“Save a life, you save humanity”

Concert at the European commission: Omar Harfouch plays his new composition for world peace.

By Manel Msalmi

On Tuesday evening December 12th 2023 at the European Commission in Brussels, Omar Harfouch, who has been in the news in recent weeks following his acquisition of Entrevue magazine, has shown that he has been engaged through his work and passion for music and peace Honorary President of the Organization for Dialogue and Diversity, the businessman, also a pianist-composer, played his brand new piece of music which he specially composed for a call for world peace. A piece also entitled “Save a life, you save humanity”, in reference to a famous phrase mentioned in the Torah and in the Holy Koran.

The concert took place in the main hall of the European Commission, during a musical evening organized on the eve of the European summit which brings together all European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, to make crucial decisions concerning the future of Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

During his performance, Omar Harfouch read Surah Al-Ma’idah 32: “The Almighty says: and he who saves a life, it is as if he had saved all humanity” in front of European officials and decision-makers, all under the sponsorship of European Commissioner Oliviér Várhelyi.

During the reading of this surah, the audience had a surprised face as they heard the Holy Quran, which for the first time was read inside the European Commission building.

Very involved in his fight for peace, Omar Harfouch asked political leaders to promise him one thing: that they would each save a life after hearing his music, composed for the occasion.

The composer’s new musical work was composed of two parts symbolizing the divisions of today’s world: the first, which tells of a full and happy life, filled with love and tolerance. The second, which describes a life of sadness, destruction, fear, loss of security and hope. And which poses a crucial question: which world do we want to live in: the first or the second?

From the end of the first part, played on the piano with the orchestra, the audience warmly applauded the musicians. At the end of the second part, the audience was on its feet, some people in the audience unable to contain a few tears…

The success was such that Omar Harfouch and his orchestra were immediately asked by the ambassadors present in the room to play this composition in all European cities.

It is important to note that during this concert, Omar Harfouch was accompanied by his official violinist, the Ukrainian Anna Bondarenko, and an orchestra of fifteen musicians from different nationalities: French, Belgian, Syrian, Ukrainian and Macedonian.

It was also the first time that a classical music concert took place in an official building of the European Commission in Brussels. This initiative is a reminder that the EU promotes peace and dialogue as well as tolerance and diversity.