni1979 Abu Ali / Prelude(Maxi Single) Ziad Rahbani Zida Prelude From Mays El RimAbu AliBelly Dance Fever Ziad RahbaniElias Rahbani Assi & Mansour RahbaniZiad RahbaniElias RahbaniSayed DarwishVoix de l'Orient El Hilwa Di 1985 Houdou' Nisbi Relative CalmZiad Rahbani Ziad RahbaniJoe Sample Ziad RahbaniSami HaouatMonica Asali Bala Wala ShiRouh KhabbirKhalas1987 Hekaya Story Ziad RahbaniNajat NaimehAbido Basha Salma MosfiCarmen Lebbos Ossat Al KozShrit Gher Hdoudy Borderless Tape Ziad Rahbani Ziad RahbaniSami Haouat Aprodisco Bi Saraha 1995 Bema Enno Considering That Ziad Rahbani Ziad RahbaniJoseph SakrSalma Mosfi Voix de l'Orient Bema Enno Talfan Ayash 2001 Monodose Ziad RahbaniAntonio Carlos JobimAstrud Gilberto Ziad RahbaniSalma Mosfi EMI Un verre chez nousWallaat KtirAssaada Allahou Masa'akom