On Saturday, Expo 2020 Dubai's all-women ensemble Firdaus Orchestra made its long-awaited stellar debut in a one-hour concert led by conductor Yasmina Sabbah. The open-air performance took place at the Jubilee Stage to mark the end of Expo's Space Week, which kicked off on October 17.
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Academy and Grammy award-winning film composer AR Rahman has been mentoring Firdaus Orchestra, comprising 50 women of 23 nationalities, in the run-up to Expo, with the musicians making an appearance during last month’s Opening Ceremony.
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The film composer wrote a new piece of music specifically for Expo, called ‘Humanitas-Proorismós-Al Amal’, which was performed as the grand finale at the concert. The 15-minute composition was inspired by the stars, planets and space exploration. ‘Al Amal’, Arabic word for ‘Hope’, is also the name of the first Arab mission to Mars.
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He said: “‘Humanitas-Proorismós-Al Amal’ is an ode to the explorers of space. I’ve been trying to write it for the past three months; I had a lot of ideas. For the first Firdaus Orchestra concert, I wanted to do something for Space Week, so this is a 15-minute piece inspired by the endeavours of space from the East.
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“There’s the sense of poetry, and a sense of deep spirituality when you see the planets and space. So how would an Indian sound or Eastern sound come together with a Western orchestra or Middle Eastern instruments? That was the idea, and it’s an experiment. I hope people like it.”
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Besides his original composition, the evening concert included 'Also Sprach Zarathustra,' the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as music from Star Wars and E.T. – Adventures on Earth. It also featured Karl Jenkins’ 'Palladio' and Beethoven’s 'Symphony No. 5'.
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Firdaus will assemble throughout Expo to mark special occasions and ceremonies with its very own base on site to retire to – the Firdaus Studio by AR Rahman, a permanent world-class facility that will support artists in the UAE and around the globe.
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“We wanted to encourage women from this region … Dubai is opening its arms to different philosophies, arts, music. It’s a sign of liberation and it’s a great statement coming from Reem Al Hashimi [Minister of State for International Cooperation, Director-General of the Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau],” said AR Rahman in an interview with Gulf News.
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Ines, a Polish flautist from the ensemble told Gulf News: “[The orchestra] opens us up to different musical cultures. Since you have your own style as a musician, you have the opportunity to learn about and from each other. Every culture has a different tone. All that [amassed] connection is powerful.”
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