Egypt's PM, JICA chief discuss boosting investment, education ties at TICAD 9    Egyptian pound wavers vs. USD in early trade    SCZONE showcases investment opportunities to eight Japanese companies    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    Egypt's PM meets Tokyo governor, witnesses signing of education agreements    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Egypt's Sisi, France's Macron discuss Gaza ceasefire efforts in phone call    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



An evening to remember the greats
Published in Daily News Egypt on 09 - 10 - 2006

Musical band and poetry recitation group join to celebrate Haddad, Jahin and Darwish
CAIRO: Last Friday the British Council in Agouza hosted an inspiring Ramadan evening. A few hundred people were thrilled by a poetry recital of the works of late great poets Fouad Haddad and Salah Jahin merged with Sayed Darwish s musical masterpieces and songs, all brought to life on stage by their grandchildren. The outstanding one-hour performance was given by El-Sharei poetry recitation group and the Eskendrella music band.
"Three years ago we held our first performance that honored the works of Jahin and Haddad and the music of Darwish and the response from the mostly young audience was amazing, Nairy Avedissian, arts manager at the British Council, says. So it was a natural choice for us to again present their work for the first of our Ramadan performances.
The show started with a Darwish musical overture, followed by a number of poetry recitations. A kind of internal connection was evident between poetry and music as every few poems were tunefully followed by a song or a piece of music that added to the ones preceding them and prepared the audience for the next. The performance ended with the famous patriotic song Omm ya Masry (Come on Egyptian) that stimulated the audience to sing enthusiastically along with the performers.
At first we wanted to create a skeleton for the performance. But afterwards we found it quite a difficult job as each of the three artists has his own identity. So we focused on the general mood of the performance, explains Amin Haddad, the late Fouad Haddad s son and an El-Sharei member.
Poems and songs performed during the evening were carefully selected to echo the bitter reality Egyptians and Arabs are currently enduring. Most of the songs and poems featured a patriotic tone, political projection or description of the simple life of ordinary Egyptians.
These creative people - who witnessed defeats and victories - always lived with hope of a better tomorrow, Haddad says. Their poems, which were written years ago, are still applicable to all ages.
This combination between Darwish and Haddad and Jahin, though risky, contributed to the deep Egyptian spirit of the performance, says Sahar El-Mougy, writer and lecturer of English literature at Cairo University. Despite the sad tone of the two poets, their words do echo the pulse of resistance.
Both Eskenderella and El-Sharei harmoniously complement each other when they share the same performance. There are mutual members between the two groups. So all the time we think of the two as one, explains Haddad.
Founded in 2005, Eskenderella consists of five players who play oud (lute), keyboard, oriental percussion and contrabass. The band primarily presents the works of Darwish and Sheikh Imam in their original forms, but the band has recently started to include some of their own productions in their performances.
El-Sharei started presenting the works of the two legendary late Egyptian poets Haddad and Jahin in 2000. The group basically performs a combination of poetry and songs that vary between traditional poetry recitation and dramatization.
The British Council is holding another Ramadan evening on Friday, October 13 at 9 p.m., featuring Nagham Masry music band. Admission is free.


Clic here to read the story from its source.