22/08/2025
Ever since I was a child - I have been obsessed with Egypt… the ancient empire and its glorious ruins; and the stories they tell about where we’ve been, where we are and where we might go…
Golden desert, god-kings, and temples that will stand long after we are gone…
I could never have imagined that one day I would premiere a major work here. It is, quite simply, mind-boggling.
When Maestro Nagui and his wife, soprano Dina Iskander asked me to compose a Requiem, my first question was, “Who is it for?” The answer - “No one” - allowed the work to take on a life of its own.
On a personal level - it is a dedication to a mother who lost her son in the most heartbreaking way. More broadly, it speaks to all who endure the grief of loss. In a time when humanity itself feels strained by opposing forces, solace might be the one unifier.
This Requiem, whilst it faces death - is not about the dead; but those left behind. The living who experience grief, who experience the shadow of loss.
Nayer Nagui
Bibliotheca Alexandrina - مكتبة الاسكندرية
Bibliotheca Alexandrina Orchestra
Cairo Celebration Choir - CCC - كورال القاهرة الإحتفالي
Bibliotheca Alexandrina Choir - كورال مكتبة الاسكندرية
Bibliotheca Alexandrina Youth Orchestra - أوركسترا شباب مكتبة الإسكندرية
Dina Iskander (Soprano)
Thalie Knights (Mezzo Soprano)
Aleksandar Stefanoski (Bass)
Reham Mahmoud (Viola)
Danielle Arcaro
Shady Abdelsalam (BA Youth Orchestra Coach)
Donia Akram Deghedy (BA Choir Master)
Sep 12th, 8pm at Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center Great Hall
Tickets at the Box Office or online through: https://onlineticketing.bibalex.org/
Sep 13th, 8pm at All Saints' Cathedral, Cairo
In co-operation with the Australian Embassy in Egypt
