Ashraf AboArafe
Under the patronage of His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture, the Music Authority, with the participation of the Theater and Performing Arts Authority, organized a musical evening entitled “Masterpieces of Saudi Music” at the National Theater in the Mexican capital of the United States, “Mexico City”, in the presence of His Excellency the Mexican Minister of Culture, Alejandra Frausto Guerrero. and Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Mexico Haitham bin Hassan Al-Malki, CEO of the Theater and Performing Arts Authority Sultan Al-Bazai, and CEO of the Music Authority Paul Pacifico, as well as a group of ambassadors of the Gulf and brotherly Arab countries to Mexico, Mexican cultural figures, and music lovers.
In a speech delivered by His Highness, the Minister of Culture, on behalf of the CEO of the Music Authority, he said: “I am pleased to welcome you to the Masterpieces of Saudi Music initiative, in a wonderful concert, in which the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir, the Mexican Carlos Chavez Orchestra, and the performing arts groups from both countries will participate.”
His Highness added: “Saudi music has been painted since ancient times, an immortal painting, taking from its past as its main starting point to the future in a journey of continuous and endless development. Empowering intellectuals is an essential part of a development project that is the largest in the country’s history.”
The concert included the participation of 33 musicians, 39 singers from the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir, and 40 performers from the Performing Arts Ensemble, in addition to 57 musicians from the Mexican Carlos Chavez Orchestra, and the Mexican Folklorico Ballet Amalia Hernandez, where the first paragraph began with the Saudi Orchestra and Choir leading it. Riab Ahmed in a musical show that started with the song “Al Marwatine” by Tariq Abdel Hakim with the performance art Al Dana, then the song “The Grammak” and was accompanied by the performance art “Al Yanbaawi”, followed by the song “Sabouli Fenjan” and the performance art Raeh, then the song “Still Janahah” by the artist Mohamed Abdo Accompanied by the performance art “Al Samaritan”, and then the song “Ya Ahl Al Shumaisi” was presented by the artist Bashir Shannan, accompanied by the performance art “Al Khabiti”, then the song “Guarantees of the Cold” was presented with the art of the step, before the orchestra and the Saudi choir surprised the audience by performing a Mexican song amid great interaction. Among the fans who stood up after the end of the song and clapped warmly in admiration for the song’s mastery.
Saudi soprano singer Rimaz Okbi, accompanied by pianist Anhil Gabriel Lopez, presented a group of operatic songs in the second leg of the concert, which are: O Mio Papino, Bisami Mucho, and O Soli Mio. While the Mexican Carlos Chavez Orchestra performed Danzón No. 2, composed by Arturo Marquez Navarro, and conducted by Maestro Roberto Renteria Irene, in the third paragraph.
The fourth and final paragraph came with a distinctive flavor that conveyed the masterpieces of Saudi art to the ears of the Mexican public, when the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir presented with the Mexican Carlos Chavez Orchestra led by Maestro Vigor Sargsyan, a medley of Saudi music with a musical arrangement by Riab Ahmed and George Golta, including famous songs, most notably “Bass”. A moment”, “Rajawi”, “Oh, after all of them”, “We disagreed”, “A night if there is a night left”, “We meet”, “Thursday night”, “You are attracted by passion”, and “What do you tell us Sahib”, “I Loved the Night”, “In a Cloud”, “This is from my Lord”, and “Your Eyes are My Last Hopes”, before the evening concluded with the patriotic song “Above the Head of the Clouds”.
The ceremony witnessed the presentation by the CEO of the Theater and Performing Arts Authority, Sultan Al-Bazai, and the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Mexico, Haitham Al-Maliki, as a souvenir gift to His Excellency the Mexican Minister of Culture, represented by an Oud, in appreciation of the great hospitality and interest of the Saudi delegation participating in this ceremony.
The ceremony was enveloped in the cultural identity of the Kingdom by providing authentic Saudi hospitality to the audience present, in addition to creating an integrated Saudi cultural experience, by introducing visitors to traditional Saudi foods, offering Saudi coffee, dates of various kinds, kleja, maamoul and others.
It is noteworthy that the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir are among the initiatives launched by the Music Authority in order to celebrate Saudi musical creativity and transfer it to the world, and to promote international cultural exchange through music. The French Philharmonic was organized by the Music Authority and the French Embassy in Riyadh. The Saudi National Orchestra and Choir also presented an evening at the Jerash Festival in Jordan, and at the Irbid Festival, the Arab Capital of Culture in Jordan.
The Mexico concert comes as part of the global tours of the “Masterpieces of Saudi Music” initiative organized by the Music, Theater and Performing Arts Authority, in their belief in the importance of music and performing arts and their role in enhancing communication between peoples, and achieving the goal of international cultural exchange, which is one of the strategic goals of the Ministry of Culture, which seeks to Achieving it under the umbrella of Saudi Vision 2030. The Media Section of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Cairo.
