A President who composed in his spare time or not quite?

Some artists earn global acclaim yet remain overlooked at home. Such was the fate of French composers Hector Berlioz (1803–1869) and Francis Poulenc (1899–1963), largely neglected in France until English interpreters — most notably conductor Sir Colin Davis (1927–2013) — revived their reputations with landmark recordings and international tours.

Thus, these two giants of France's musical heritage were, until a few years ago, performed and adored in many countries, while their works were exceedingly rare in France. Fortunately, this gap has now been filled, although some of Poulenc's works, particularly vocal pieces, are still very difficult to find performed by French ensembles, while recordings by English groups abound.

For the record

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But all of the above, however instructive, is actually just a pretext. A pretext to talk about Lebanese composer Beshara al-Khoury, born in 1957 in Lebanon and living in France since 1979. This artist is considered by music lovers around the world as one of the most important living composers of his generation.

The most prestigious orchestras and the greatest artists have performed his music across the globe since the early 1980s and to this day. To name a few (and this list is by no means exhaustive): The Orchestre national de France, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Czech Philharmonic, NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg, the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra (Michigan), the Kammerakademie Potsdam, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra — and many more.

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As for conductors, the list is no less impressive: Pierre Dervaux, Kurt Masur, Daniel Harding, Paavo Jarvi, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Pierre Bleuse, Fabio Luisi, Daniel Kawka, and the list could go on for many more lines. Moving on to soloists: Emmanuel Pahud, Pascal Amoyel, Patrick Messina, Sara Nemtanu, Daniel Hope, Éric Le Sage, Paul Meyer, and so many others.

Regarding the concert halls that have hosted Bechara el-Khoury’s works, let’s mention (among others) the auditorium of Radio France, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, La Seine Musicale, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot — all in Paris alone — not to mention Barbican Hall in London, the Philharmonie in Kyiv, Orchestra Hall in Detroit, and some twenty other halls and festivals around the world.

So why, yes why, does almost no one know Khoury in Lebanon? Is it because his name is the same as a former president of the Republic? This is not a joke, as there are still people who, when his name comes up, ask: "Oh! The president was a composer in his spare time?" Why does Lebanon not celebrate him, does not support him as a civilized nation would do for an artist it is proud of — a man who represents his country’s name so highly around the world? Why doesn’t the state commission a symphony from him in praise of Lebanon, as is done in other countries? He is currently writing his third symphony, and a gesture from official (or unofficial) Lebanon would surely warm his heart.

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Just in case it is useful (but to whom?) here is a look Khoury’s current events: An upcoming CD release from the Orchestre national de Lyon featuring Richard Strauss’s (1864-1949) Alpine Symphony and Khoury’s Grand poème alpestre Nach Garmisch, a work for horn and orchestra (soloist Guillaume Tétu), composed as a tribute to Richard Strauss.

Additionally, on Nov. 13, 2025, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Paris attacks, Khoury’s symphonic poem Il fait novembre en mon âme will be performed by the Orchestre de chambre de Paris, conducted by Harry Ogg with soprano Erminie Blondel as soloist. This work was commissioned by the Fondation de France and premiered at the Philharmonie de Paris in November 2020 for the fifth anniversary of the attacks, and L’Orient-Le Jour covered it at the time. Also on the program for this concert: L. van Beethoven (1770-1827), Creatures of Prometheus, overture, and Symphony No. 39 K.543 by W.A. Mozart (1756-1791). There are worse things, aren’t there?