[Mohammed Fairouz]
Stuart Wolferman sends this news of Mohammed Fairouz. Numerous performances of the works of this composer are detailed at his website, http://www.mohammedfairouz.com/. Mimesis Ensemble describes itself as “a New York City based ensemble committed to performing works by living composers.”
Mohammed Fairouz's
Sumeida's Song World Premiere
This topical and ambitious work marks the first major opera ever written by an Arab composer.
New York, NY - On Wednesday, April 13, 2011 the Mimesis Orchestra presents the world premiere of acclaimed composer Mohammed Fairouz's first-ever opera, Sumeida’s Song, at the Ethical Culture Society in New York City. The piece represents the first major opera by an Arab composer, and is a grand work based on the classic Tawfiq El Hakim play, Song of Death. As told by the great playwright, the opera follows the return of Alwan to his Upper Egyptian peasant village, and his attempts to bring modernity to darkness in an effort to break a never ending cycle of violence. The opera also clearly depicts the grave consequences of this pioneering energy, containing a moral lesson for a troubled region by intermingling classical tragedy with the unharnessed energy of youthful hope and idealism.
Sumeida’s Song is an evening length work for full-orchestra conducted by Scott Dunn. Joining the Mimesis Orchestra are soprano Jo Ellen Miller, mezzo-soprano Barbara Rearick, tenor Robert Mack, and baritone Randall Scarlata. It will be a concert production. A portion of the ticket sales will go towards The Association for the Protection of the Environment (A.P.E.), a charitable organization working to improve the lives of the poor in Egypt with an interest in protecting the environment specifically with regards to man-made household waste.
Straddling Eastern and Western idioms, Mohammed Fairouz, one of the most frequently performed composers of his generation, has emerged as a force on the musical scene. His music has been received at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center and internationally throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. He has received commissions from Musicians for Harmony, Northeastern University, the Imani Winds (Legacy Commission), the Cygnus Ensemble, Counter)induction, Alea III (Boston University), Alwan for the Arts and the Second Instrumental Unit among others.
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