The 19-year-old Wahab struggles through a nighttime snowstorm on his way to the hospital where his mother lies dying. This is his last chance to untangle the knot of his relationship with her. Deep in his heart, Wahab carries the song Al-Atlal (“The Ruins”) by the Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum. The song embodies the sorrow of a lost home, the longing for love, and ultimately the promise of reconciliation amidst the fragments of a broken relationship.
Oum – A Son’s Quest for His Mother is a collaboration between Dutch National Opera, the Amsterdams Andalusisch Orkest (‘Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra’), and Meervaart. This music theatre production is an ode to a hidden icon on Amsterdam’s largest stage.
Oum – A Son’s Quest for His Mother is a collaboration between Dutch National Opera, the Amsterdams Andalusisch Orkest (‘Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra’), and Meervaart. This music theatre production is an ode to a hidden icon on Amsterdam’s largest stage.
Based on the play Un obus dans le coeur and excerpts of the novel Visage retrouvé
by Wajdi Mouawad
English translation by Linda Gaboriau
by Wajdi Mouawad
English translation by Linda Gaboriau
Spoken in English, sung in Arabic
Composition: Bushra El-Turk
Text adaptation: Wout van Tongeren
Musical direction: Kanako Abe
Stage direction: Kenza Koutchoukali
Set and video designer: Yannick Verweij
Costume designer: Hannah Sibai
Lighting designer: Yuri Schreuders
Dramaturgy: Wout van Tongeren
Choreography: Roshanak Morrowatian
Actor: Nadia Amin
Contralto: Ghalia Benali
Mezzo-soprano: Dima Orsho
Soprano: Bernadeta Astari
Musical direction: Kanako Abe
Stage direction: Kenza Koutchoukali
Set and video designer: Yannick Verweij
Costume designer: Hannah Sibai
Lighting designer: Yuri Schreuders
Dramaturgy: Wout van Tongeren
Choreography: Roshanak Morrowatian
Actor: Nadia Amin
Contralto: Ghalia Benali
Mezzo-soprano: Dima Orsho
Soprano: Bernadeta Astari
Amsterdams Andalusian Orchestra:
Musical project leader Amsterdams Andalusisch Orkest Elias El Houssaini
Photography by Bart Grieten, Yannick Verweij
