Concerto for Peace by Omar Harfouch: the story of an unforgettable and emotional evening

It's the event that everyone has been talking about for weeks: this Wednesday evening, Omar Harfouch gave his Concerto for Peace at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, accompanied by the Béziers Méditerranée orchestra, conducted by Mathieu Bonnin. And the evening exceeded all expectations…

It all started in the late afternoon. While the concert was scheduled for 19:30 p.m., the first guests (more than 1 in total) gathered in front of the theater at 700:17 p.m., provoking the curiosity of passers-by and tourists, astounded by so much agitation. Ballet of limousines, celebrities arriving from all sides, red carpet, reinforced security, because of the television control room: for one evening, Avenue Montaigne was transformed into a real Cannes Film Festival in the heart of Paris.

Host of the evening, Omar Harfouch opened the ball by welcoming his guests one by one during a photocall. The list of celebrities who responded to the invitation is as impressive as it is varied, and even unique for a classical music concert. Among the stars present: Catherine Deneuve, Laetitia Casta, JoeyStarr, Jenifer, Ibrahim Maalouf, Elie Semoun, the composer Vladimir Cosma, accompanied by the song specialist French Fabien Lecoeuvre, Cali, Shy'm, Amel Bent, Vitaa, Slimane, the last representative of France at Eurovision, Amaury Vassili, Adil Rami, Rolland Courbis, Clara Morgane, Said Taghmaoui, the comedians Franck Dubosc et Kev Adams or, Philippe douste-blazy. 

Other very notable presences: those of Teddy Riner et Marie-Jose Pérec, the last two Olympic flame bearers, who lit the cauldron during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Also answered the call Benjamin Castaldi, Jordan De Luxe, the columnist of TPMP! Maxime Guény, the dancer and choreographer Maxime Dereymez, Richard Orlinsky, the sculptor of the stars, Christophe Beaugrand, Harry Roselmack, Stomy Bugsy, Julien lepers, a great piano connoisseur, Stéphane Bern, the actress Emmanuelle Seigner, the former Miss France Cindy Fabre, the singer Jonche Jonathan, Michael Jones, Elodie Frege, Jeremstar or even the designer Jean-Claude Jitrois, to recite nobody else but them. 

As Omar Harfouch greeted his guests, a shiver ran through the theater when Marc Lavoine et Adriana Karembeu made their entrance. The couple appeared together in public for the first time, kissing under the stunned gaze of photographers.

As a concert for peace, religious representatives of all faiths were present, including the imam Hassen Chalghoumi ou Yonathan Arfi, president of CRIF.

Around 20pm, the theatre bell rang, announcing the imminent start of the concert. Mathieu Bonnin, the conductor, entered to thunderous applause, then Najwa Harfouch, Omar Harfouch's eldest daughter, went on stage to announce her father's entrance. Deeply moved, the young woman declared her love for France, a nation of peace and tolerance, confiding how lucky she was to grow up in a country where one could grow up without ever being questioned about one's origins or religious beliefs.

Admitting that her father had come to live in France to find this freedom and tolerance, Najwa Harfouch concluded with a moving: “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my father, Omar Harfouch.”

Omar Harfouch then entered the stage, warmly greeted by a packed house. With dark glasses screwed on his head, like all the musicians in the orchestra, the pianist addressed a message of peace, expressing his indignation at world conflicts and unnecessary deaths, then opened the Concerto for Peace with one of his compositions, the Oriental Fantasy, confessing that he had been inspired for this work by the book Samarcande, by Amin Maalouf, a journey to the Orient of the 66th and XNUMXth centuries, in a universe where dreams of freedom have always defied fanaticism. Accompanied by an excited conductor Mathieu Bonnin, Omar Harfouch played with the audience, particularly receptive, who from the beginning of the concert accompanied the XNUMX musicians by clapping their hands in rhythm. 

Omar Harfouch and his orchestra then performed Tripoli, a tribute to the composer's hometown. Deeply moved, Omar Harfouch addressed the audience, recalling a childhood marked by war and bombings, explaining that he would hide under his piano when he was little to protect himself from the bombs, and that it was with his piano and music that he had found salvation, as well as the strength to replace the hatred that had gripped him for years with love.

Speaking of love, Omar Harfouch paid a double tribute: while he played his composition, a clip was broadcast simultaneously in the room, on a giant screen, featuring the city of Tripoli but also his wife, Yulia Harfouch, which had been filmed in the streets of the city in preparation for this concert. A true declaration of love from Omar Harfouch both to Tripoli and to his wife, warmly applauded by the spectators and very touched by this timeless moment.

Omar Harfouch continued his concerto with “Save one life you save the Humanity”, a composition he had performed at the European Commission. Addressing the audience once again, the composer quoted the Torah and the Holy Quran, which state that whoever saves one life saves all of humanity. The pianist addressed the audience once again, stating that the 1 people present had the potential to save 700 lives. A peace speech full of symbols and emotions.

Before playing the final piece of the concert, which saw the entrance of the violinist Anne Gravoin, Omar Harfouch turned to the audience one last time to advocate for peace in the world, and also peace within his audience. The composer provoked laughter from the audience by confessing to having received many calls from concert guests, some of whom told him they did not want to come if this or that person also came.

In a tone that was both humorous and serious, Harfouch recalled that there was no better symbol of peace than forgiving and loving one's neighbor, adding: "If there are people in the room who don't like each other, let them make peace for at least an hour." A sentence that did not fail to soften the spirits and remind us that peace in the world could begin by making peace with one's neighbor. Omar Harfouch then added: "I call on all decision-makers, regardless of their political affiliation or religious persuasion, to finally find the path to peace."

At the end of a final work lasting 20 minutes, and when everyone thought the concert was over, a surprise came to punctuate the show: a choir entered the room and placed itself in the middle of the audience to perform a magnificent a capella song, "Salam", which means “peace” in Arabic, stunning the assembly.

After thunderous applause and several encores, the concert ended, leaving the audience in awe of the music and the message conveyed. Certainly, the message of peace advocated by Omar Harfouch got through to the audience. Because there was only one music that evening, and it is universal: the music of Peace…

@Photos: Daniel Topic