A philharmonic orchestra performed to spectator-free Roman ruins in east Lebanon Sunday, after a top summer festival was downsized to a single concert amid an economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.

The Baalbek International Festival was instead beamed live on television and social media, in what its director called a message of "hope and resilience" amid ever-worsening daily woes.

The night kicked off with the Lebanese philharmonic orchestra and choir performing the national anthem.

They played a mix of classical music and tunes by composers ranging from Lebanon's Rahbani brothers to Beethoven.

The 150 musicians and chorists were scattered inside the Temple of Bacchus.

Festival director Nayla de Freige said that most artists were performing for free at the UNESCO-listed site.

The concert represents "a way of saying that Lebanon does not want to die. We have an extremely productive and creative art and culture sector," she said.

"We want to send a message of civilization, hope and resilience," the festival director added.

Lebanon is known for its summer music festivals, which have in past years drawn large crowds every night and attracted performers like Shakira, Sting and Andrea Bocelli.

Other festivals have not yet announced their plans for this year.

Lebanon has recorded just 1,873 cases of COVID-19 including 36 deaths. But measures to stem the spread of the virus have exacerbated the country's worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

(Cover: Musicians from the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra perform during a concert in the ancient northeastern city of Baalbek, Lebanon, July 5, 2020. /AP)

(With input from AFP)