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Al-Ahram Weekly 14 - 20 October 1999 Issue No. 451 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 14 - 20 October 1999 Issue No. 451
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Waiting for the sun
By Nevine El-ArefOn 31 December, the Giza Plateau will play host to "The Twelve Dreams of the Sun", an electronic opera by Jean Michel Jarre, the French composer and multimedia artist, to celebrate the advent of the new century.
Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni explained that the performance would consist of three acts intended to accompany the sun into the new millennium.
The first act will start immediately after the last sunset of this century and will include spectacular lighting effects against the backdrop of the three Great Pyramids. At 10.30pm, the second act will start, a live concert performance taking the spectators in jubilant mood through to 1.30am with the midnight surprise.
At dawn -- around 5.30am -- the third and final act of the celebration will start and Jarre and his musicians will welcome the first sunrise of the new millennium with music and visual effects.
The Twelve Dreams of the Sun is much more than a concert, a show or an opera. It is an adventure celebrating the passing of time and the turn of the millennium. This live celebration in music and technicolour is a surrealistic tale of the sun's dreams since the beginning of time, including its own mythological Egyptian origins, life, death and the future.
The climax of the celebrations, at midnight, will be the unveiling of an artificial nine-metre golden pyramidion atop Khufu's Great Pyramid, which will flood the surrounding area with golden rays. This will be transmitted to television screens across the world to signal the birth of the first day of the new millennium.
The celebration will be held on 4,000 square kilometres, 200 of which will be allocated for the musical troupes, with the rest for spectators. About 1,000 artists will participate in the event and international TV stations will transmit 20 minutes of the event around the world, regardless of the time differences.
The opera features an extraordinary display of visual and audio effects including laser lights, fireworks and stage displays in a unique blend of oriental and Western music, songs and choreographed dances.
Hosni said songs of Umm Kulthoum, the famous Egyptian singer, will be broadcast during the festivity marking the centenary of her birth.
"The Twelve Dreams of the Sun is a magical, not to be missed, voyage into the dawn of the new millennium. It will touch everyone that witnesses it, making it a night that will endure in the heart and the soul," said Jarre.
"Our celebration and our setting will be unique. We will be the only country in the world celebrating the sixth millennium of the building of the Pyramids, not just the third millennium like everyone else. The celebration will be held south of the Great Pyramid, far from any archaeological sites," said Hosni. He added that the celebration would cost $9.5 million.
Tickets for this event are priced at $150, $250 and $400. One area has been reserved for Egyptian youths, with tickets priced at LE50. Specially prepared five-star tents will accommodate VIP ticket-holders for $4,000.
