1984 (opera) like an overblown film soundtrack than the meaty orchestration of an opera," the production "effectively conjures up the dispiriting emptiness of Orwell's awful vision. The unusual and inspired choice of a baritone, Simon Keenlyside, for the lead role of Winston, lends the work a darker edge." The Spanish newspaper "La Vanguardia" praised Maazel by stating "the maestro knows a lot of music and he shows it, just as he shows his prowess in orchestral and vocal work." The opera's Royal Opera House engagement was sold out, as was a later engagement at La Scala in Milan, Italy. The production was
Cairo Opera Ballet Company in 1971, followed by President Anwar Sadat severing Egypt's ties with Russia in 1972, led to a serious decline of the company. The company and its ballet school had a resurgence following the construction of the new Cairo Opera House in 1988. Since 2004, Erminia Gambarelli Kamel has been the company's artistic director. Trained at the La Scala Theatre Ballet School, Kamel joined the Cairo Opera Ballet Company as a principal dancer in 1982. One of the soloists is Mahmoud Atef El Henidy, since 2004–2013. Cairo Opera Ballet Company The Cairo Opera Ballet Company is the resident ballet company of