A snapshot, a signature, a whole life of music: the photograph that Tom Krause dedicated to Maro Partamian after "Don Giovanni" in Baalbeck in August 1965 has become one of the centerpieces of his archives. (Credit: Courtesy of Maro Partamian)
She no longer remembers how she got to Baalbeck. Bus or car? Did she spend the night there or head back to Beirut after the show? The details of the journey have faded over time. But one image remains intact.A black and white photograph. At her side, Finnish baritone Tom Krause signs his name. Over 60 years later, this snapshot has become much more than a keepsake: it's a fragment of Lebanese music history.In 1965, Maro Partamian was only in her twenties when she joined the chorus of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at the Baalbeck International Festival. The troupe from Europe wasn’t able to travel with its full chorus, so several young Lebanese singers were recruited, mainly from the National Conservatory of Music and Beirut’s choirs."They were looking for some sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. Many of us were...
She no longer remembers how she got to Baalbeck. Bus or car? Did she spend the night there or head back to Beirut after the show? The details of the journey have faded over time. But one image remains intact.A black and white photograph. At her side, Finnish baritone Tom Krause signs his name. Over 60 years later, this snapshot has become much more than a keepsake: it's a fragment of Lebanese music history.In 1965, Maro Partamian was only in her twenties when she joined the chorus of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at the Baalbeck International Festival. The troupe from Europe wasn’t able to travel with its full chorus, so several young Lebanese singers were recruited, mainly from the National Conservatory of Music and Beirut’s choirs."They were looking for some sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. Many of us were...
