Digital Concert:  Fatma Said, soprano, and Rafael Aguirre, guitar

Available for on demand viewing from Saturday April 1, 2023 at 8pm until Friday, April 7, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET.

Soprano Fatma Said and guitarist Rafael Aguirre bring the beauty of Arabic and Spanish cultures together to create a sublime and illuminating experience that you won’t want to miss. 

Fatma Said, making her United States recital debut with this performance, began her singing career at age fourteen in Cairo. She has since become a frequent principal at Teatro alla Scala and other opera houses and festivals across Europe. She maintains a busy schedule as a soloist with orchestras as well, appearing locally in the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2019 performances and recording of Suor Angelica. Of her latest album El Nour, which means ‘the light,’” in Arabic, Fatma says, “I feel I am shedding light on how music that has been interpreted many times in the past can be presented in different ways—in other words, it can be perceived in a different light. The idea is to connect three cultures—Arabic, French, and Spanish—and to show how much, despite cultural, geographical, and historical differences, they have in common when it comes to music.” 

Said’s partnership with Spanish guitarist Rafael Aguirre, who makes his Boston recital debut, brings a cross-cultural flair to this recital. “I feel so fortunate to work with all kinds of musicians from across the world, and to perform music by so many composers from all over world,” she has said. “The thing that connects us is music. It is a commonality, and I love that in listening to live music, we—in a way—create a moment of peace together.”  

The program features Spanish, Egyptian, Brazilian, and Lebanese songs, including works by Manuel de Falla, Daoud Hosni, Heitor Villa-Lobos, contemporary Egyptian composer Sherif Mohie El Din, and many more.

Be in the hall to for what promises to be a sublime and illuminating concert experience as Said and Aguirre make thrilling recital debuts. 

PROGRAM:
Falla                             Seven Spanish Popular Songs 
Rodrigo                        “Adela” from Tres canciones españolas 
Lorenzo Palomo          Madrigal and Five Sephardic Songs 
Hosni                            Yamama beida 
Sherif Mohie el Din      “Could the River Flow Forever?” from Three Poems by Amal Donqul 
Obradors                       “Del cabello más sutil" from Canciones clásicas españolas 
Tárrega                          Gran Jota 
Villa-Lobos                    Melodia sentimental 
Lorca                              Selections from Canciones españolas antiguas
Falla                               Tus ojillos negros

The 2022/23 Debut Series is generously sponsored by Harriet & David Griesinger and the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

This performance is made possible in part by support from Celebrity Series' LIVE PERFORMANCE! Arts for All Endowment and Innovation Funds, with generous leadership support from Peter & Anna Kolchinsky and Cerise Lim Jacobs, for Charles.