History of the Event
We wanted to celebrate a fitting
farewell to the last Millennium that also commemorates a great King of
the 20th Century!
The idea of the "Opera Gala" in commemoration of His Late Majesty King Hussein
was born!
The first commemoration concert at the Roman Theatre of Amman was celebrated
on 9/9/99, the ONLY date to contain five 9's. Nine was the lucky number
of the late King Hussein, who passed away on February 7th, 1999. Nine played
an important role in his political and private life
An additional concert was held at the Roman theatre of Petra on Sept. 7th,
1999, seven months to the date of his passing.
The Rock City of Petra is famous for housing one of the most spectacular tourist sites in the world. Carved out of the pink and cinnamon-coloured sandstone of the mountains, Petra contains over 800 monuments. The interplay between the serene beauty of the surrounding nature and the masterful carvings of the Nabateans is truly remarkable and always breath-taking. The city comprises a complete urban infrastructure which includes a Roman theatre, temples, baths, private houses, high places, paved streets, public buildings, markets, reservoirs, cisterns and a Roman theatre. Its entrance, a one-kilometre-long fissure through the towering cliffs, the "Siq", provides a dramatic approach and induction to the city. The narrow winding path through the canyon dramatically opens up to expose the awesome facade of the el Khazneh, the "Treasury". This monument, used in the final sequence of the film "Indiana Jones and the last Crusade", is Petra`s most famous building.
The Second Music Event in the Roman Theatres of Petra and Amman was held in September 2000
Also on Sept 7th, 2000 hundreds of tourists from all over the globe were gathering in the Roman theatre of Petra listening to highlights of famous musicals, such as "Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats" .... and enjoying Petra´s multicoloured mountains while sunset.
After the concert everybody was experiencing the enchanting illumination of thousands of candles surrounded by hundreds of exquisitely carved historical tombs and monuments ... enjoying a Bedouin reception in front of the Treasury, Petra's most impressive monument, and terminating this great unforgettable day by a walk through the fabulous beautifully illuminated "Siq," the immense crack in the Nubian sandstone.
The stars of the day have been Zdéna Kloubová (soprano) in concert with Petr Malásek (piano) and Jaroslav Svecený (violin).
The same artists together with the Jordanian Royal Armed Forces Band were performing in the concert at the Roman theatre of Amman on "9/9/2000".
