What does it mean to create in the face of loss? Or to pay tribute to a rich history when the present moment is coloured by grief?
These are the questions Lebanese composer Oussama Rahbani has been confronting over the past 12 months, as he completes the oratorio Ousafirou Wahdi Malikan (I Travel Alone, As a King), composed as part of centenary celebrations marking the birth of his father, composer, poet and playwright Mansour Rahbani.
It was also a period marked by personal loss, with the death of his cousin, composer Ziad Rahbani, aged 69, in July, followed by the passing of his cousin Hali Rahbani, 68, earlier this month.
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