When you think of classical music, the first names that come to mind are probably the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. However, when it comes to classical Arabic music, there are only a handful of musicians who have hit global fame.
One of those who stand out, though, is Egyptian composer and pianist Omar Khairat, who performs at Dubai’s Emirates Golf Club on Thursday with 16 musicians from his own band.
tabloid! spoke to Khairat about the concert, his music, and future plans.
What can audiences expect at the concert in Dubai?
My music is there, and most of the people who come to the concerts know my pieces. There will be pieces that I didn’t play in Dubai before. People like to hear the music they already know about Omar Khairat, so there will be classic pieces.
You have performed in Dubai multiple times. How do you find the audience here in comparison to other countries?
The people here are beautiful. I like the Emirates, just like any Egyptian does, and I love the people of the Emirates. When I performed last year, it was in January, and the year before it was in January also. I love the outing very much during this time. It [provides] a beautiful chemistry between the music and the people.
Your music is famous for mixing Middle Eastern tunes with classical music. How do you describe your own music?
It’s a new shape of music. It’s like a marriage between west and east. This is my idea about what I am doing. But it’s not only classical; there’s a flavour of jazz sometimes, and oriental, and classical, so it’s a mixture between ideas.
You have been composing music for over 30 years. Is there any piece in particular that holds a special place in your heart?
They’re all my sons and daughters and I love them all. But I have different forms of compositions. I [collaborated] in Europe a few years ago with two big orchestras; the orchestra of France and the orchestra of Slovenia. It was a very good concert with 120 musicians. This kind of music is very important to a composer because it needs a lot of work, and a lot of writing and arranging, so for me, this is the top of what I’m doing.
Having worked with such great orchestras, is there anyone you still aspire to work with?
For singers, of course, [Lebanese singer] Fairouz is very important.
What can fans expect from you in the near future?
I’m supposed to go to the States for three concerts by the end of February. One is in New York, one is in [Los Angeles], and one is in Washington. I’m also working with [Egyptian actor] Yahia Al Fakharany on a TV series. I usually do one composition a year, and it’s [either] a film or a series.
How do you find the popularity of classical music nowadays?
The audience of classical music in the whole world is not very big. What I am doing is that I am making it shorter for the people by mixing classical music with western music. This goes to the people at once and they feel it.
