Amal Choucri Catta relives yet another night of fatal passion Carmen seems to be a much-loved, much-courted lady this season at Cairo Opera's Main Hall. She made her glorious entrée last October with the Ballet Flamenco de Madrid, reappearing in February with the Austrian ABC-Dance Company of St Poelten and Rodion Shtchedrin's masterfully condensed score of Bizet's music, while returning on 25 April with an evening of excerpts from Bizet's opera in concert form. She was musically back on 14 May with Cairo's symphonists and flamenco-dancer Nina Corti, and has now come to say her last farewell to the current season, from 8 to 12 June, with the Cairo Ballet Company directed by Abdel-Moneim Kamel and the Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted by Ivan Filev, presenting a variety of three dances exuding a rich flavour of Spanish themes, starting with Bizet's Carmen while proceeding with the third act of Don Quixote and closing with Lorkiana. This time, Carmen, a "ballet sur pointes", is a newcomer to local audiences, choreographed by Abdel-Moneim and Erminia Kamel, and relying mostly on Rodion Shtchedrin's score of Georges Bizet's opera. The ballet, of a duration not exceeding 55 minutes, opens on a matador in black costume, reminiscing meditatively on the heroine's destiny, while Don Jose, her lover and her killer, remembers her fatal love of life, of love, of man. While the audience is being graciously treated to the major part of the musical highlights, the story unfolds in front of a gigantic backdrop of projected silhouettes of sandy arenas and bloody bullfighters, bathed in an interesting flow of lights that keep on changing according to the mood of the plot. The story begins, as usual, with the girls' quarrel in the square facing the tobacco factory. Red and black, the colours of love and tragedy, are Carmen's. She is being arrested by Don Jose who is a weakling in her sinful hands: she will turn him into a toy and throw him away when finding another toy to play with. Her pas-de- deux with the Don are filled with passionate ardour, and for a moving, though rather brief musical interval, the audience is led to believe in true love. However, as we are given true love, so are we likewise given true jealousy in the person of genuinely virtuous Micaela, who is in despair when seeing her very own Don Jose being bullied by that diabolic woman with her red rose and her bright smile. The dance performances were lovely, the sets and lights excellent, the general idea quite enchanting and the plot skillfully executed. Opening night was cheered, everyone was sorry for Don Jose who finally kills his beloved Carmen. He could not stop loving her, nor could he forgive her for betraying him with the extravagant Matador-in-white, who did not care that much for Carmen after all: while she was breathing her farewell to life, he was being lauded and applauded by all ladies in the arena. He was a hero while Carmen was dead and Don Jose was off to be judged and condemned. In the end, the bull's skull that had been hovering in mid-air over the entire scene, its horns protruding menacingly, its hollow eyes looking at worlds unknown, suddenly fell to the ground as the curtain closed, tearing the audience out of the meditative mood of the last, fatal dance. This was the fifth Carmen of the season, undoubtedly one of the best. It must however be said that the plethora of ideas ever present in the concept of this ballet has not yet been choreographically exploited. Though a few changes and additions will be most welcome in future performances, the premiere of this Carmen was quite spectacular and brilliantly interpreted. The second ballet on programme, Wedding of Kitri, the third act of Leon Minkus' Don Quixote, was an enchanting experience. Don Quixote was the first full-length ballet presented at the Main Hall when Cairo's ballet company had been officially affiliated to Cairo's new opera house in last century's early nineties. Reduced to three acts instead of the original four, its performances with Prima Ballerina Erminia Kamel in the role of Kitri and star dancer Serguey Gorbatchov as Basil, Adel Hassan as the old Don Quixote and dancers Magdy Saber, Sahar Helmy, Serguey Bolonsky and Alexandra Volkhovskaya, among the 25 Egyptian and 15 Russian dancers -- gradually increasing to 55 at the time -- have always enjoyed success among local audiences. One of the most colourful ballets of Cairo Opera Ballet Company's repertoire, Don Quixote disappeared from the local scene a few years ago: the reappearance of its third act, last week, has therefore come as a welcome surprise to all friends of ballet performances. Based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, and on the music composed by the Austro-Russian Leon Minkus, with an original choreography by Marius Petipa, the ballet is charming and colourful, comprising a number of funny scenes in the first and third act, with a beautiful sequence in the Don's dream of Act Two. Opening on a square in Barcelona, with spring and excitement in the air, the plot introduces young Basil, the barber, in love with Kitri, the innkeeper's beautiful daughter, who wants her to marry Gamache, a rich nobleman, turning Basil away. That is when the wandering knight, Don Quixote, arrives at the inn with his faithful squire, Sancho Panza. He is bewitched by Kitri's beauty and, in the dream he has in the second scene of Act Two, he believes she is his beloved Dulcinea. However, in Act Three, at Kitri's wedding with Basil, he realises he has not yet found his lady-love and sets off with Sancho Panza, continuing his search for her. Act Three is one of the most animated and vivacious of the entire ballet, presenting a variety of dances, among which a fabulous "grand pas-de-deux" masterfully performed by the stars: Ahmed Yehia and Nour Saad respectively in the role of Basil, with Tatiana Svitlychna and Katia Ivanova respectively interpreting the part of Kitri. the audience was happy to see Adel Hassan again in the role of the old Don Quixote, with Serguey Bolonsky as the Toreador Espada and Alexander Kiriniok as Gamache, the ridiculous nobleman. The performances closed with the third dance on programme: Lorkiana, by Marks and Marquina, with a libretto and choreography by Mark Mnatsakanian, coming up for the third time this season. It started last November with Al-Leila Al-Kebira, returned in march with Carmina Burana, Bolero and the third act of Le Corsaire, and is back again to bid a last Adieu to the closing season. Lorkiana, with its extraordinary rhythms, its fascinating tunes and its mood of mystery, as well as its lovely costumes, its remarkable choreography and perfect sets, is always welcome on Cairo Opera's main stage. There is something about this one-act ballet audiences never tire of: this time it was, once again, greeted with enthusiasm by enchanted viewers who kept on shouting for more. This time the choice of the three ballets was perfect, the performances brilliant: Ahmed Yehia, Hani Hassan, Nour Saad, Tatiana Svitlychna, Katia Ivanova, Lamia Abdel-Ghani, Ragwa Hamed and all members of the Corps de Ballet were a bewitching sight in all three dances. In this beguiling Spanish mood, Cairo Opera Ballet Company and Cairo Opera Orchestra, under a masterful bâton of Ivan Filev, bid an alluring good-bye to the current season: they will hopefully be returning with more dances of their rich repertoire at the start of the new season, coming in September. It would be quite interesting to see Carmen again.
