Abdelwahab – Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London

Abdelwahab, a one-off performance at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, explores the music and legacy of father of modern Egyptian music Mohamed Abdelwahab.

Abdelwahab at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

I had a wonderfully London-y day on Sunday.  I went to the National Gallery and saw highlights from the Kröller-Müller Collection (post coming soon).  Followed by a delicious dinner at Lao Cafe nearby. And then I topped it off by attending this one-off performance of music by Mohamed Abdelwahab at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.  The endless possibilities in terms of experiencing different cultures, in all their forms, is why I love living in London so much.  How lucky to be able to do all of this on a single day.

Let’s focus now, though, on the man of the hour. Mohamed Abdelwahab was born in Cairo in 1902. He began his career at a young age, with performances from age seven, and a first recording at 13. After a visit to Paris in the early 1930s, Abdelwahab introduced musical comedy films to Egypt, composing scores for eight of them between 1933 and 1949. From the 1950s Abdelwahab focused more on music, eventually composing at least 1,820 works. He composed music for himself, Nagat El Saghira, Abdel Halim Hafez, and even the Libyan national anthem. Abdelwahab performed internationally, with his last London date being at the Royal Albert Hall. He died in his home town of Cairo in 1991.

Sunday’s performance was, as I mentioned, a one-off. It’s a collaboration between the Abdelwahab Estate, and producer Mona Khashoggi, who brings cultural stories from the Middle East to international audiences. It consisted of a selection of 14 works in a symphonic concert, each arranged by Ahmed El Mougy, Ameer Gado, or James Whitburn, and with Nader Abbassi conducting. Egyptian soprano Fatma Said was a wonderful addition, bringing the vocal music amongst the selection to life. The atmosphere at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane was buzzing with anticipation. And after a brief introduction, we were off.

Transporting and Timeless

Mohamed Abdelwahab made his reputation by introducing Western elements into Egyptian music. This came through very strongly in the selection: I could hear echoes of military marches, German Lieder, and plaintive love songs perfect for the silver screen.  When Fatma Said sang Ana Lak A’La Toul (1955), I felt I’d been transported to the nearby Royal Opera House, and was listening to the most beautiful aria.  And I don’t just say that because Said sang this work in both Italian and Arabic.  Abdelwahab’s music is rich, but never predictable.  And in the hands of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and London Arab Orchestra, it’s timeless.  Said is a perfect complement: her top notes soar, while her lower register is rich and warm.  The audience responded increasingly enthusiastically each time she appeared.

I’m really getting to like these concert performances of short works. The one I saw over the summer was great.  This one was a revelation.  It’s ideal for the short attention span, as it naturally peppers in variety. And in circumstances such as this, when the subject uniting the works is a discovery for some and a warm, familiar homecoming for others, the philharmonic concert is an excellent way to build a cohesive whole from distinctive parts.

The only downside was my lack of knowledge of Arabic.  As much as the language of music is universal and I could feel the longing, the love, the pathos and the patriotism through the various pieces, I would undoubtedly have got more from those with lyrics had I understood them.  There were also short introductions to some works, again in Arabic, which also contextualised them within Abdelwahab’s life.  I only know what the content was because I asked someone sitting nearby.  A printed translation or surtitles would have been the icing on the cake. 

But as it stands this evening performance opened up new worlds for me. Both the music of Mohamed Abdelwahab, and the very interesting programming on the Theatre Royal Drury Lane‘s ‘off’ days. Excuse me while I make sure I’m not missing out on anything equally exciting!

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4.5/5

Abdelwahab was a one-off performance on 23 November 2025