Ati Metwali sums up an unusual week E. Lalo: Overture to Le Roi d'Ys, J. Massenet: Le Cid ("Pleurez mes yeux"), Hériodiade ("Il est doux, il est beau"), G. Charpentier: Louise ("Depuis le jour"), G. Fauré: Pelléas et Mélisande, Suite for Orchestra, Op. 80, M. Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé, Suite no. 2, Cairo Symphony Orchestra, soloist Iman Moustafa, conductor Alain Pâris. Cairo Opera House Main Hall, 16 January; Mariza Song Concert, Cairo Opera House Main Hall, 19 January On 16 January, the audience of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra concert had the privilege of listening to the concert conducted by Alain Pâris. A renowned French "orchestral conductor and producer for music programmes for France Musique Radio, pedagogue and expert writer on music and musicians, Pâris has conducted more than sixty orchestras in over thirty countries." Pâris had already conducted the Cairo Symphony Orchestra in February 2009, presenting a lovely program with Bizet, Dukas and the Brahms Concerto for Piano and Orchestra no. 2 (soloist Wael Farouk). This time he presented all French composers, an interesting compilation of the fin de siècle orchestral works and three opera arias. The overture to Le Roi d'Ys by Edouard Lalo was first performed in 1876, revised by the composer two years later. Frequently played in concert halls, it has a touching eloquence and powerful orchestral accents while its particular articulation of various instruments was perfectly underlined by the conductor, with the clarinet beautifully playing the opening theme, setting the piece as a perfect opening for the evening. Following "Pleurez mes yeux", "Il est doux, il est beau" and "Depuis le jour" were arias from Jules Massenet's opera Le Cid, his opera Hériodade and Gustave Charpentier's Louise. Both Massenet and Charpentier are best known for their contribution to the operatic repertoire. In "Pleurez mes yeux" once again the clarinet played the opening theme, developing a musical exchange with the soprano. Iman Moustafa's lower register fit very well against her excessive vibrato in higher notes. The aria "Depuis le jour" holds many beautiful orchestral phrasings and its convincing feelings demand a beautiful dialogue between the orchestra and the soprano. Pâris masterfully gave the music to the soprano, colouring every syllable in this emotionally poignant aria. Pelléas et Mélisande, the Suite for Orchestra, Op. 80, is perhaps its composer's most moving compositions. Gabriel Fauré was commissioned by Mrs. Patrick Campbell to compose the music for the Maeterlinck play which premiered in 1898 at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. Later on, Fauré arranged three of the longer pieces into a suite which was first played in 1901 in Paris; at the time, this piece was performed in both theatres and concert halls. The final version of the suite consists of four movements, each with several leitmotifs. However, when listening to the music, we do not follow the themes, but rather the general mood forming individual scenes. Called by Stravinsky "one of the most beautiful products of all French music," Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, based on a Greek pastoral drama by Longus, is one of the rare compositions better known in the form of extracts than in the original. Originally composed as a ballet (which premiered in 1912) it is Ravel's largest orchestral work, described by him as a "choreographic symphony". Later on its extracts were used by the composer to form two orchestral suites, of which the second tends to be performed more frequently. Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, Suite no. 2 makes perfect use of the sounds of different instruments to achieve an almost impressionistic natural effect. Opening "Lever du jour" (Daybreak) is a truly poetic image of awakening expressed by three solo violins and piccolo imitating birds chirping -- soon joined by violas and celli as the music slowly warms up. In "Pantomime", Daphnis and Chloé retell the story of Pan represented by a famous seductive flute solo, perfectly played, wooing the nymph Syrinx. The final dance ("Dance générale) is no doubt one of the best examples of Ravel's mastery of the orchestration craft. A wonderful combination of all the instruments and individual solos helped the composer to create a palette of colors matching the emotional message of the music with waves of superb harmonies. The French programme was a challenge to many of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra's musicians -- carrying prolonged and demanding solos. Pâris' precision and seemingly simple language of expression helped them all shine, and with careful orchestral colouring all the details were taken care of, and all the emotional effects reached. 