2024-04-26 12:20:12
Dramatic turns and visual astonishment in the opera “Zarqa Al-Yamama”
“Zarqa Al-Yamamah” traveled with the audience of the first Saudi opera, to the historical horizon of the Arabian Peninsula, to the sound of the epics of the past, the roar of battles and the wisdom of an unconventional woman, who testified with the power of his sight and his clairvoyance on the fate of two tribes between whom vengeance lit a fire that did not go out.
Renowned mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, who learned Arabic specifically to play her role as Zarqa al-Yamamah, the unique Arab character who has the ability to see things three days in advance, cried out on stage operatic warning to his tribe, Jadis, of overwhelming danger led by King Amalek.
The unique story follows the journey of the Arabian legend, in a wonderful and astonishing blend of reality and imagination, while the audience is drawn in by a marvelous visual scene, the elements of which were completed on the stage of the King Cultural Center Fahd from Riyadh. .
The legendary dimension of the Arab character Zarqa al-Yamamah mixes with the artistic and musical dimension, which offers a precise visual and sound treatment that adjusts the sight and hearing of the viewer to the rhythm of the chapters of the story with its drama, its conflicts, and characters, which were completed in this unique lyrical performance.
The mythical dimension of the Arab story mixes with the artistic and musical dimension, which ensures precise visual and sound treatment (theatrical organization)
The story revolves around the efforts of a wise and determined woman to guide her people to safety in light of epic events (Theater Authority)
Artistic and creative details
The first performance of Saudi opera presented an example of the challenge of writing in this internationally known artistic field and uncommon in the Arab world. The author of the work, the Saudi poet Saleh Zamanan, took up this challenge, wary of the Arab world. on the one hand the complexity of historical references and the thorns of contradictory stories, and armed with a solid poetic experience and an awareness of the conditions for creating a work, he tells the world a story from the heart of the Arabian Peninsula .
The story that revolves around the efforts of Zarqa Al-Yamamah; The wise woman was descended from the Jadis tribe; To guide her people to safety in light of epic events that portend great dangers, she turned to an opera performed in Arabic by international stars and emerging Saudi talent.
The first Saudi opera presented an example of the challenge of writing in this internationally known artistic field, uncommon in the Arab world (Theater Authority)
The author of the work, Saleh Zamanan, spent time tracing the historical details in the depths of the heritage regarding Zarqa Al-Yamamah, the heroine of the work, and reconstructing the text and transforming it into a opera libretto.
On stage, the show was no less amazing than the legendary story, and the performance of international and Saudi actors, the lighting attracted the viewer’s eye to the place where the action took place, the plot was complicated and the costumes, with their own means. of historical inspiration, completed the elements of the scene.
Swiss-Italian director Daniele Finzi Pasca talks regarding his experience in using the richness of the Arabic language, full of sounds, to construct this unique lyrical experience and try to create an image that reflects the nature and spirit of the Arab region and Saudi culture. enchantingly, noting that the preparation of the images and the platform took place in a fantastic way mixing imagination, realism and astonishment, and that the details of the staging and visual vision were sensitive to the scenario . chapters of history and the human conflict that was embodied in many turning points in history.
The unique story follows the journey of the Arabian legend in a wonderful and astonishing blend of reality and imagination (Theatre Authority)
On stage, the show was no less astonishing than the legendary story and the performance of the international and Saudi actors (Theater Authority).
10 offers over 8 days
On Thursday, at the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh, the first public performances of “Zarqa al-Yamamah”, the first Saudi opera and the greatest Arab opera, began, taking the audience on a lyrical and tragic journey through the scenes of the one of the greatest Arab operas. Famous stories passed down in the Arabian Peninsula.
The opera, produced by the Theater and Performing Arts Authority, will present 10 performances over 8 days, from April 25 to May 4, 2024, where audiences can enjoy an opera performance on the story of Zarqa al-Yamamah, who lived in the pre-Islamic era in the region of al-Yamama. His story is full of dramatic twists and turns, poetic moments and dramatic events.
The audience is attracted by a magnificent visual scene whose elements are complemented on the stage of the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh (Theatre Authority)
“Zarqa Al-Yamamah” took the audience of the first Saudi opera to the historic horizon of the Arabian Peninsula (Theatre Authority)
This exceptional new work, which presents a cultural experience full of poignant tragedies, celebrates an important element of the Arab narrative heritage dating back to the pre-Islamic era, and the story of the conflict that erupted between two tribes and ended in a tragedy. END.
