The season-end performance of the Egyptian Philharmonic Orchestra at the Prince Mohamed Ali Palace in Cairo, a co-operation between the International Music Centre and the Egyptian Philharmonic Society, was the closing of a rich season and a triumph for conductor Ahmed el-Saedi. He presented works that need a full symphonic ensemble; so he made good use of popular and distinguished musicians like clarinetist Mohamed Hamdi and oboist Wessam Ahmed. What made this performance so remarkable was the presence of the Finnish guest artist Laura Mikkola, who was a major attraction for both foreign and Arab audiences. She is a recognised artist, performing as a soloist with numerous international orchestras, and she added to the success of the closing night performance. In this performance, all the acoustic and visual elements were unified in the Golden Hall of the Mohamed Ali Palace, a venue whose classical atmosphere suited the classical programme that was performed as well as the taste of the audience. El-Saidi seemed to have memorised all the works, as he conducted his orchestra without a score. The programme started with a symphony, the Light Cavalry Overture, by the Austrian composer Franz von Suppe (1819-1895) that was first performed on March 21, 1899. This operetta did not gain much fame then, despite the fact that it was one of Suppe's most wonderful works. The operetta is characterised by variety in melodies and tones, with solo performances for flute, clarinet, and trumpet. The second piece was concerto for piano and orchestra No. 24 in C minor Mozart (1756-1791) in three movements. The concerto was played for the first time on April 7, 1789, and is one of Mozart's later works. Described by the critics as a "complete piece", even Beethoven liked it and was influenced by the first movement as well as the third one. The work was rich in solo performances, and guest artist Laura Mikkola was well received for her skilful and highly technical performance, which stressed the musical phrases, which has been played perfectly and admired by the audience. The final selection was Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, a symphony that is rarely performed as it was among his first works and he was influenced by Hayden. The symphony showed the genius of Beethoven and included a lot of harmonic transformation, although the third movement was performed faster than normal. All in all, this piece, like the other selections of the programme, was well suited for a season-finale performance, a marvellous evening that proved that classical music is still flourishing in Egypt.