16 January was a cheering opening to 2010. *** Born in Mozambique to a Portugese father and a mother partially of black descent, Mariza never planned on becoming a star and fame, she says, is too pretentious to think about. Yet fame came to her, as naturally as her talent and strong voice. For a girl who loved to sing in her father's tavern in Lisbon, international recognition is an understandable part of her artistic growth. Her expressive and profound voice enchants listeners; her emotional style is intimate; her truthful pride touches the deepest parts of our souls. Mariza's graceful presence of a six foot tall lady accentuated by a thin frame adds to her diva-like stage presence. Since 2002, with her debu Fado en Mimi, Mariza has entered the world stage, embarking on a journey which to her must be as surprising and thrilling as it is to her audience -- discovering this flamboyant artist. And what an artist! Mariza is takes profession seriously; her respect for music, musical traditions, the performing arts and the audience is obvious. Over the last decades the tradition of fado has been slowly declining and it was on the verge of dying when in 1999, Amalia Rodrigues, a Portugese faddist and national icon, passed away drawing over 100 thousand mourners to the streets of Lisbon. It was Mariza who has revived this genre -- primarily identified with 19th- century Portugal and the Brazilian-African music brought from Brazil (back then a Portugese colony) yet some trace its roots to Moorish songs sung by North African people living in Portugal centuries earlier. Mariza is aided by Portuguese interest in the genre among the young, thier protective feelings towards traditional music of their country. A decade on, the fado revival is not only within Portugal but, with Mariza as its ambassador, it has been re-introduced to the international arena. But Mariza has gone a step further, showing the universality of the musical language of fado expressed in its emotional content overcoming all the linguistic barriers and communicating its beauty to the whole world. With the revival of fado, Mariza has reached the mainstream in sense of international popularity receiving the prestigious awards, including a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album in 2008, yet she managed to maintain her strong individual values unshaken by the fast growing fame. Melancholic, full of longing and poetic, Mariza captured the hearts of the Egyptian audience on 19 January, at the Cairo Opera House Main Hall. She sang mainly songs from her latest album Terra, which represents her testimony of truth and all that she has learnt through years of journeying around the globe, encountering various cultures as well as people, and now giving it back to them in her own way, incorporating fado with Cape Verde, flamenco, jazzy pieces with Latin and African sounds. In the nostalgic and touching "Tasco da Mouraria" (Tavern in Mouraria), she recalled her childhood growing up in the taverna, remembering how she fell in love with fado. "Feira de Castro" (Fair at Castro) originally from her earlier album Transparente looks beyond Lisbon traditional quarters and its rhythms reach to south of Portugal folk music. Likewise tracks such as "Ja me deixou" (Now it's left me) and "Rosa Branca" (White Rose) are rejuvenations of old Portuguese folk song. "Beijo de Saudade" (Kiss of Yearning) is based on a poem about misery by B. Leza, one of the greatest Cape Verde poets, and is usually performed with Tito Paris, a Cape Verdean singer. Paris did not perform in Cairo and Mariza took both parts of the song, backed with the muted trumpet. Throughout her show Mariza was also backed by acoustic, bass and Portuguese guitars. The latter, being a western European cither descendant, is a unique, round bodied instrument whose 12 strings, strung in six courses, produces bright and distinctive notes. The guitarist demonstrated unparalleled skill on several occasions. Likewise the percussionist: he proved to be one of the most remarkable musicians, a highlight complementing magical atmosphere of the evening. Mariza's performance exuded artistic intelligence, dedication and discipline. Those three components are very rare to find together in today's music productions. When on stage, Mariza radiates positive energy. She is proud but not arrogant, demanding but not forceful. She understands the audience and directs it without imposing her strong personality. Mariza does not only sing, neither is her performance limited to the presentation of the fado tradition; she is transferring the tradition from within herself. She is convincing because she is truthful, herself, intelligent, aware and present. This is possibly the core of her international success and an equal thrill to Egyptian audience.
