WEEKLY AGENDA MUSIC February 13 - February 19

Saturday, February 13, 2010

- Cairo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nayer Nagui with soloists Dalia Farouk (soprano) and David Wickeham (tenor) present Johannes Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem” in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 2:00 PM
- Kolthoumiat with the Ensemble for Arab music conducted by Salah Gobashi in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray 8:30 PM
- Salalem (Contemporary Egyptian songs) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:30 PM
- City Band (Contemporary Egyptian songs) at El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Egy Units (Rap and Beatbox) at El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:30 PM

Sunday, February 14, 2010

- Cropper Welsh Roscoe Trio (UK) presents works from Haydn, Shostakovich and Beethoven in the Golden Hall of the Mohamed Ali Palace, 8:00 PM
- Chongquing Symphony Orchestra (China) in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera, ouse, 8:00 PM
- "Violins for Valentine's day", works by Kreisler, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Paganini, Vitali, Wiesnawsky and Rachmaninov performed by violinists from Cairo Symphony Orchestra accompanied by David Hales (Piano) in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Egyptian Modern Dance Company directed by Walid Aouni presents “Women of Kasem Amin” at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Wagih Aziz (Oud) att El Sawi Cultural Center in Zamalek, 8:30 PM
- Shafiq Koutry (Piano and voice) at El Sawi Cultural Center in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Heritage Ensemble for Arab Music at the Arab Institute, 8:00 PM
- The Nubian Drums Troupe led by Entesar Abdel-Fattah at 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
- Habashi and the Jazz Caterers (contemporary Egyptian songs) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:30 PM

Monday, February 15, 2010

- Alexander Ivashkin (Russia/Cello) and Magda Nikolaidou (Greece/Piano) present "East Meets West", a chamber music recital in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Egyptian Modern Dance Company directed by Walid Aouni presents “Women of Kasem Amin” at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Wust El Balad (Modern oriental and jazz fusion) at the After8 Club, 10:00 PM
- The Riff Band (Valentine special) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:30 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray 8:30 PM
- Sohba Band (Egyptian music) at El Sawi Cultural Center in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Tide of Septum (Rock) at El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:30 PM

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

- Egyptian Modern Dance Company directed by Walid Aouni presents “Women of Kasem Amin” at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Double Bass Octet concert in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Nass Makan (Nubian music, Zikr and Sufi songs, Sudanese music and songs) at the Makan Centre 9:00 PM
- Gramophone Band (Arabic music) with Tunisian singer Noor El Marawany at El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Crash Boom Bang (Funk, Dancefloor covers) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 10:30 PM

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

- Egyptian Modern Dance Company directed by Walid Aouni presents “Women of Kasem Amin” at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Ghassan al-Yousif and Dina Abdel Hamid (oud) at the Malak Gabr Arts Theatre at AUC New Cairo Campus, 1:00 PM
- Reham Haggag (Clarinet) recital in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Andromida Band (Pink Floyd tribute) at El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 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
- Offbeat Band at the After8 Club, 10:00 PM

Thursday, February 18, 2010

- Cairo Opera Ballett Company and Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted by Nayer Nagui, present Aram Khatchaturian's “Spartacus” in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Yehya Khalil (Oriental Jazz) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 10:30 PM
- DJ Quebrus (France) at the French Cultural Centre in Mounira, 10:00 PM
- Hosam Sakr Ensemble (Religious singing) at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Sahra (Rai music) at the After8 Pub, 10:00 PM

Friday, February 19, 2010

- Cairo Opera Ballett Company and Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted by Nayer Nagui, present Aram Khatchaturian's “Spartacus” in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Hee Jung Ahn (Korea) piano recital with works by Mozart, Schumann and Chopin at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Rasha Yehya Ensemble in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Salalem (Arabic music) at the After8 Pub, 10:00 PM
- Rock Soul Revival feat. Profile (Rock) at EL Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM

NUBIAN MUSIC at the SAMAKHANA

Tomorrow Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 8:00 PM the Samakhana will host a concert by the famous Nubian singer Karam Mourad.
If you have never been to the Samakhana (Mawlawi Derwishes Theatre), this is a great opportunity to visit this wonderful site tucked down in an alley below the Citadel. For directions, you can follow the same given in the post about the Amir Taz Palace and continue for about 200 mts. in the same street.
This concert has been organized by the Embassy of Italy in cooperation with the UNESCO Cairo office and coincides with the opening, in the same site, of the exhibition "Abu Simbel: the salvaging of the Temples, man and technology" about the monumental work carried out to relocate the temple in order to save it from the waters of what was to become lake Nasser, following the construction of the Aswan dam.

Address: 31, Al-Syoufiya St., Al-Khalifa district

"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.