Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Muscat: As Dorsaf Hamdani bid adieu to her audience at Al Bustan Palace on Tuesday evening, the applause that echoed off the rafters of the cavernous auditorium only underlined the resounding success that her first ever performance in Muscat turned out to be.
The Tunisian chanteuse opened the current edition of the Muscat Chamber Music Series, hot on the heels of her show which earned rave reviews in Beirut.
Singing a medley of songs from French singer Barbara and her Lebanese counterpart Fairouz, archons of yesteryear’s classical music scene, her music drew untethered admiration from the audience, who asked for an encore once she’d finished her set of 10 operatic songs.
And she acquiesced with her enraptured audience, singing three more favourites that had them on their feet, applauding her mesmerising voice, one that has been refined by many music composers ever since Hamdani turned five.
“I grew up in a family of musicians, so my mother and father were very supportive and I learned from many musicians, some of whom are unfortunately no longer with us,” she said.
At the age of 10, Hamdani enrolled in a conservatory, where the seeds for her future singing career were sown. “I always loved to sing, because I believe that we must not sing just for the audience and then leave it there,” said Hamdani. “We need to tell a story through our songs and provide a great experience for them, because singing is an art form of expression.
“That is why I chose to sing in both French and Arabic today, because these are both very expressive, and although they are different languages, they are both trying to convey love and peace and, something that I want to share with the world,” she added.
Although this is her first time in Muscat, given the overwhelmingly positive response she received, Oman is sure to welcome her back to the Sultanate with open arms.
The French and Lebanese Embassies in Oman played a very significant role in sponsoring the 41-year-old operetta’s visit to the nation, and Roland Dubertrand, the Ambassador of France to Oman, was thrilled to have played a role in bringing Hamdani here.
“From the outset, we were seduced by the concept of this initiative, aimed at bringing high quality musicians to Oman for a concert, educational and awareness activities in schools and master classes for young musicians in local institutions,” he said.
“We believe that the promotion of culture and the sensitisation of young people to artistic practices are essential vectors for mutual understanding and cultural dialogue,” added Dubertrand. “We are, therefore, very happy that the Muscat Chamber Music Series project courted great success during the past two seasons and hope that it will continue to provide the concrete benefits that music and art bring to music.”
“I am, therefore, delighted to assume along with my colleague, H.E. Houssam Diab, the Lebanese Ambassador to Oman, the patronage of Dorsaf Hamdani’s concert in Muscat.”
