Hamed und Sherifa

When King Hamed returns from battle, he realises that his wife has betrayed him. He immediately bans all women from his realm: only his mother is permitted to remain. Princess Sherifa smuggles herself into the palace disguised as a man and gains the trust of the king. Hamed is dubious: is this dashing young gentleman really a man? Sherifa passes all the trials to test whether she is truly a man: she diplays interest for weapons at the bazaar and shows no sympathy for prisoners. By the time Sherifa is finally identified and Hamed can enfold her in his arms and re-admit all women to his realm, both he and the audience have plenty of opportunities to reflect on the actual definition of maleness and femaleness.

The cast of the opera gives an extra twist to the gender issue, as three male singers play all the protagonists. Zad Moultaka’s music calls for traditional Lebanese instruments, bringing an oriental fl air to the modern fairy tale.