Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, Abu Dhabi Classics presented an exquisite musical event at Al Jahili Fort yesterday, Friday, 13 March 2009. The evening marked the UAE debut of world-renowned conductor Zubin Mehta and arguably one of the best musical ensembles in the world, the Vienna Philharmonic. Mehta conducted the orchestra, performing masterpieces by Schubert and Strauss, leaving members of the sold-out audience mesmerized.

Mehta is a highly accomplished conductor, born in Bombay in 1936. By 1961, Mehta had already conducted the Vienna and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, and still retains close ties with these ensembles. His list of awards and honors is extensive and includes the "Nikisch-Ring", bequeathed to him by Karl Böhm. He is an honorary citizen of Florence and was made an honorary member of the Vienna State Opera in 1997. In 1999, he was presented the Lifetime Achievement Peace and Tolerance Award of the United Nations. In addition, Mehta is an honorary conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Munich Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Since its inception in 1842, the Vienna Philharmonic has enthralled prominent composers and conductors, as well as audiences all over the world through its homogenous musical style, carefully bequeathed from one generation of musicians to the next. The orchestra has made its mission that of communicating music’s humanitarian message in the daily lives of its listeners, according to Ludwig Van Beethoven’s motto: "From the heart, to the heart".

Abu Dhabi Classics is offering further highlights including a performance by world-famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang and the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta on Saturday, 14 March at the Emirates Palace Auditorium. This will be followed by the UAE solo debut by Lang Lang on Wednesday, 17 March, and Symphonic Masterworks, celebrating Spanish and Russian masterpieces, also at the Emirates Palace Auditorium.

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