THE CAIRO Opera House last week commemorated the 33rd anniversary of the death of Abdel-Halim Hafez -- probably the most popular and beloved Egyptian male singer of all time -- with the Opera House's Kenoz (Treasures) Arab music band giving an unforgettable performance for fans of the great romantic singer, Rania Khallaf reports. Also appearing in the concert were a number of new singers including Tamer Said, Aya Abdallah, Yehia Abdel-Halim and Reem. Led by singer Mahmoud Darwish, Kenouz presented the concert last Friday at the Opera House open air theatre. Tickets sold out for the concert which included renderings of Hafez's popular numbers, memorised and sung by Egyptians and Arabs alike. Among them were Ahlef besamaha wi turabha (I swear to its sky and soil), Asmar ya Asmarany (Oh beautiful dark girl), Hobak nar (Burning with your love), Habibha (Her lover), Qareat al-fingan (Fortune teller), Sawah (Traveller). Born on 21 June 1929, Hafez was constantly at the top of the charts in Egypt and the Arab world. His songs are still memorised by millions of people of all ages, and his name is representative of the good old days. Hafez cooperated with some of the most creative composers in his day, including Mohamed El-Mogui, Kamal El-Taweel and Baligh Hamdi. As a team, Hafez and Hamdi wrote and presented the most popular songs in their lifetime, including Ay damet hozn la (No sad tears) and Hawel teftekerny (Try to remember me). Hafez also cooperated with the great musician Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, together producing many popular songs such as Ahwak (I love you) and Fatet gambena (She passed by us). He also cooperated with such prestigious poets as Nizar Qabbani, who wrote the words for Fortuneteller and Resala men taht al-maa (A message from under the water). Hafez died on 31 March 1977 after a life devoted to enriching the lives of all Egyptians and Arabs through his songs, which were finely-crafted and loaded with meaning. Kenouz was established in 2005 with the aim of preserving the legacy of the early stars of Arab music. According to Darwish, Kenouz -- which has 25 members, musicians and singers -- also aims to revive this genre of classical Arab music and present it to a new generation capable of performing this art, which many call sublime. An arts graduate, Darwish gained diploma in oriental singing from the Institute for Arab Music. He joined the Opera House's Arabic music band under Maestro Selim Sahab shortly after graduation. "Kenouz has discovered new voices and presented a number of successful concerts in Cairo and other cities," Darwish says. This week the band will also give a concert in Sharqiya governorate in the context of the spring celebrations. "This is the first time in the band's history that we have dedicated a whole concert just to one singer," he says. It has been a huge success, so we have decided to present a concert that will be dedicated to the songs of the late great Lebanese singer Farid Al-Atrash. I am a big fan of this great singer, especially songs like Al-Rabee (Spring) and Awel hamsa (First whisper), which require special type of a vocalist." This concert will take place at the open air theatre on 1 July. "Don't miss it!" he advises.
