Call it music therapy, a night out on the town, or a visit to see old friends, and you would be right on all counts. If you like rhythm and are fond of film soundtracks, the NSO Symphony Orchestra has just the thing to make your weekend special.
As the home-grown company — seven-year veterans of the stage — take the final bow of the season, they offer one more set to remember them by. Their gala, aptly titled A Night at the Movies… The Final Curtain, will play on April 27 at the Emirates Palace Auditorium, Abu Dhabi.
Say hello to the Force as the Star Wars theme washes over you, or sway along to Offenbach’s Can Can (last featured in Moulin Rouge), or — Tom and Jerry fans — smile your way through Die Fledermaus opera overture.
Ahead of movie night, Gulf News tabloid! speaks to Janet Hassouneh, NSO founder and executive director, for a sound check of what’s in store.
“A big bang! It’s the 1812 Overture [the final piece]. It’s not legal to have canons indoors but NSO can certainly make you feel like [you are] hearing it musically,” she says.
In charge of conducting the arena — musicians and chorus alike — is Andrew Berryman. He brings with him a nostalgia-inducing playlist that includes a jig by world champion Irish dancers on Bill Whelan’s Riverdance. And that chorus? Made up of the Dubai Singers, it will belt out a version of O Fortuna (Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana).
Before allowing the project to hijack your Friday evening, however, check out who is playing. Who are the members of this group — why should you race to the scene?
NSO comprises the NSO Symphony Orchestra, the NSO Chamber Orchestra, the NSO Symphonic Pops Orchestra, the NSO Opera and Chorus, and the NSO Music Agency.
UAE-dwelling musicians — about a hundred from 20 different nationalities — form the company. They are professional musicians and musical educators. The emphasis is therefore always to be at the top of the class.
So then are you qualified to listen? Do you need training, a good ear or classical tune obsession to enjoy the songs? If Hassouneh is to be believed, not so much. She says the evening is perfect for anyone over the age of six, adding this is “a stunning music programme which showcases our own professional local musicians and their extraordinary talent”. It’s not just about those well known tunes; they are dispensing originals.
Adding to that feel of auditory treat from the UAE is the accompaniment of two Emirati composers: Hamad Al Taee and Eman Al Hashimi. Al Taee, a pilot who moonlights as a composer and piano player, is all about being positive and spreading joy. Al Hashimi, who has a penchant for mixing Western and Arabic musical instruments, has already been in the spotlight for her 2000 stint on World Music Day, being the first woman Emirati composer, and being the first Emirati pianist to perform at the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi. They will join the orchestra on pianos to render their original melodies. Asked about their talents, Hassouneh writes in her email: “For Eman’s pieces, it’s her energy, rhythm and passion; for Hamad it’s his gift of melody and the ability to move an audience in performance.”
However, they are but a nibble in the great cake that’s on offer. There’s a violin solo by Nadine Artuhanava (Ladies in Lavender) and Brindisi from Verdi’s La Traviata.
Another sweet offering is a score by Italian composer Frederico Torri. Hassouneh, for whom NSO has been a project born and raised in passion, believes giving chances is the USP of the group.
“Giving a young, talented composer we met in Florence a chance to hear his film score performed live” and “giving some special children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation UAE a wish” to her is worth the teething issues such as financial hiccups that accompany not-for-profit endeavours such as this.
“Believe it or not,” she explains, “I’ve been running NSO basically on my own as a labour of love [unpaid position] and to say thanks to the UAE for all the wonderful things they’ve done for me and my family over the last 32 years.”
To involve the audience in this project, NSO is holding an open rehearsal — also called the matinee at 4.30pm — that will provide a keyhole view into the work that went into the show. “[It is] quite an experience to see a conductor hard at work,” says Hassouneh. “Like a sculptor with clay, the conductor, using the composers’ notes on a page, moulds the orchestra into an exquisite musical performance that can excite your senses and move an audience”.
And so what can you look forward to? “The musical quality of their performances and the sheer enjoyment they share in performing them,” says Hassouneh.
For us though, it just seems like a fun Friday night out with old friends.
Rich history
Over the past seven years, NSO has performed orchestral pieces such as Tchaikovsky’s 4th and 5th symphonies, Bernstein’s West Side Story Symphonic Dances, and a full production of the opera Hansel & Gretel.
The troupe accompanied Andrea Bocelli when he sang for about 10,000 people at du Arena in 2016.
NSO performed live at the screening of Disney’s animated film, Frozen, in 2016.
It also performed at the World Skills event in 2017.
NSO has been seen by over 40,000 people locally.
Quote/Unquote
“Though there is an abundance of concerts across the UAE, NSO is the only UAE-resident, professional symphony orchestra.”
— Janet Hassouneh, NSO Founder and Executive Director
Don’t miss it!
Tickets to see the NSO Orchestra on April 27 at 4.30 or 7.30pm, start at Dh100. The show will be held at Emirates Palace Auditorium, Abu Dhabi.
