It has become a tradition of the Cairo Opera House to present performances of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker in celebration of the Christmas and New Year season. This year, true to its custom, performances of the well-loved ballet are being presented on the Cairo Opera’s Main Hall starting 25 December through to 30 December. The ballet is performed by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company and the Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted by Hisham Gabr, and directed by Armenia Kamel. The 27 December performance was a matinee held at 11.00am.
The ballet is based on the story The Nutcracker and the King of Mice by E.T.A. Hoffman. The story begins on Christmas Eve and tells the story of a girl dreaming of a Nutcracker Prince battling against a Mouse King with seven heads. The Nutcracker is always a lovely family outing at Christmas.
The other time-honoured tradition of the Cairo Opera House to herald in the New Year has been a gala concert by the Cairo Symphony Orchestra on New Year Eve. The programme is always a surprise, one of the best-kept secrets in town.
Watani International
27 December 2015