Cairo Opera House to host performances by Italian composer Verdi
CAIRO: This month, patrons of the Cairo Opera House will be treated to Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic masterpieces. Soloists Iman Mostafa (Soprano), Alessandra Franceschi (Mezzo-Soprano), Sergio Panajia (Tenor), Reda El Wakil (Bass) conducted by Elio Boncompagni will perform a selection of Verdi’s operatic works this week. Later this month Nader Abbassi will conduct the Cairo Opera Company and Orchestra in the opera La triviata.
Verdi was considered to be the most influential member of the 19th century’s Italian school of opera. A century and a half after they were composed, his works have become part of popular culture, such as “La donna è mobile from the opera Rigoletto and “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici from La traviata. Having composed Aida to commemorate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1870, he has become an icon of Egyptian heritage.
La traviata, composed in the 1850s, was based on an Alexandre Dumas novel, “La Dame aux Camélias first published in 1848. Set in Paris in the 1700s, La traviata tells the story of Violetta Valery, who escapes her life as a famed courtesan when she falls in love with Count Alfredo Germont. After a short, idyllic escape to the countryside, Violetta, upon Alfredo’s father’s appeal to her, turns her lover away knowing that their relationship will jeopardize his future and standing in the community. She claims that she needs to return to her previous wild, worldly existence. In true operatic style, the love story ends in tragedy as Alfredo discovers Violetta’s sacrifice for him.
The plot may seem familiar, even for those who are seeing it for the first time, since the theme has been revisited time and again in popular movies like “Camille, “Pretty Woman and “Moulin Rouge.
Often criticized during his time for the lack of technical training and that he did not adhere to the technical aspects of composition, Verdi depended on his melodic gift to realize his musical expression. Possibly it’s this lack of training that has allowed for Verdi’s strong, often masterful dramatic expression and innovative orchestral style. His innovative techniques – such as the strings doing the rapid ascending scale in Monterone’s scene in Rigoletto, heightening the drama – are so powerful and distinctive that other composers do not use them.
Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy Verdi’s signature style this month at the Cairo Opera House.
Verdi Classic Concert Featuring soloists Iman Mostafa (Soprano), Alessandra Franceschi (Mezzo-Soprano), Sergio Panajia (Tenor), Reda El Wakil (Bass). Conducted by Elio Boncompagni. Main Hall, Cairo Opera HouseSaturday, June 10
La TraviataCairo Opera Company & Orchestra. Conducted by Nader Abbassi at Main Hall, Cairo Opera HouseTuesday, June 20 until June 25
