Opera came to life in Saudi Arabia on the weekend with performances of a classic Arabian love story in front of a delighted audience in Riyadh.
The Opera Lebanon production of Antar and Abla thrilled a stadium full of music lovers at the Princess Noura University.
“It was a wonderful initiative that portrayed Arabic culture and heritage through a musical interpretation, for the whole family to enjoy,” said Muna AbuSulayman, who saw the show on Friday.
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And if the audience loved the performers, the performers were equally delighted with the audience. “You could feel their energy. It was magnificent,” the Lebanese soprano Lara Jokhadar, who played Abla, told Arab News after the show.
The singer who played Antar, Wadih Abi Raad, also from Lebanon, remarked: “The audience were very responsive to the opera, even, if we may say, thirsty for the opera and this kind of classy entertainment.
“I love it and loved the audience’s honest response to our performance. They felt our performance wholeheartedly and we felt their earnest response.
“It’s a pleasure and an honour to perform for educated people, like the Saudis, and they were earnest in their feelings. I am happy and joyful. I would do it again with pleasure, for the lovely Saudi people.”
The opera retells the legendary story of a sixth-century Arab warrior and poet, Antar, and his forbidden but undying love for his beautiful cousin, Abla.
It was composed by Maroun Al-Rahi, Antoine Maalouf and Nayer Nagui.
See the video, courtesy of AFP:
Opera made its debut in Riyadh at the weekend with a classic Arabian love story, as bands from Beirut to New Orleans performed at the kingdom’s first-ever jazz festival pic.twitter.com/07vw0o9DWQ
— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 27, 2018
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