Amal Choucri Catta revels in the embodiment of myth Beethoven Festival; Cairo Symphony Orchestra, conductor Ahmed El-Saedi, piano soloist Ramzi Yassa; Overture to Prometheus, Opus 43; Fifth Concerto for piano in E-flat major, Opus 73; Symphony No. 5 in C-minor, Opus 67; Cairo Opera House Main Hall, 3 May Prometheus is the titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to mankind. In punishment he was chained to a rock for an eagle to tear at his liver until Hercules freed him. Prometheus, a symbol of the human spirit yearning for knowledge and freedom, has inspired poets and musicians since time immemorial. Hesoid, Plato, Sophocles, Eurpides were among the earliest authors to glorify him as the protector of mankind, the titan who saved humanity from ignorance and presented the masses with art and science. The great German Ludwig van Beethoven, too, was among his passionate admirers: Prometheus suited his titanic temperament and his visions of power, honour, glory and beauty. Appropriately it was with the Overture to the Creatures of Prometheus, Opus 43, that the Beethoven Festival opened at the Cairo Opera; and the audience duly flocked to the main hall in large numbers. They came not only for Beethoven but equally for Egypt's prominent concert pianist, Ramzi Yassa, a marvellous virtuoso who tends to pour his soul into performances. With Ahmed El- Saedi at the head of a Cairo Symphony Orchestra at its best, the opening night -- Saturday -- proved unforgettable. Written in 1800-1 Prometheus was a ballet choreographed by Salvatore Vigano. Originally it contained 16 numbers preceded by an overture: the former seem to have disappeared, while the latter remained, fascinating audiences since. The ballet introduced two statues animated by the power of music. Their movements started slowly, gradually gathering speed as they experienced all the human passions. And it was at this point that Prometheus led them to Parnassus, where Apollo taught them music and dance. By itself the Overture is a vigorous piece of music in which we encounter Prometheus fleeing the wrath of Zeus, while the dark clouds of a devastating storm keep him hidden from view. With a nostalgic violin melody and percussions reminding us of heroic deeds, the entire orchestra delivered brisk Allegros and fast-flowing Andantes with remarkably pure textures. It was with Ramzi Yassa and the fifth Concerto for piano and orchestra in E-flat major, subtitled Emperor, Opus 73, that the full power of the evening began to dawn, however. Regarded as one of the most difficult concertos in existence, this imaginative composition is a musical phenomenon. It opens with emphatic orchestral chords, followed by the soloist, not the orchestra, introducing the first movement. Only later does the orchestra develop the themes; and the cadenzas are woven into the score to give the music continuity. The second movement, Adagio un poco mosso, is a reflective, sad melody; and Ramzi Yassa lived up, with breathtaking command, to its tonal colour and dynamic range. Graceful and subtle, his fingers combined ardent emotion with faultless technique. Suddenly and without warning, the mood changes; and the soloist transforms the Adagio into an exuberant Rondo Allegro, with exhilarating themes culminating in a triumphant finale. Under the baton of Ahmed El-Saedi, who typically conducted the entire concert without the benefit of a score, the orchestra, no less than Yassa, proved exceptional; both were relished. Both soloist and maestro got a standing ovation; and the question reasserted itself: why is it that we don't see the eminent pianist in question more often at the Cairo Opera? Well, he travels much. The recipient of several international awards, he has appeared in the world's most important venues and his Concerto performances have associated him with such conductors as Charles Groves, Yehudi Menuhin, Zubin Mehta, Horst Stein and Vladimir Ashkenazy. He is also a pianoforte professor at the Ecole Normale de Musique, Alfred Cortot, in Paris. Yet none of this prevented him from becoming, in 1998, director of the Cairo Opera House; in 1999, indeed, he was appointed as the Ministry for Culture's special music counsellor. It is only fair, then, to express resentment at not seeing him more often on the Cairo Opera House's Main Hall stage. The third and last composition that Saturday night was the famous Fifth Symphony. Of that piece Robert Schumann once wrote, "Though often heard, Beethoven's Fifth exercises its power over all ages, just like the great natural phenomena that, no matter how often they recur, fill us with awe and wonder. This symphony will go on for centuries, as long as the world and music endure." The Fifth, in C-minor, Opus 67, opens with an emotionally intense movement, somewhat reminiscent of Destiny knocking at your door in its attempt to express the drama of Man's freedom in his battle against Destiny. And in Beethoven's battle the human being remains the hero, notwithstanding all the painful events he has to overcome. The opening of the first Allegro never fails to induce a physical tension in those who listen to it; though powerfully dramatic, it remains peculiarly somber and mysterious. The melodic sequences create a sensation of uncertainty as the movement depicts moments of reflection and doubt. Humanity has its weaknesses and its fears, the music seems to say. But it is capable of casting them away nonetheless. As if in confirmation of this the music resumes its impetuous violence -- until, in the second movement, Andante con moto, humanity seems to bask in the sun of luminous serenity. The rhythm is clear, solemn and grandiose, filled with beauty and magnificence. This is followed by the lovely Scherzo and the Finale Allegro, with sudden contrasts which seem to express the victory of justice over blind force. The end too is triumphant: a joyous leap to unending glory. The audience loved the symphony for it. A full house, well satisfied. Most of the audience, indeed, were discussing the next four concerts of the Beethoven Festival, to take place every Saturday through May and present the second, third, fourth and first piano concertos, as well as the third, sixth, fourth and seventh symphonies, together with the Overtures of Fidelio, Coriolanus, Leonora and Egmont. Piano soloists to look forward to are Yasser Moukhtar, who now resides in Germany, Kjell Baeckelund, a Swede well known to Cairo's audiences, Mouchira Issa, Egypt's first lady pianist, and finally the very young and very talented Mohamed Shams El-Din. Conductors too include Toshihiko Matsunuma from Japan, Giuseppe Lanzetta from Italy and Patricio Aizaga from Ecuador as well as Ahmed El-Saedi -- whose continued presence at the head of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, following talk of replacing with a foreign conductor (inevitably a lesser and more expensive talent), is a positive development. Our hopes rest on him remaining.
