On Saturday 20 April, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Magdy Boghdady will perform a special concert tailored for children. … More
Category: Al Ahram Weekly
The life and times of an Arab soprano: Ratiba El-Hefny and The Merry Widow
‘The Merry Widow’ operetta was performed at the Cairo Opera House’s stage last month. Ratiba El-Hefny recalls when she was … More
Gems of Armenia: Cairo’s Arax Choir commemorates Aram Khachaturian
Armenian Community’s Arax Choir conducted by Mihran Ghazelian commemorated the 110th anniversary of composer Aram Khachaturian last Saturday. Published in … More
Requiem for a danseur noble: Abdel-Moneim Kamel
Abdel-Moneim Kamel, a ‘spiritual father of ballet’ in Egypt, passed away in February leaving behind generations of dancers filled with … More
A rendezvous with Chopin: Andrei Gavrilov performs in Cairo
On 10 February the historical Manasterly Palace in Cairo hosted Andrei Gavrilov, the world-renowned Russian pianist, who performed Chopin and … More
Polish connection: Lutosławski performed in Cairo
Polish musicians performed a selection of composer/conductor Witold Lutosławski’s works at the Cairo Opera House on Wednesday 6 February. Published … More
Year of the Snake: Chinese artists perform in Cairo
For three days, between 28 and 30 January, the Main Hall of the Cairo Opera House hosted artists from China. … More
Magic Mozart: The Magic Flute at the Cairo Opera House
Between 10 and 14 January, the Cairo Opera Company, the Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted by Nayer Nagui and the Cairo … More
Enana: Dancing along the success path
Enana Dance Theatre that performed in Manama on 28 December is now working on choreography for Ibn Battuta, a show … More
When the music’s over: Ammar Al-Sherei
On Friday 7 December, Ammar Al-Sherei, a man of great musical knowledge and skill, passed away at the age of … More
Egyptian Sinfonietta: a new ambition of the Egyptian Philharmonic Society
On Sunday 9 December the Egyptian Sinfonietta, a chamber orchestra operating under the Egyptian Philharmonic Society (EPS), will give its … More
A moveable feast: music life of Paris for all cultures
Paris beats to the rhythm of music, offering a lot of musical treasures, many of which strike a note with … More
I wish I was French
Published in Al Ahram Weekly. J’aurais voulu etre egyptien (I Wish I Was Egyptian), recently performed in Egypt, is a … More
Mystic Love or Yunus Emre Oratorio performed in Egypt
On Saturday 3 November and Sunday 4 November, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra performed Yunus Emre Oratorio, concerts that were the … More
Rossini, Native American or L’inganno felice at the Cairo Opera House
Cairo Opera Company performs Rossini’s one-act opera L’inganno felice, a much needed refreshment for Egyptian audiences. Published in Al Ahram … More
Grassroots Romeo – story of Bahiya according to The Knights of the Orient for Heritage
Between 7 and 10 October, Al-Gomhuriya Theatre hosted Bahiya, a ballet where the axes of traditional Egyptian and contemporary Western … More
Children of the Opera: looking at the past decades of concerts for children in Egypt
Cairo Opera House invites children to a special concert tailored for young audiences on Sunday 7 October Published in Al … More
Missing grandeur: Cairo Symphony Orchestra opens new symphonic season
On Saturday 15 September, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jiri Petrdlik opened its 54th symphonic season. The concert included … More
Safe Play: Raising the curtain on the new Opera House season
On 8 September, the Opening Night Gala inaugurated the new artistic season of the Cairo Opera House. The 54th season … More
Silence of the Lambs
The Pussy Riot controversy follows the classical mould of the struggle for freedom of expression, and unveils a typical authoritarian … More
Ilham Al-Madfai opens Ramadan Evenings at the Cairo Opera House
On Sunday 29 July, the Cairo Opera House’s open-air theatre hosted its first Ramadan Evenings event with the renowned Iraqi … More
Collegiate talents: Yale Whiffenpoofs in Cairo
The Yale Whiffenpoofs gave a concert at the Cairo Opera House’s open air theatre on Monday 16 July. Their performance … More
Marvels of Lebanon’s Chouf: Caracalla Dance Theatre at Beiteddine Art Festival
The 27th Beiteddine Art Festival kicked off on 28 June with Kan Ya Ma Kan (Once Upon a Time), a … More
Fiesta of Song: American Idol finalists perform in Cairo
Part of the Summer Festival, on 6 July, six American Idol finalists joined three Egyptian singers from the Sing Egyptian … More
Beethoven strikes again
On Saturday 16 June, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ahmed El Saedi performed two great works: Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade … More
A universal rhapsody: Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh performs in Cairo
On 7 June, Syrian clarinetist, Kinan Azmeh and the City Band invited the audience to a large palette of musical … More
Waiting for Godunov: On the role of artists in times of political change
Hearing about a stir provoked by Boris Godunov on the stage of Mariinsky Theatre, it is hard not to draw … More
Humbled by Music: Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra
On Sunday 6 May, the Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra performed an impressive programme at Teatru Manoel in Valletta, Malta. … More
Soiree Francaise with the Cairo Opera Orchestra
