The curriculum vitae of Emad Hamdy, an Egyptian classical guitarist, includes a series of concerts with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, the Cairo Opera Orchestra, chamber ensembles and many renowned musicians as well as solo recitals. Hamdy’s repertoire ranges from classical compositions to Spanish and Latin folk and light music. He teaches guitar at the American University in Cairo and at the Cairo Opera House’s Talents Development Centre.
Over the years, his dynamism and dedication have guaranteed him a significant position in Egypt’s music scene while his frequent performances of Spanish and Latin works garnered him a large fan base.
On Wednesday 4 December, Emad Hamdy was joined by a group of singers at the Small Hall of the Cairo Opera House to present “Spanish and Latin Soul”, filling the programme, as the title states, with well-known Spanish and Latin songs. Taking Hamdy’s skill and experience into account, one anticipated a memorable evening.
Unfortunately, the concert did not live up to the superlatives one had associated with this musician.
The artistic values of the concert were challenged by a number of factors, each being a fundamental component of the performance: the choice of form, the selection of singers, and the mise-en-scene all lacked vision and purpose. The major question mark of the evening was its Karaoke style, something that one cannot expect as a basis for a performance held at the Cairo Opera House. Hamdy chose to depend on music coming from his laptop and limited his performance to guitar accompaniment. He was joined by Hany Zein on small percussion instruments and a group of mostly amateur singers. The whole package was anything but virtuoso.
A programme filled with famous hits, many from the 1980s, promises a concert that can easily win the audience’s hearts. However, the same songs become a trap for those who cannot cope with the rather simple musical requirements of the material at hand.
Another problem with well-known international hits is that the audience will always draw comparisons with the dozens of versions they have already heard. If a singer does not offer something new, limiting his or her performance to a Karaoke, then why not take the whole experiment into one of the many locations which promote this kind of entertainment and where they can be duly applauded?
The Cairo Opera House should not after all present an evening filled with problems, issues that needed to be addressed before the singers went on stage. An example would be Cheyne’s “Salome”or Zaz’s “Je veux”, which suffered from the lack of any microphone technique on the part of Sama Al-Halaby, a singer who has the potential to become an interesting performer if well directed.
Nourhan Mohamed was seriously out of tune in her dim delivery of Don McLean’s 1989 hit “And I Love You So”, as well as Madonna’s 1987 “La Isla Bonita”, a song which not only requires a vocal range she doesn’t have, but also requires a mastery of diction that had the performer stumbling.
In her turn, Irene Philip sang a few numbers including “Dancado Lambada”, a 1989 hit by the French-Brazilian group Kaoma. Though cheerful in her onstage disposition, Philip’s timbre and moves kept infusing this Latin song with oriental traits.
Dany Brillant’s “Quand Je Vois Tes Yeux” and Cheyne’s “Ay Mama” were highlights of Tania Eskander, a returning singer who always tries to deliver a proper interpretation of a song. However, her evident experience could have benefited from a better setting.
And the same goes for the two interesting male vocals Moustafa Medhat and Karim Sherif, both projecting good control of their vocal abilities and an onstage attitude.
Flores’s “Alma Corazon y Vida” was an exception to the rule of an evening filled with drawbacks. In this celebrated Latin tune, Emad Hamdy dropped the Karaoke-style performance and the audience could fully enjoy his guitar skills supported by Hany Zein on percussions and the singing of Yasmine Eid.
Eid is well acquainted with the stage through her numerous singing and dance performances, and many concerts shared with Hamdy. Eid has all that a talented performer needs: voice, experience, understanding of the material and strong presence. On 4 December, however, she lacked both professional guidance and well designed mise-en-scene for the theatrical inserts. Eid’s enthusiasm could have been contained to nurture her performance with well balanced values, something she is usually well capable of. However, finding Eid rushing breathless onto the stage for her consecutive numbers or socialising excessively with the audience during the break was a betrayal of the performing arts principles.
Overall, the evening fell prey to flaws in basic concepts and execution. Putting all the blame on the singers would not be fair as it is apparent that most of them are amateurs and make their choices accordingly. It is the one who initiated and gathered the group who is responsible for guiding the performers in a way that will highlight their skills rather than underscore their weaknesses.
“Anyone who is at all interested in classical guitar can hardly avoid this name. (...) Emad Hamdy has accomplished something that few people achieve in our day, the perfect harmony of virtuosity, musicality and interpretation.” These are the opening words of Hamdy’s biography in the evening’s programme notes.
Without coming as quotes from the press or critics, such highly opinionated sentences immediately impose a big accountability on Hamdy. The musician’s history points to many successful concerts, many of them performed alongside highly professional musicians and orchestras. The 4 December performance, alas, was not one of them.
This article was originally published in Al Ahram Weekly
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