The standing ovations with which the concerts of Cairo Symphony Orchestra were met in both Great Halls of the Vienna Musikverein and Salzburg Mozarteum during its tour to Austria in May 2017, reaffirms the important role of the orchestra as an eminent and unique cultural ambassador of Egypt on the one hand as well as its contribution as a participant in enriching the serious musical life in Egypt. The orchestra was founded in 1959 under its first principal conductor Franz Litschauer as a development of its forgoing Egyptian Broadcasting Orchestra. Since 1990 and under its music director Maestro Ahmed El Saedi (1991-2003), the orchestra has succeeded in reaching new horizons in both repertoire, outreach to public and artistic level. Works by Bruckner, Mahler, Ravel, Debussy, Bartok, Hindemith, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Messiaen have become an integral part of the Orchestra’s repertoire.
Since the integration of A Cappella Choir into the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, both have performed together major works for chorus and orchestra. Handel’s “Messiah”, Mozart’s “Requiem”, Verdi’s “Requiem”, Beethoven’s “Missa Solemins” Ninth Symphony and Mass in C major, Brahms “ German Requiem”, DvoÅ™ák’s “Stabet Mater” Mahler’s Second Symphony, Haydn’s “The Creation” and Szymanowski’s “Stabat Mater Delorosa” were performed by the Cairo Symphony Orchestra and the A Cappella Choir.
The season program 20014/2015 opened with performances of all Beethoven’s nine symphonies with new and more authoritative approach by Maestro Ahmed El Saedi. Following seasons included the performance of Beethoven’s 5 piano concerti, all Schumann’s and Mendelssohn’s symphonies.
The Cairo Symphony Orchestra, as part of its mission towards audience with no previous profound exposure to classical music heritage, also performs concerts dedicated to musical education and appreciation scheduled in two separate series of concerts under school and family concerts.
The Cairo Symphony Orchestra has been conducted by many international guest conductors such as Charles Munch, Carlo Zecchi, Ottokar Truhlik, Ole Schmidt, Yehudi Menuhin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Janos Kukla, Patrick Fournillier, Daniel Barenboim and others. Among the soloists who have performed with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra are Rudolf Buchbinder, Abdel Rahman El-Bacha, Joerg Demus, Ramzy Yassa, André Navarra, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Viktoria Postnikova, Stefan Vladar, Christian Altenburger, Christiana Ortiz and Anastasia Chebotareva.
The Orchestra under the music director Ahmed El Saedi has released recordings of Beethoven’s five piano concerts, and the ”Choral Fantasy” featuring Ramzi Yassa as piano soloist.
During the past years, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra has regularly toured many European countries with great success. His last performances in the Vienna Musikverein and Salzburg Mozarteum were met with standing ovations. Invitations for the coming seasons include concerts in Germany and China.
Principal conductors of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra since its residency at the Cairo Opera House in 1991 include Maestro Ahmed El Saedi (1991 – 2003), Maestro Sergio Cárdenas (2003 – 2004), Christophe Mueller (2004 – 2005), Steven Lloyd (2005 – 2007), Andreas SpͶrri (2007 – 2008), Marcello Mottadelli (2008 – 2011) and JiÅ™Í PetrdlÍk (2012 – 2014).
Since the beginning of the season 2014/2015, Maestro Ahmed El Saedi is the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra for a second period.
Amphithéatre d'El Jem
L'amphithéatre étant devenu trop petit pour ses visiteurs, il est reconstruit une première fois p...