Lebanese singer Magida Al Roumi, often referred to as one of the greatest female vocalists in the Arab world, will be one of the headliners of the 2020 season of Abu Dhabi Classics, to be held from January 28 to February 7. Al Roumi will perform on February 7 along with her 70-member orchestra.
The upcoming season will also celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven by bringing the German composer’s most celebrated work, the 9th Symphony, played by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra. Other concerts will include the Bach Concertos for 2, 3 and 4 Pianos, a solo piano performance by Lise de la Salle and a performance by young Egyptian singer Sanaa Nabil.
Here’s the full line-up:
Bach Concertos for 2, 3 and 4 Pianos – January 28
Abu Dhabi Classics 2020 will commence with David Fray and Friends with a performance of Bach’s Concertos for 2, 3, and 4 Pianos with Geneva Chamber Orchestra. For this programme involving up to four pianos being played at the same time, four leading pianists, David Fray, Emmanuel Christien, Audrey Vigoureux and Jacques Rouvier, will take to the stage. Their Bach interpretation has become one of the most admired classical music concerts of the past few years at venues around the world.
Together with string players from the prestigious Geneva Chamber Orchestra, the piano soloists will render Bach’s writing and translate the rhythmical energy of the pieces.
Lise de la Salle – February 1
French pianist Lise de la Salle has established herself as one of the most exciting young artists and as a musician of uncommon sensibility and maturity. With her intense style, she has entertained audiences all around the world and has performed with many major orchestras. De la Salle will be performing the musical programme ‘Dances’, which reflects a new approach to classical music by exploring dance rhythms from various times and places. The programme will include Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales, combining this with Stravinsky’s Tango, Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances and Debussy’s Mazurka. Latin influences will also be seen in pieces from Ginastera and Piazzolla as well as in pieces inspired by American dance culture.
Hamburg Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky and Brahms — February 4
The musicians of the renowned Hamburg Symphony Orchestra will join Abu Dhabi Classics for a Chamber Music Programme at the Cultural Foundation. The Orchestra has a global reputation for musical excellence due to its commitment to composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven and the Hamburg-born composer Johannes Brahms. The orchestra will also perform Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme and, as a tribute to Beethoven, his Variations on La Ci Darem la Mano, derived from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and written for flute, clarinet and bassoon.
Hamburg Symphony Orchestra - Beethoven’s 9th Symphony – February 5
To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, Abu Dhabi Classics will present probably the most famous piece of classical music ever written, the 9th Symphony. Composed between 1821 and 1824, the year it premiered, the 9th Symphony was Beethoven’s last symphony and marked a turning point in musical history, as the culmination of the Vienna Classical Period and the beginning of the 19th century’s Romantic period. More than 100 musicians and 70 singers in a chorus will premiere the 9th Symphony in the Middle East, as the award-winning Hamburg Symphony Orchestra performs at the du Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Saltana with Sanaa Nabil – February 6
Young Egyptian singer Sanaa Nabil, who rose to fame through the TV programme ‘Arabs Got Talent’, grew up in a family where traditional music was of huge importance. As the great-granddaughter of the sister of famous Egyptian singer Oum Koulthoum, her parents introduced her to music. At the age of nine, Nabil developed an interest in Arab “tarab” singing and she soon began performing in school. At 12, she started voice training with the maestro Salim Sahhab at the Cairo Opera House. Following her stint on ‘Arabs Got Talent’, where she was awarded the Golden Falcon, Nabil won the admiration and love of the public and despite her young age, succeeded in interpreting difficult songs in an impressive way. Today, at 17, she is studying in the High Arab Music Institute and is training with the famous composer Abdo Dagher, who is also the last surviving violinist of the Oum Koulthoum Orchestra.
Nabil will perform her Abu Dhabi Classics show ‘Laylat Saltana’ accompanied by the group Cordes Croisees, made up of elite Egyptian musicians. The public will get to enjoy the musicians’ performance along with Nabil’s exceptional voice, witnessing the combination of their unique sounds.
Magida Al Roumi – February 7
The headline act for Abu Dhabi Classics will be the Lebanese voice, Magida Al Roumi, celebrated internationally as one of the Arab world’s greatest singers. Known for her beautiful, crystal-clear voice and extraordinary vocal range, Al Roumi has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls including the Olympia in Paris, Royal Albert Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York. Discovered at a talent show at the age of 16, Al Roumi released her first single ‘Am Behlamak’ (I’m Dreaming of You, Lebanon) a year later. In the ensuing four decades, she has released dozens of hit records covering a variety of musical styles, from classical Arabic to modern Arab pop and has acquired a huge popularity not only in the Arab world but also worldwide. A graduate in Arabic literature, Al Roumi sings romantic and patriotic poetry written by prestigious Arab poets such as the Saudi Al Nasser, Lebanese poet Nizar Francis and the Syrian Nizar Qabbani, who penned the poem ‘Kalimat’ — one of her timeless songs. Al Roumi is delighted to present a selection of her best songs and performances.
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Don’t miss it!
Tickets starting at Dh75 are now on sale online. For a detailed schedule and list of activities, go to abudhabimusic.ae.
