Abu Dhabi: Celebrating its 11th edition next year, the Abu Dhabi Festival (ADF) on Monday announced the United States of America as its Country of Honour, with debuts from musicians including Herbie Hancock and Renee Fleming lined up to perform at the festival in March. Other highlights include superstar conductor Gustavo Dudamel and a specially-commissioned work by artist Bill Fontana.
A pre-festival event on January 27 will host Dudamel, leading the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, in performances never previously seen at the ADF.
Running March 21-31, the festival, taking place at Emirates Palace, kicks off with its visual arts component, welcoming Fontana, whose work ‘Acoustic Visions’, an ADF Commission, will remain on show until April 20. Described as a “sound sculpture”, it consists of recordings of vibrantions in sand dunes. “I went into the desert expecting silence but got a surprising recording of what sounded like waves crashing, using the same equipment that structural engineers use. Every moment we’re alive we can hear a unique sound,” said Fontana, speaking at press conference on Monday.
Artist Mohammed Kazem, who represented the UAE at the 2013 Venice Biennale, will also present a new piece, especially commissioned for ADF.
Jazz icon Hancock (March 21), opera diva Fleming (March 23, with the Dresden Philharmonic) and the acclaimed American Ballet Theatre (March 28) will all perform for the first time in the UAE as part of next year’s star-studded headline programme.
“The 2014 programme highlights the Festival’s on-going commitment to creative innovation.,” said Hoda I. Al Khamis-Kanoo, founder and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival. “By bringing cultural practices and artistic expression to the forefront of public thought, the festival will generate debate, discussion, engagement and enjoyment across audiences of all ages.”
The festival includes performances — which often sell out months before — as well as exhibitions, discussions, workshops and initiatives, totalling over 100 experiences.
For Arabic music fans, four CDs will be released by the Arabic Music Archiving and Research (AMAR) featuring the 30 artists from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine from the beginning of the 20th century. Michel Fadel will close the main programme’s performances at the Emirates Palace with his ‘Arabic tradition and innovation’ composition.
“The designation of the United States as the Country of Honour for the 2014 Abu Dhabi Festival is very significant… The presence of prominent American artists such as Herbie Hancock, Bill Fontana, Renee Fleming, and the American Ballet Theatre at the 2014 Festival will be a high point of our collaboration and reflects the best of the U.S.-UAE relationship,” said Michael Corbin, United States Ambassador to the UAE.
The line-up:
Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, January 27: Diamond (Dh350); Pearl (Dh250); Balcony (Dh150)
Herbie Hancock, March 21; Diamond (Dh350); Pearl (Dh250); Balcony (Dh150)
Renée Fleming, March 23; Diamond (Dh350); Pearl (Dh250); Balcony (Dh150)
European Union Youth Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Askhenazy with Gautier Capuçon, March 24; Diamond (Dh350); Pearl (Dh250); Balcony (Dh150)
Miloš, March 26; all seats Dh150
American Ballet Theatre, March 28; Diamond (Dh350); Pearl (Dh250); Balcony (Dh150)
Bayt Al Farabi: Michel Fadel, March 31; Diamond (Dh350); Pearl (Dh250); Balcony (Dh150)
Bayt Al Farabi: Aseel Ensemble, March 17; all seats Dh50 (at Abu Dhabi Theatre)
