Sabah Fakhri

Qasr Al-Motamarat (Au Palais Des Congress- Paris)

• Yamro Ajabn (She Walks By, Surprised)
• Fe Al Rawd An Sheft (I Saw Inside)
• Ya Tha Al Kawam Al Samhari (One With the Tight Body)
• Ya Bahjet Al Rooh (Happines of the Soul)
• Seboni Ya Nas (Leave Me Alone, People)

• Al Ful Wal Yasmeen (Arabian Jasmine and Jasmine)
• Habibi Ala Donya (This Life, My Love)
• Al Aouzbiah (Singlehood)
• Wel Nabi Yma (Prohpet)
• Malek Ya Helwa Malek (What's Wrong With You, Beautiful One?)
• Sayed Al Assari (Hunting Thoughts)
• Ya Tayer Tere (Fly, Oh Bird)
• Ya Mal Al Sham (Levant Song)

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A collection of the most famous Aleppan qudoud and suwashahat songs by singer Sabah Fakhri, performed live in Paris at Le Palais Des Congrès on 16, October 1978. A double LP of the recording was issued in 1978 on Alep Disques, and reissued in partnership with Polydor in 1980. This album presents one of Sabah Fakhri's most famous and widely circulated concerts, held at the Conference Palace in Paris during the 1970s On the first side of the album, we find Sabah's renowned version of "Ya Bahjet Al Rooh" (The Happiness of the Soul), a favorite tarab song among the audience. He continues to revisit the phrase "Hat Kas Al-Raah Wasqini Al-Aqdah" (Bring a cup of wine and quench me with goblets), each time with varying tones of endearment, pleading, and sometimes flirtation. He concludes the central part of the song with a passage that incites audience frenzy on the phrase "Ya Ein Ya Leil" (O Eye, O Night), before gradually announcing the song's approach to its end with "Wajhak Al-Wadah Malosh Mithal" (Your Radiant Face is Unparalleled). On the second side, Sabah Fakhri performs a set of his most famous songs: "Al Aouzbiah" (Singlehood), "Wel Nabi Yma," "Malek Ya Helwa," "Sayed Al Assari," "Ya Tayer Tere," and ending with "Ya Mal Al Sham." This sequence has its own dynamic, as Sabah transitions from expressing longing for the beloved to a longing for the homeland, all set to light and joyful rhythms. The side also includes Sabah's most famous rendition of the poem “Habibi Ala Donya”, by the Mamluk poet Baha Al-Din Zuhair, where Sabah Fakhri lingers on the verse “I humbled myself until the heart of my envier softened | And my critic in love returned as an intercessor,” and probes the intense emotions packed between its words. Sabah Fakhri (1933-2021) is celebrated as one of the greatest singers in Arabic music of the 20th century. Born in Aleppo, Sabah studied there at the Academy of Arabic Music and later in Damascus, graduating in 1948. Fakhri was known for his powerful vocals, precise control of musical scales and harmony, and captivating stage presence. He famously presented traditional Arabic music forms such as qudud and muwashahat to the world on the stage, television and radio during a career that spanned more than 50 years. His popularity extended beyond Arabic-speaking countries to Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia, where he sang exclusively in Arabic. He even set a Guinness World Record for singing continuously for 10 hours in Caracas, Venezuela. Unlike many other Arab artists, he never relocated to Cairo – believing that his fame was tied to Syria's artistic heritage.