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Abu Dhabi Classics, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has announced its 2018/19 programme, which will once again include exceptional performances and debuts in the UAE capital as part of the season.
The mesmerizing La Scala Academy Rising Stars and Chinese Pianist Ran Jia join the previously announced line-up, which includes Camerata Salzburg Orchestra with violin virtuoso Renaud Capuçon, the world’s foremost harpist Xavier de Maistre and the unmissable highlight of the season, the Bayreuth Festival’s international opera debut of Richard Wagner’s The Valkyrie, under the artistic direction of Katharina Wagner, great granddaughter of the renowned composer.
La Scala Academy Rising Stars will grace the Emirates Palace stage in Abu Dhabi on Friday 9 November with three different ballet performances commencing with Suite from Bayadere, followed by Gymnopedie and Napoli. The Academia Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, is recognised as one of the world's foremost institutions in training the full range of performing arts professionals.
Solo pianist Ran Jia returns to the capital on Friday 19 April, 2019. The young Chinese pianist has gained international admiration for her extraordinary interpretative abilities for the piano work of Franz Schubert and will perform Schubert’s Sonata in D major D850, Daqun Jia Three Preludes for Solo Piano and Schubert’s Sonata in B flat major 960.
His Excellency Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “With the new season of Abu Dhabi Classics, we are aiming to once again establish a true cross-cultural dialogue at the highest possible artistic level. This season will contribute to raising the quality of the music scene in Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, it is a music season inspired by the tradition of Abu Dhabi as a place of cultural and intellectual exchange. Some of the performances are truly enticing prospects, not only for Classical music lovers but for everyone in the UAE and abroad, offering the chance to experience some stunning Classical music, and to reflect on music as a universal art form and about human understanding even beyond the barriers of language. We are looking forward to a new season with many musical highlights and a powerful message of artistic passion and peace.”
The season will commence on Friday 12 October at the iconic Emirates Palace with a Mozart Violin Concerto by the prestigious Camerata Salzburg Orchestra and violin virtuoso Renaud Capuçon, one of the most compelling performers of this repertoire. Having performed together many times in the past, this will be the first time that they will perform the Mozart Violin Concertos 4 and 5 in addition to Satie’s Gnossiennes together in Abu Dhabi.
The evening will be completed by pieces from late-19th Century, early 20th Century minimalist composer Erik Satie, which influenced jazz music and also Surrealism. Satie’s clear musical lines are also reminiscent of the music of Rossini and Mozart. The evening will feature some of the most famous works of the Viennese Classical Period.
A virtuoso of the highest order, French harpist Xavier de Maistre is scheduled for two captivating performances this season. His first performance is on Thursday 6 December at the arts and culture centre Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island and Friday 7 December at the historic Bin Hamoodah Fort, Al Ain.
For his first historic appearance in the UAE, de Maistre will play a programme inspired by Spanish Classical music, mixing impressionist and modernist accents by focusing on the French composers Debussy and Faure.
Abu Dhabi Classics is also honoured to host the Bayreuth Festival’s international opera debut of Richard Wagner’s The Valkyrie on Wednesday 30 January 2019 and Friday 1 February 2019 at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi.
The Bayreuth Festival is renowned for its outstanding performances of the 19th-Century German composer Richard Wagner’s operas, performed in a special theatre, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, designed by Wagner himself, so that he could produce his own works. The Bayreuth Festival’s acclaimed productions receive over 500,000 ticket requests each year with only 60,000 tickets available and a waiting list of up to 9 or 10 years. As a result, Bayreuth Festival fans can eagerly anticipate the opportunity to purchase tickets for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this spectacular production in the UAE capital, performed for the first time ever outside Germany.
As the unmissable highlight of the Abu Dhabi Classics new season, concert-goers will experience the full musical drama of The Valkyrie, under the artistic direction of Katharina Wagner, great granddaughter of the renowned composer. The production will also include a feature length film under the artistic direction of Katharina, which will be played in the background, telling the story of The Valkyrie and revisiting the main locations that inspired Wagner’s work. Renowned for their spectacular productions and standing ovations, The Bayreuth Festival’s unique production of The Valkyrie will be breathtaking.
Abu Dhabi Classics’ eighth season’s tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.ae and all Virgin Megastores across the UAE.
For further information on previously announced concerts please visit www.abudhabimusic.ae and www.dctabudhabi.ae. Abu Dhabi Classics is organised by DCT Abu Dhabi and produced by Flash Entertainment, the region’s premier live events company.
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