There is nowhere quite like the Palmyra Hotel in Baalbek, northern Lebanon. Standing opposite some of the largest and best-preserved Roman ruins in the world,
Opera Arias in the Hezbollah Stronghold
Placido Domingo was one of the guests at this year s Baalbek Festival in Lebanon. Christina Förch accompanied the Spanish star tenor along Khomeini images and Hezbollah statues into the arena – the largest Roman temple in the world.
Concentrating on the music - for Placido Domingo Hezbollah radicalism was not an issue during his stay in Baalbek
The tires of four jeeps gave a squeak as they stopped in front of the small but fine Palmyra Hotel in Baalbek. Security officers jumped out and secured the short path to the hotel entrance. But far and wide, no fans could be seen who might threaten the opera star as he arrived. Even the hotel personnel didn t seem as if they were prepared for Placido Domingo s visit on the day before his concert in the Roman ruins.