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XPRESS, 22. März 2009 |
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Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival opens
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Yesterday evening, in the auditorium of the
Emirates Palace, a special Opera Gala opened the sixth Abu Dhabi Music and
Arts Festival to a full house and unanimous praise. Art and music lovers
from all over the United Arab Emirates, the Middle East and from around the
world came together to enjoy a feast of operatic favourites and share
soaring emotions.
The festival is held under the patronage of His Highness General Shaikh
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme
Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Attending last night’s performance were
Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Higher Education
and Scientific Research, Her Excellency Shaikha Lubna Bint Khalid
al-Qassimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, Christine Albanel, the French
Minister of Culture and, one of the world’s leading photographers, Andreas
Gursky.
Before the Opera Gala, His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan,
opened the first ever retrospective exhibition of the works of one of the
world’s most famous contemporary Arab artists, Dia Al Azzawi. This
exhibition will run throughout the festival in The Emirates Palace
Auditorium Foyer. The artist will also be showing masterpieces from his
recent collection at Abu Dhabi’s Ghaf Gallery throughout the Festival.
The Opera Gala featured two exceptional talents with Romanian soprano
Angela Gheorghiu, one of the most glamorous and gifted opera singers of our
times and renowned tenor, Jonas Kaufmann, from Germany taking the leading
roles in a varied gala. They were accompanied by the Bolshoi Theatre
Orchestra under the extremely capable hands of Austrian conductor Ion Marin.
It is very rare for two such illustrious singers to appear together on stage
and the audience were captivated by the partnership. Previously they have
appeared together at the Royal Opera Covent Garden in La Rondine.
Angela Gheorghiu was born in Romania and from early childhood it was obvious
that she would become a singer. Her voice and dazzling stage presence have
established her as a unique international opera superstar.
Born in Munich, the tenor Jonas Kaufmann is now internationally
recognised as one of the most important artists of our day. He has made
sensational debuts in recent seasons in many of the world’s leading opera
houses. In January 2008 his first solo album, Romantic Arias, became an
immediate international best seller.
Ion Marin is one of the most exciting conductors in the world today. He has
established a solid reputation both in symphonic and opera repertoire and
his operatic activities have included new productions at the Metropolitan
Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, San Francisco Opera, Opera Bastille, Rossini
Opera Festival and the Nuovo Piccolo Teatro in Milan. He has worked with
most of the world's greatest singers including Jesse Norman, Placido Domingo
and Angela Gheorghiu.
The Opera Gala opened, appropriately, with an opera set in the Middle
East with Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco and featuring the famous “March of the
Hebrew Slaves”. This was followed by a duet, the glorious “Parigi, O Cara”
(“Dearest, we shall leave Paris”), from another of Verdi’s operas - La
Traviata. Gheorghiu then performed the aria “Ebben! Ne andrò lontana” (“Ah!
Shall I shall go far away”) from Alfredo Catalini’s rarely performed La
Wally. After which Jonas Kaufmann performed the wistful aria “Pourquoi, me
Réveiller” (“Why do you wake me?”) from Jules Massenet’s Werther.
The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra played the wonderful but tragic Intermezzo
from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni. More tragedy unfolded with
Angela Gheorghiu and Jonas Kaufmann singing the parts of Roméo et Juliette
in a touching duet of “Va, je t’ai Pardonnée” (“Go, I forgive you”) from
Charles François Gounod’s eponymous opera.
The second half of the Opera Gala opened with the popular Polonaise from
Eugene Onegin by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The next duet, “E Lucevan le
stelle” (“And the stars were shining came from Giacomo Puccini’s fifth
opera, Tosca. More Puccini followed with Ms Gheorghiu’s rendition of “Un
Bel di Vedremo” (“One fine day”) from Madame Butterfly which brought the
house down as this fabulous aria has done so many times in the past.
The Opera Gala then returned to Eugene Onegin, probably the most successful
opera by Tchaikovsky, and its magical Waltz. And finally, a great moment
from Puccini’s most popular opera, La Bohème with the final duet of the
night - the wonderful expression of love in “O Soave Fanciulla” (“O Gentle
Maiden”).
Following a rapturous standing ovation, the enthusiast audience were
still eager for more. Ms Gheorghiu returned to the stage for a flawless
rendition of “I could have danced all night” from My Fair Lady, followed by
Mr Kaufmann who captivated with Lehar’s “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” from The
Land of Smiles. Both then joined together for the final two encores of the
night - Di Curtis’ “Non ti scordar di me” and Verdi’s “Libiamo” from La
Traviata - leaving the audience uplifted and inspired by these two
incredible singers.
Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival Award and Annual Creativity Award
A major highlight of the evening was the presentation of ADMAF’s Abu Dhabi
Music and Arts Festival Award, designed by Chopard, to film-maker Faisal Al
Saari and his team by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan.
Faisal Al Saari also won this year’s ADMAF Annual Creativity Award. Both
awards, established in 2004, seek to support and encourage young national
artistic talent across the UAE, and are a key part of ADMAF’s education
programme. Faisal Al Saari, a communications and technology graduate from
the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), was selected as the winner of both
awards for his film ‘Story of a Nation’ - a moving telling of the history of
the UAE.
The sixth Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival is presented by ADMAF with
executive producer IMG Artists, the world’s leading performing artist
Management Company. It is also the first to involve a collaboration with
Flash Entertainment who, together with ADMAF, is bringing Andrea Bocelli to
Abu Dhabi for the first time. This year’s Festival is supported by the Abu
Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) as title sponsor, and
sponsored by Mubadala and Etihad Airways.
The Festival runs until April 2 and features a varied programme of ballet,
opera, classical and Arabic music, a visual arts component, a strong
educational programme and a community programme reaching across all the
Emirates. This year the Festival will celebrate the community values of
Bilad al Khair or ‘land of blessings’ which is the name usually given to the
UAE owing to its wise and just leadership, secure citizens, and bountiful
natural resources. |
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