Category: Egypt

A matter of fulfilment

Kodaly: Dances of Galanta for orchestra; Szymanowski: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 Op. 35; Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 … More

Seasonal concerns

The Cairo Symphony Orchestra has only announced the first four concerts of the new season so the audience still awaits … More

Sacred voices

At the Hayy Festival, Ati Metwaly joins in the invocations Published on 25 August 2011 in Al Ahram Weekly The … More

Gems in dust

Enjoying the breeze at the Citadel Summer Festival… almost Published on 28 July 2011 in Al Ahram Weekly Despite the … More

Homage to the Pyramids

Pyramids and the Revolution is a new adaptation of Maurice Bejart’s ballet Pyramide – El Nour. The new production, performed … More

A delicate balance (2/2)

Cairo Opera House Main Hall, 11 June; Sergey Rachmaninov: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 in D minor, Op. … More

A delicate balance (1/2)

Cairo Opera House Main Hall, 11 June; Sergey Rachmaninov: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 in D minor, Op. … More

Dust of tension

Cairo Opera House Main Hall, 4 June; Mozart: Overture to Idomeneo re di Creda, K. 366, Danzi: Sinfonia concertante for … More

Passion and fantasy

Cairo Opera House Main Hall, 28 May; Edward Elgar: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in E minor, Op 85; Nikolai … More

Experiment

Ewart Hall, 18 May, Schubert Mass in G, Cairo Choral Society, Cairo Festival Orchestra, Amira Reda (soprano), Matthew Hendrick (tenor), … More

The Whole World is a Circus

Acrobats, clowns, jugglers, and trained animals are the subjects of John Perkins’ photography exhibition but instead of the excitement and … More

Heir apparent

The period 28 April-3 May saw the first roundof the Cairo Contemporary Music Days (CCMD) festival, organised by the European-Egyptian … More

Bohemians of Broadway

On 18 April, Cairo Opera House opened the curtain for The Best of Broadway, a compilation of the best scenes … More

Bach wins again

While the Main Hall of the Cairo Opera House was staging Swan Lake by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company, the … More

Brahms twice over

Meticulous in his compositions, Johannes Brahms refused to present anything less than perfect. As such, Brahms’ musical legacy remains among … More

Return of the Swan Lake

Cairo Opera Ballet Company is in the last days of preparation for the Swan Lake, one of the most beloved … More

Music for Charity

Spiros C. Moros Foundation held a musical event with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, a number of soloists and the Cairo … More

Show Dance: Misplaced

A French troupe performing at the Main Hall of the Cairo Opera House did not give 2011 the best of … More

Countdown to Christmas

With the beginning of December, the music world enters into the Christmas spirit. Christmas-related concerts will be held in many … More

The devil in the programming

An otherwise successful concert of music by Mozart and Weber raises questions about the spread of unconventional programming. Published on … More

The Human body as Art

Whether the representations of the body are spontaneous cave drawings or intentional academic studies, it remains one of the fundamental … More

Make way for the King

Tut Ankh Amon is the best known Egyptian Pharaoh and his name is recognised worldwide. Tut Ankh Amon — actually … More

The World according to 1957

With half a century of life experiences expressed though artistic activities, three artists born in 1957 met together at the … More

The October Files

October has seen a remarkable number of valuable performances not only at the Cairo Opera House but also at locations … More

Arts of intelligence

This year, the Cairo Opera House joined an international network of theatres broadcasting live from the Metropolitan Opera – an … More

The lost Mozart

It would be hard to say which musical form satisfied Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart the most, or provided him with the … More

Almost Perfect

Notwithstanding faulty sound engineering, Ati Metwaly discovers how summer can be a many-spleandoured thing Published on 12 August 2010 in … More

The truth of fiction

“Truth becomes fiction when the fiction is true; the real becomes not-real where the unreal is real.” — Cao Xueqin. … More

Stars in season

Published on 15 July 2010 in Al Ahram Weekly On 6 July, the Alexandria Opera House (Sayed Darwish Theater) offered … More

The Greek revisited

Since 2001, the ballet Zorba has been performed at the Cairo Opera House Main Hall stage almost every year. The … More

Grand finale

Gala concerts provide their audiences with a unique pleasure; it is a festive special occasion. The Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted … More

Double Blast

19 June was no ordinary evening at the Cairo Opera House Main Hall. The concert offered a rather unusual compilation … More

Love’s labour gained

The opera is set around the year 1830. Nemorino, a young peasant, is in love with a beautiful landowner’s daughter, … More

Two B’s and One Hymnus

On 5 June, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andreas Spörri presented a particularly well compiled programme. The two big … More

Catharsis on the Nile

One of the purposes of art as formulated by Aristotle in his Poetics is catharsis. “Despite the indefiniteness of its … More

Beyond the grave

For concert halls and classical performance regulars, 2010 has been a special year. The classical music world celebrates the 200th … More

Back in time

Published in Al Ahram Weekly The son of Italian immigrants, Salvatore Adamo was raised in Belgium. At the age of … More

Personal reflections

Listening to pianist Ramzi Yassa’s performances of Chopin and Beethoven calls up reflections on the timeless force of art. Published … More

Good Education

Published in Al Ahram Weekly Ralf Gothóni is a renowned contemporary musician from Finland. His versatile career as a pianist, … More

Two to tango

Ballet is an art filled with moments, moments which stand in for emotions, and Degas captured many such moments in … More

From Soviet to Nordic

Works by Soviet composers, followed by a gala concert of Nordic pieces, were on the programme of the Cairo Opera … More

Ruptured Order

The Cairo Opera Ballet Company’s production of Aram Khachaturian’s ballet Spartacus left the audience with some intriguing questions. Published in … More

An elegy to remember

Published in Al Ahram Weekly “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) is the opening … More

Puccini in love

The Cairo Opera’s production of La Bohème, one of Puccini’s greatest operas, makes audiences fall in love with the piece … More

When Santa comes to town

Published in Al Ahram Weekly December has brought a festive atmosphere to the streets of Cairo. In Egypt everybody celebrates … More

Italian colours

Published in Al Ahram Weekly In May 1889, Puccini attended Sardou’s play La Tosca and, fascinated by its plot, he … More

Vivaldi among the Latins

Published in Al Ahram Weekly In the 20th century, classical composers face the challenge of mainstream melody and rhythm, for … More

Bipolar

Published in Al Ahram Weekly No need to retell, however briefly, the story of Romeo and Juliet. It is known, … More