History
of the Event
We wanted to celebrate
a fitting farewell to the last Millennium that also commemorates a great
King of the 20th Century!
The idea of the "Opera Gala" in commemoration of His Late Majesty King Hussein
was born!
The first commemoration concert at the Roman Theatre of Amman was celebrated
on 9/9/99, the ONLY date to contain five 9's. Nine was the lucky number
of the late King Hussein, who passed away on February 7th, 1999. Nine played
an important role in his political and private life
An additional concert was held at the Roman theatre of Petra on Sept. 7th,
1999, seven months to the date of his passing.
The Rock City of Petra is famous for housing one of the most spectacular tourist sites in the world. Carved out of the pink and cinnamon-coloured sandstone of the mountains, Petra contains over 800 monuments. The interplay between the serene beauty of the surrounding nature and the masterful carvings of the Nabateans is truly remarkable and always breath-taking. The city comprises a complete urban infrastructure which includes a Roman theatre, temples, baths, private houses, high places, paved streets, public buildings, markets, reservoirs, cisterns and a Roman theatre. Its entrance, a one-kilometre-long fissure through the towering cliffs, the "Siq", provides a dramatic approach and induction to the city. The narrow winding path through the canyon dramatically opens up to expose the awesome facade of the el Khazneh, the "Treasury". This monument, used in the final sequence of the film "Indiana Jones and the last Crusade", is Petra`s most famous building.
The Second Music Event in the Roman Theatres of Petra and Amman was held in September 2000 and the 3rd in September 2001
Also on Sept 7th, 2000 and 2001 hundreds of tourists from all over the globe were gathering in the Roman theatre of Petra listening to highlights of famous musicals, such as "Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats" .... and enjoying Petra´s multicoloured mountains while sunset.
After the concert everybody was experiencing the enchanting illumination of thousands of candles surrounded by hundreds of exquisitely carved historical tombs and monuments ... enjoying a Bedouin reception in front of the Treasury, Petra's most impressive monument, and terminating this great unforgettable day by a walk through the fabulous beautifully illuminated "Siq," the immense crack in the Nubian sandstone.
The stars of the day have been Zdéna Kloubová (soprano and Vratislav Kríz (Baritone) in concert with Petr Malásek (piano) and Jaroslav Svecený (violin).
The same artists together with the Jordanian Royal Armed Forces Band were performing in the concert at the Roman theatre of Amman on "9/9/2000".
That evening hundreds
of spectators were listening to opera music under the patronage
of Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein, the second wife of King
Hussein and mother of King
Abdullah II, who mounted the throne after his father´s death.
Beside Her Royal Highness,
His Excellency Akel Biltagi, the Minister of Tourism and a spectacular
number of his colleagues and members of the Parliament, Ambassadors of different
countries, VIPs of Jordan´s economical life and numerous tourists from all
over the world were enjoying this unique concert, in commemoration of His
Late Majesty
King Hussein.
In the classical part
of the concert Susanne Bauer - who was the host
of the evening - was announcing arias of operas by the old masters of Baroque
music Haendel, Martinu, Verdi and Mozart and the nicest pieces by Flotow,
Dvorzak, Rossini, Puccini, Suk and the young composers Malásek and Svecený
who were among the stars of the evening .
Between the classical parts about 20 minutes were reserved for the Jordanian Armed Forces Band that were performing Oriental and European pieces.
One of the highlights of the evening was a premier piece, "The Dream of Peace" dedicated to His Majesty King Abdullah II, which was composed by Petr Malásek (music) and Susanne Bauer (words) in memory of His Late Majesty King Hussein, whose dream was " peace in the whole Middle East".
An exclusive open air Gala Dinner amongst the ancient ruins was catered by Le Méridien Hotel on the Citadel presenting a magnificent view of Amman and the Roman Theatre from the dinner table...
This joyous extravaganza of history, culture, and community now takes place every year on Sept. 7th in Petra and on Sept 9th in Amman.
The honorary patron is Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein and the organiser of the event is International Ashtar Tours in co-operation with the Ministry of Tourism and the JTB, sponsored by Royal Jordanian and Le Méridien Hotel.
Come join us as we celebrate in a most delightful manner this very special occasion!
(suggested travel program) - (information about the soloists)
