Baligh Hamdi’s “Romantics” to be presented in Cairo’s Opera Fountain Theater on Aug. 14

CAIRO – 12 August 2020: Egypt’s art enthusiasts will enjoy a concert presenting the iconic compositions of late legendary composer Baligh Hamdi on Aug. 14 at the Fountain Theater at 8 p.m.

Songs of the golden era, which were composed by Hamdi, will be performed by Radwa Saeed, Mohammad Metwally, Yasser Suleiman, Hanan el-Khouly and the flute player Mamdouh Sorour in the concert, and the orchestra will be led by maestro Farouk al-Babli.

Baligh Hamdi was born on October 7, 1931 and mastered the oud at the age of 9. He joined Fouad I Institute for Music (now the Arab Music Institute) and began his artistic career as a singer; he recorded four songs on the Egyptian radio.

Then, he turned to composing and became a real star in 1957 when he presented his first composition to Abdel Halim Hafez, turning his song "Tkhonoh" into a timeless hit.

After the song reached unprecedented success at the time, Hamdi then collaborated with Egyptian and Arab singers, including Umm Kulthum, Warda, Fayza Ahmed, Shadia, Nagat, Sabah, Mayada al-Hanawi, Aziza Galal, Ali el-Hajjar, Hany Shaker, Mohammad Rushdie, Samira Said and Latifa.

Dubbed “King of Music”, Hamdi’s compositions were distinguished by their simplicity. 

He passed away on September 12, 1993 at the age of 62, leaving an artistic wealth of melodies and songs of different genres, including romantic ballads, patriotic songs, children's songs, and religious invocations.