Kuwait operettas … enchanting musicals for nat’l celebrations

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KUWAIT CITY, Feb 16: Researchers in Kuwaiti singing heritage said the national operetta genre is a prominent part of the country’s national heritage that people of all ages remember and love. In a statement to KUNA on Thursday, researcher Saleh Al- Ghareeb said the word operetta is a smaller version of the word opera. It refers to a short musical play that includes dancing, he said. National operettas were launched in Kuwait in 1972, when maestro Saeed Al-Banna presented two works by Ahmad Anbar and Mohammad Al-Fayez. Another operetta was presented by conductor Suleiman Al-Mulla in 1981 titled “Ehna Ashaqnaha”, which translates to “we love it (Kuwait)”, Al- Ghareeb noted.

He added that there was another operetta conducted by Yousef Nasser titled “Qissat Baladna”, which means “the story of our land”. It was sung by Abdulkareem Abdulqader, Faisal Abdullah, Khalifa Bader, Huda Hussein and Sara Al-Matouq, with the poem of Sheikh Khalifa Al-Abdullah Al-Khalifa Al- Sabah. Other operettas were “Nasar Allah Al-Haq” or “the right had prevailed” by Abdulraouf Ismail, “Hadeeth Al-Shuhour Al-Sabaa” or “the seven-month story” conducted by Anwar Abdullah with Yaqoub Al-Subaiee poem, depicting the period of the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait, said the researcher.

Operetta
Moreover, he said that “Selahi Kalemat Al-Haq” or “honesty is my weapon” operetta was written by a group of poets including Bader Bouresly, Al-Bandar and Saher and was conducted by Suleiman Al-Mulla, Dr Bandar Obaid, Anwar Abdullah and Mohammad Al-Ruwaished. The operetta was sung by Gherreed Al-Shatea, Mohammad Al-Buloushi, Tareq Suleiman, Al-Anoud, Hussein Jassim and a number of actors.

The Ministry of Information presented an operetta titled “Asrana fe Al-Dhameer” or “our POWs on our minds”, the Martyrs Bureau presented “Kuwaituna Shams la Taarif Al- Ghuroub” or “Kuwait is a sun that never sets”, the Ministry of Education presented “Al-Ahd Al-Jadeed” or “the new era” and “Thekra Al-Aseer” or “memory of a POW”, while the Public Authority for Youth and Sport presented “Hadeeth Al-Ajial” or “the talk of generations”, performed by Essam Kamal and Najat Al-Zayed, said Al-Ghareeb. Meanwhile, he spoke of one of the most prominent national operetta singers “Shadi Al-Khaleej” Abdulaziz Al- Mufrij, who sang “Muthakarat Bahar” or “memoirs of a sailor”, conducted by Ghannam Al-Dekan, with Mohammad Al-Fayez’s poem and participation of Sanaa Al-Kharraz. The operetta was performed in October 1988 in South Korea, during the international forum for radio presenters, when Kuwait won the golden award for the “Al-Sindebad Al-Bahri” show. (KUNA)

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