Through it, the Theater Authority aims to present qualitative works that advance the field of theater nationally and internationally. The work also serves as a platform to empower a number of emerging Saudi talents with the participation of Khairan Al-Zahrani, Sawsan Al-Bahiti, and Remaz Uqabi from Saudi Arabia, and to enable these talents to work with big international names.
Since its opening 24 years ago, the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh has been considered one of the most modern international cultural centers (Ministry of Culture)
# Staff
King Fahd Cultural Center Theater… the first Saudi opera
From its location west of the Saudi capital, in an area overlooking Wadi Hanifa, and since its opening 24 years ago, the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh is considered one of the most modern and international cultural centers a civilized cultural building in the center. from the Saudi capital. It hosted (Thursday) the first Saudi opera performances and the largest in the Arab world, following being rehabilitated to comply with opera performance standards.
The creation of the Cultural Center under the reign of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz supported writers, intellectuals, thinkers and creators, and became a beacon of contemporary Saudi culture over an area of one hundred thousand square meters. Saudi Arabia celebrated the occasion of the choice of the city of Riyadh as “Capital of Arab Culture” and concluded its celebration with the opening of the center in the presence of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Tuesday, November 21, 2000 . in the presence of several Arab ministers of culture and information.
The King Fahd Cultural Center was designed using the latest methods of contemporary architecture and high-level artistic techniques. The creation of the center lasted 5 years and was implemented by a group of international companies specializing in this field under the supervision of the former. General Presidency of Youth Protection. The main theater, which can accommodate around 3,000 spectators, is the third largest international theater at the time, the center theater has hosted performances of Egyptian and German operas in recent years, before the first Saudi opera (Zarqaa) . Al-Yamamah) started in his theater.
The King Fahd Cultural Center Theater is equipped with superior artistic equipment to host huge opera performances (SPA)
Alongside the launch of the first Saudi opera performances, the Saudi Ministry of Culture announced the completion of the restoration and development of the King Fahd Cultural Center, as part of its efforts to develop the center into a comprehensive cultural complex including several departments. , and a main theater with a capacity of 2,750 seats, and hosts a wide range of cultural and artistic activities, including exhibitions, lectures and theatrical performances.
The King Fahd Cultural Center Theater is equipped with superior technical equipment to accommodate large shows, such as “Zarqa Al-Yamamah”, which requires around 250 artists and the musical orchestra to stand together on stage, in addition to prepare the seats and the shows. techniques, lighting, spaces and inscriptions that decorate the ceiling of the theater.
During the first public performance of the opera “Zarqa al-Yamamah”, the audience appreciated the details of the venue and the theater seats equipped with international standards, accompanied by screens transmitting the details of the poetic dialogue in Arabic and English .
The King Fahd Cultural Center Theater in Riyadh is leading existing Saudi projects to create two opera houses in Riyadh and Jeddah, as the features of the Jeddah Opera House have begun to take shape on the road to completion and that the project is in progress. through the engineering design stage before commencing construction.
Riyadh King Fahd Cultural Center Theater leads ongoing Saudi projects to create two opera houses in Riyadh and Jeddah (Ministry of Culture)
The reception of the King Fahad Cultural Center for the inaugural performance of the opera “Zarqa Al-Yamamah” marks the start of a series of diverse cultural programs that will be activated through the center’s numerous facilities, including an artistic performance hall , a main theater and two additional theaters, a luxurious restaurant, a souvenir shop, in addition to a multi-hall hall and a unique garden in the surroundings of the center, designed in cooperation with the “Green Riyadh” project.
The development and renovation project of the King Fahd Cultural Center is one of the construction development projects implemented by the ministry as part of the “Development of cultural infrastructure” initiative, which is part of the of the “Quality of Life” program, one of the programs aimed at achieving the “Kingdom Vision 2030”. The ministry worked on the restoration of the center according to the Al-Salmani model, as part of its efforts to make the center a leading multidisciplinary platform, a center full of culture and art, a space for dialogue and exchange. of experiences and a global cultural destination that attracts visitors from within and outside the Kingdom and offers the best artistic and cultural experiences to audiences of all categories.
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