Conducted for its second season by Czech principal maestro and artistic director Jiří Petrdlík, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra will open its 2013-2014 season with Liszt's "Les Préludes", symphonic poem No.3, S.97; Mohamed Saad Basha's "New Egypt" (Masr Al-Gadida) and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 op. 74 in B minor "Pathetique".

Hungarian composer Franz Liszt wrote a total of 13 symphonic poems, each based on a literary work. Symphonic poem No. 3, which saw the light in 1848, refers to the poem by French bard Lamartine.

Mohamed Saad Basha is an Egyptian contemporary composer and conductor. He is also founder, principal conductor and artistic director of El-Sakia String Orchestra, performing monthly concerts at El Sawy Culture Wheel which aim at reaching out to younger generations with classical music.

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 was written between February and the end of August 1893. Tchaikovsky's last completed work, the symphony was dubbed "Pathetique" by his brother, indicating sorrow and melancholy (not to be confused with the modern usage of the adjective "pathetic"). Robert Simpson describes the symphony as the only work that "survived so many critical burials."

Programme:

Saturday 14 September at 7pm
Cairo Opera House, Main Hall