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