Henri Goraieb (9 May 1935 – 13 January 2021) was a Lebanese pianist, musician, and radio host.
Biography
Goraieb was born on 9 May 1935, in
Deir al-Qamar
Deir al-Qamar ( ar, دَيْر الْقَمَر, lit=Monastery of the moon, translit=Dayr al-qamar), is a city south-east of Beirut in south-central Lebanon. It is located five kilometres outside of Beiteddine in the Chouf District of the Mount Le ...
, a small Christian village in
Lebanon, to a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
mother and
Lebanese father. He started practicing music at the age of six, and first performed onstage in
Tripoli
Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to:
Cities and other geographic units Greece
*Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
when he was 13. In the 1950s, he studied at the
Conservatoire de Paris under the tutelage of
Marguerite Long and
Germaine Mounier.
Lebanese President
The President of the Lebanese Republic ( ar, رئيس الجمهورية اللبنانية, rayiys aljumhuriat allubnania; french: Président de la République Libanaise) is the head of state of Lebanon. The president is elected by the parliame ...
Camille Chamoun was present at his first concert in
Beirut in 1955. Subsequently, he pursued a concert career throughout
Europe, from
Rome to
Moscow. He performed with groups such as the
Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Orchestre National de France, the
George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Jean-Francois Paillard Chamber Orchestra.
Goraieb was the first Lebanese artist to be invited to the
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...
as a soloist as part of the ''Mardis de la RTF'' program. In the early 1980, he became a radio host on the
France Musique
France Musique is a French national public radio channel owned and operated by Radio France. It is devoted to the broadcasting of music, both live and recorded, with particular emphasis on European classical music, classical music and jazz.
Hist ...
program ''Les Archives lyriques''. After he suffered a stroke in the early 2000s, he returned to the piano in 2005. His final public concert took place in Beirut on 11 November 2018 with a performance of
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
's
Piano Concerto No. 13.
Henri Goraieb died on 13 January 2021, at the age of 85.
References
Lebanese musicians
1935 births
2021 deaths
{{Lebanon-musician-stub