On 19 April, Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted by Dominique Rouits and a number of soloists performed works by the French … More
‘When you believe in what you’re doing, doors open,’ says pianist and arts manager Ahmed Abou-Zahra
Ahmed Abou-Zahra is one of Egypt’s most unique talents in the arts, being both an accomplished master pianist and a … More
‘Sing Egyptian Women’: Popping the rules
A women’s empowerment programme that wrapped up on 5 April discovered several talented Egyptian singers despite a number of serious … More
Hip Hop with Rennie Harris Puremovement: The brothers at the Opera
Rennie Harris Puremovement, a hip hop dance company from the US, took Cairo’s Opera House by storm on Thursday 15 … More
I think and I feel
Published in Al Ahram Weekly It was not the first time for Jiri Petrdlik to conduct the Cairo Symphony Orchestra. … More
Meet the new chairperson of the Cairo Opera House: Ines Abdel Dayem
When Shaker Abdel Hamid, Egypt’s Minister of Culture announced that Ines Abdel Dayem will be a new chairperson of the … More
Reem Kelani’s journey from occupied territories to occupied Tahrir
Palestinian singer Reem Kelani indulges herself in research on iconic Egyptian music legend, Sayed Darwish Published in Al Ahram Weekly … More
Importance of audience development in music institutions
While the Cairo Opera House suspends all activities until 25 February, it is about time to raise the difficult issue … More
Egypt’s new music scene: A revolutionary audit
Published in Al Ahram Weekly and Ahram Online “What do you think an artist is? An imbecile who only has … More
Talent for the times
Published in Al Ahram Weekly On Thursday 29 December, over 20 students of Sobhi Bidair’s took the stage to perform … More
An isolated Christmas
On 17 December, the Cairo Opera House Main Hall invited the audience to the annual Christmas Concert of the Cairo … More
East-west bonanza
On 7 and 8 December, the Cairo Opera Ballet Company presented Ballet Lorkiana with El Leila El Kebira at the … More
Carols for the Islamists
This year Santa Claus comes to Egypt under very difficult social, religious and political circumstances. With all the changes taking … More
Tunisia’s creative documents
From protagonists and documentarians, today, Tunisian photographers – and other artists – went on to becoming commentators on the unfolding … More
Africa through the lens
A rich source of reflection and an important wake-up call: Ati Metwaly reports from the 9th Rencontres de Bamako photography … More
A dose of Mozart
One-act operas, especially when they are by Mozart, add immeasurably to any opera company’s repertoire. Published on 3 November 2011 … More
Meet the Cairo Opera Orchestra’s new artistic director
With the opening of its new season, the Cairo Opera House announced the appointment of Nayer Nagui as principal conductor … More
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
A spoonful of arias opens the Cairo Opera Company new season
Cairo Opera Company opened new season with a bunch of famous scenes from the best-known world operas Published on Thursday … More
The perils of youth in the season’s opening of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra
An ecstatic audience filled the hall of the Cairo Opera: regulars thirsty for the classical music of which they had … 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
Talaat Zein (1955-2011) A song to remember
The Egyptian singer and actor passed away in Cairo on Sunday 14 August 2011, after a battle with lung cancer. … More
Afropop Worldwide prepares a musical portrait of Egypt
During their one-month stay in Egypt, Afropop Worldwide, collected a large amount of data for four radio episodes on Egypt’s … More
A midsummer night’s fracas
Ati Metwaly assesses the seasonal fever Published on 4 August 2011 in Al Ahram Weekly In many corners of 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
Tarek Ali Hassan: That rare whiff of true renaissance
A medical doctor, musician, philosopher, writer, poet and painter, Tarek Ali Hassan describes himself simply as ‘somebody who loves human … 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
Remembering Ziad Bakir
Works by Beethoven and Rageh Daoud pay fitting tribute to the martyrs of the Egyptian revolution Published on 24 March … 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
2010 in Music: More ups than downs
2010 was an exciting year filled with a big variety of events: ballets, operas, symphonic concerts, recitals, and all the … 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
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 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
Aida returns to the Pyramids
October 5-7 and 10 are important dates for the Cairo Opera House, marking the return of Verdi’s Aida to the … More
Puzzled in a magical location
Friday, 1 October was my last evening in Beirut. I was there to attend a series of workshops of the … 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
In the beginning was Latin America
Latin America’s journey to national independence, which started in 1810 and went on till 1825, is as fascinating Latin America. … 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
The importance of being Cambreling
The devil, as Ati Metwaly discovers again, is in the details Published on 3 June 2010 in Al Ahram Weekly … 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
Ati Metwaly 