"The new sound of radio"

I wrote more than one year ago about "The Sound of Sakia", the online radio set up by the people of El Sawi. Now an article has appeared on Al-Masry Al-Youm about the spread of online radios from Egypt bringing to my attention the existance of other stations as well.
Click here to read the article.

The Tunes of Change: Egyptian underground music scene

Egyypt Today published in its latest issue a very interesting article about music in Egypt.
Massar Egbari, Salalem, Nagham Masry and Princess Emanuelle are the artists on the spotlight but the article is a very interesting excursus on the "underground" scene in general.
You can read it from their online edition clicking here, but, as usual, I strongly recommend to buy the actual magazine on sale at the newstand. It does well deserve the 15 EGP!

DON'S REVIEW - Love and Conquest in Ancient Egypt, Aida at the Cairo Opera House

No question. If you are only going to see one opera – or one performance -- at the Cairo Opera House, Aida should be at the top of your list.

One of Giuseppe Verdi’s last operas, Aida premiered in Egypt, at the old Cairo Opera House in 1871 (which sadly burned down exactly 100 years later in 1971). Aida took the opera world by storm, and still remains one of the top 20 performed operas worldwide (number 16, to be precise).

Some of the Cairo Opera Orchestra productions are a bit lacklustre – their La Boheme last December was a bit pathetic – and so I was bit reluctant to see Aida.

But, Cairo pulls out all the stops with Aida, with a lavish set and costumes of which any opera company in the world would be proud. Perhaps M Haggag and his colleagues in costume design have their pick of the treasures from the Egyptian Museum right across the bridge from the Opera House.

The palaces, the temples, the tombs, the triumphal march in Act 2 are all stunning. Indeed, in an evening with Aida you get a magnificent “sound and light” display of ancient Egypt, but with beautifully lyric music and song, and a gripping story of love and conquest.

Don’t expect singing like at La Scala or the Met, but nonetheless -- except for a weak Radames the evening I went -- Cairo does a more than credible job, with standouts Iman Moustafa as Aida, and the Serbian Dragana del Monaco as princess Amneris, whom the slave-girl Aida serves.

Cairo Live Events will keep you posted on the timing of next year’s production of Aida

WEEKLY AGENDA MUSIC February 6 - February 12

Saturday, February 6, 2010

- Cairo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mina Zikri presents works from Beethoven and Mahler in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray 8:30 PM
- Beshir (Modern Egyptian Folk) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:30 PM

Sunday, February 7, 2010

- Cairo Symphony Orchestra's Chamber Music Ensemble presents works from Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM 
 -The Nubian Drums Troupe led by Entesar Abdel-Fattah a the Ghouri Palace, 8:00 PM
- El-Nil Troupe for folk instruments (Folk music and songs) at Beit Al-Suheimi 8:00 PM
- Bashir (Nubian music) at the After8 Club, 10:00 PM
- V.I.P. (Hip Hop and Break Dance) at El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:30 PM
- Hossam Ezzeldin and friends (Jazz) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:30 PM

Monday, February 8, 2010

- Complexions Contemporary Ballet (USA) in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Wust El Balad (Modern oriental and jazz fusion) at the After8 Club, 10:00 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray 8:30 PM

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

- Complexions Contemporary Ballet (USA) in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 6:00 and 9:30 PM
- Geroge Volkov (Viola) accompanied by David Hales (Piano) present works from Reger, Hindemith, Glinka and Schumann in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Qithara Ensemble (Arabic music) at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Nass Makan (Nubian music, Zikr and Sufi songs, Sudanese music and songs) at the Makan Centre 9:00 PM
- Cairokee (Arabic rock) at El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

- Complexions Contemporary Ballet (USA) in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 6:00 and 9:30 PM
- Egyptian Philarmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ahmed Al Saedi with soloist Chichiro Inda (Violin) presents music from Berg and Vivaldi in the Ewart Memorial Hall of AUC Downtown Campus, 8:00 PM
- Mazaher Ensemble (Music of the Delta) at the Makan Centre 9:00 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray 8:30 PM
- Black Theama (Alternative Egyptian music) at El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 9:00 PM

Thursday, February 11, 2010

- Ramzy Yassa piano recital with music from Chopin in the Ewart Memorial Hall of AUC Downtown Campus, 8:00 PM
- Complexions Contemporary Ballet (USA) in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 6:00 and 9:30 PM
- Mirette Hanna piano recital with works from Bach, Busoni, Beethoven, Chopin and Ravel in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Nesma Abdel Aziz Ensemble in the Open Air Theatre of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- National Arab Music Ensemble conducted by Selim Sahab at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Sahra (Rai music) at the After8 Pub, 10:00 PM
- Screwdriver (Rock'n'Roll) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 10:30 PM

Friday, February 12, 2010

- Omar Khairat in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Yehya Khalil (Jazz) in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM 
- Salalem (Arabic music) at the After8 Pub, 10:00 PM
- Ayamna El Helwa (Arabic music) at El Sawi Cultural Center in Zamalek, 8:30 PM

COMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET in Cairo

The Complexions Contemporary Ballet company from the USA will be performing in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House on Monday, February 8 at 8:00 PM and on the 9, 10 and 11 at 6:00 PM and 9:30 PM. This is going to be one of the highlights of the ballet season in Cairo and though the ticket price is rather high (300 EGP for parterre seats), it is an occasion not to be missed for contemporary dance lovers.
To know more about Complexions, click here.

BASMA ABDEL-RAHIM

Basma Abdel-Rahim was born in Cairo to a family of musicians (of three generations) and began violin lessons at the age of 6 at the Children´s School of the Cairo Conservatoire where she later graduated with honors in 1982. She then furthered her post-graduate studies at the Frankfurt Academy of Music with E. Pienemann and S. Karoly in a DAAD scholarship. In the same period, she attended masterclasses in London with Y. Neaman. In 1987 she obtained her diploma in Frankfurt. Since 1988 she is first violinist of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra. She continued her professional studies in the United States in 1991 in a Fullbright grant, and between 1994 and 1996 specialized in baroque studies at the Schola Cantorum in Basel (Switzerland).
She made several appearances and recordings, as a soloist and as member of chamber music ensembles, in Cairo and many other cities in Europe, USA and the Middle East. She has succesfully premiered contemporary works, written for, and dedicated to her. She is also a member of the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble conducted by Th. Hengelbrock, performing with historical instruments.

Basma Abdel-Rahim and Finnish pianist Maria Ollokainen will give a concert tomorrow, Sunday January 31 at 8:00 PM in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House.

- Biographic notes taken from the programme of the Arab Perspectives Music Festival 2009.

SPANISH CINEMANIA 2010

I know I am late with this post, but you still have a chance to catch the last three evenings of SPANISH CINEMANIA, a festival of Spanish productions that run till Sunday, January 31 at the Artistic Creativity Center in the Cairo Opera Grounds. For a full list of movies with synopsis, click here. 

Thanks to Yahya Mekkawi for attracting my attention to this event.