It was Tuesday, June 21, and the lights were dimmed, but I still remember that it was the Main Hall of the place they call the Cairo Opera House. What was I doing at the scene of the crime? Doctor, please don't push me… I'm trying to regain my memory. YES, NOW I REMEMBER… I was attending highlights from famous operas… numerous ones, which is maybe why I couldn't remember the details easily. It was also a very good selection. But who sang? A group of fine soloists ��" sopranos Iman Moustafa and Mona Rafla, mezzo Gala El-Hadidi, tenor Hany El-Shafaei, baritone Elhamy Amin and bass baritone Reda El-Wakil. Of course they were all accompanied by the Cairo Opera Orchestra, conducted by Hisham Gabr. I was looking forward to that particular concert because as much as I've heard about Hisham as a gifted conductor, I never had the chance to attend any of his performances. Judging by the programme, I knew that he must have worked very hard to put this "Top Confidential" concert together. Ooh shoot! What did I just say? Me and my big mouth. I wasn't supposed to jeopardise our National Security by revealing that this was a confidential performance. I of course admire the effort our very own Cairo Opera House exerted to conceal the facts from civilians ��" this concert was supposed to be at nine, but suddenly and after all posters were printed and monthly magazines came out announcing its starting time, it was changed from nine to eight! Then someone thought this might not be enough and worried that the enemy (also known as audience) might show up, the date was changed from June 20 to June 21. That is "How the West Was Won". Now let's move on to "D-Day", which was also in June, but back in 1944. Oh sorry, my time machine is broken so let's stick to 2010. Everyone praised the excellent choice of these popular arias selected by Hisham. As enjoyable as it was to us, it must have been hectic for him to work on them all. Why him in particular and not the orchestra? Because orchestra members must have played all these arias trillions of times before. As for Hisham, another conductor, the superb Nayer Nagui, drew my attention to an important point after the concert. He said, "I started as a pianist and an accompanist, so it was easier for me to conduct operas and arias from them, because having worked on them from A to Z before, I knew each one by heart. As for Hisham, he started as a member of the Symphony Orchestra, which of course plays entirely different works and it is a very hard switch. However, he is highly talented and also a very hard worker." Nayer, I second that motion. I was recently telling Hisham that a specific section of the orchestra rarely sounds good and he had a very simple, yet effective solution. He said "we just work harder on that section till it sounds right." That's a positive attitude. The day of the performance was unbearably hot and still hundreds of classical music lovers walked into the hall before eight to attended this concert. I have to say that one person who should get a lot of credit for making this concert a very successful one is Al-Ahram Weekly's Music Critic Ati Metwaly, who is doing a wonderful job promoting classical music in Egypt. The concert started one minute early and while the first number ��" Rossini's "La Gazza Ladra" overture ��" was being performed, singers started gathering backstage and I saw a tense Gala pacing all over the place and keeping her distance. She was not the only worried artist. All participants were ��" Iman wasn't enjoying the heartburn, Reda sat alone in the dark and then got up and kept stretching his body for decades and a scared Hany was constantly warming up. Gala told me that she and Mona felt dehydrated before the concert and despite the heat, this could have been only a psychological thing. As for Elhamy, he kept walking up and down backstage. He also made a funny confession "I stopped talking in your presence because I know that whatever I say will be mentioned in your articles." That of course didn't stop him from bleating as a sheep in my recorder as I was recording my comments on the performance! So, no more speaking but bleating is OK! After the first number, which was well received, Hisham rushed to the wings, to drink some water and also to lead Gala to the stage. She sang "Voi che Sapete" from Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro". That was an excellent choice and it was beautifully sung by someone who is constantly improving. Now I can honestly say that Gala is a world class mezzo. Her performance received the first cheers of the evening. Mona was worried that she had no strength to sing, but when she went on stage she did a good job singing "Caro Nome" from Verdi's "Rigoletto". Well done. Hany gave a remarkable performance of Donizetti "Una Furtiva Lagrima" from "L'elisir d'amore". It was very moving and he was earnestly cheered. It is funny how every sound backstage seems to be amplified when people should be very quite because artists are performing on stage. Still some keep making all kinds of noises and sometimes they choose the quietest moments of an aria to do so! That was the case when Hany was singing. Verdi's "Aida" is Iman's specialty and despite the good rendition she gave, she was worried sick. After finishing her hands were still cold! It's dinner time. I'll have one "Au Fond du Temple Saint" and… What do you mean it's not a dish? Ah, it's an aria from Bizet's "Les Pêcheurs de Perles". Are you sure about that? Anyway, it was deliciously sung by Hany and Elhamy. Compliments to the chef. They were cheered and applauded for like 52 weeks or so. Reda proved that he is still the fine bass singer ��" Reda El-Wakil ��" with his rendition of "La Calunnia", from Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia". He gave an amazing performance and was even applauded by some members of the orchestra. When it comes to operas, Puccini is my favourite and I enjoyed Iman's rendition of "Vissi D'Arte" from his epic "Tosca", which concluded the first set. After the break, in which everyone expressed their appreciation of the effort exerted, the second set started with an Intermezzo for Orchestra ��" Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" to be precise. That was well performed. "Si, Morir Ella De", from Ponchielli's "La Gioconda" was the first aria in this set and it was nicely performed by Reda. Mona was very impressive on her second aria, "Quando M'en Vo" from Puccini's "La Boheme". Bravo Mona. By then everyone was happy and more relaxed. Some might not be familiar with the title "Largo al Factotum". Others, like me, never remember the name. But opera lovers worldwide know the tune of that classic from Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia". It was one of the evening's highlights. Elhamy sang the intro from the wings then went on stage and before embarking on the aria itself he was met with applause, which proves how popular this number is. His entrance was quite impressive too. He did a good job and as expected it was received with a storm of applause and cheers. "The Flower" duet from "Lakmé" by Léo Delibes is a delightful piece of work and I really enjoyed the way it was sung by Mona and Gala. Superb. Back to Verdi's "Rigoletto" and as I'm sure you might agree, its most popular aria is "La Donna e Mobile". Frankly, I've never enjoyed Hany's singing as much as I did that evening and especially on that aria. Mark my words… this man is a very talented tenor. Speaking of gifted singers, the charismatic Gala returned to thrill everyone with "Chanson Bohème" from Bizet's "Carmen". That was brilliant, although she was going to stumble on stage because there is some kind of a hole on the stage floor! Next was a very dramatic and enjoyable performance of "Un Bel di Vedremo" from Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" given by Iman. The finale was from Verdi's "La Traviata" ��" the uplifting "Brindisi", which was sung by all singers, who joined forces on stage to end the show. That was a brilliant choice for a finale and after three curtain calls there was an encore ��" the same aria. If you are passing by the Cairo Opera House now you might hear the applause. I really liked the orchestra's output. Thank you very much Hisham. This wasn't only one of the best gala concerts I've ever attended, but it was also a perfect choice to end the season… more or less ��" the "winter" season is still going on at the opera. Are we in Siberia? Send me to the moon through: [email protected]
