City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra announces first-ever tour to Abu Dhabi.
The CBSO will make its first ever visit to Abu Dhabi this December, following an invitation from the emirate’s tourism authority to perform two concerts in the UAE.
The Abu Dhabi tour will be a spectacular first for the orchestra, which performed 38 concerts overseas during 2013-14. Conducted by CBSO Associate Conductor Michael Seal, they will perform two concerts on the evenings of December 15th and 16th, including one on a floating stage on the Arabian Gulf as part of the celebrations to mark Abu Dhabi city’s hosting of the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race fleet.
The first concert, at Corniche Breakwater, will include Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No.1 with soloist James Ehnes. The second, performed against the stunning backdrop of the Al Jahili Fort – a UNESCO World Heritage site – in Al Ain, will feature extracts from Holst’s The Planets and music by one of Hollywood’s greatest film composers, John Williams, as well as the work of prominent Indian film composer A.R.Rahman. The orchestra will play Williams’ compositions from film classics such as ET, Superman and Star Wars alongside music from Rahman’s Taal, Bombay and Lagaan.
CBSO chief executive Stephen Maddock said: “We are thrilled that the CBSO has been invited to perform in the UAE for the first time. The CBSO tours regularly, this season taking in Munich, Paris, Vienna and Madrid to name but a few. As classical music becomes ever more popular around the world, this opportunity to perform for new audiences in the UAE is very special. We hope that this visit to Abu Dhabi will be the first of many.”
Dr Ronald Perlwitz, Head of Music Programming at TCA Abu Dhabi added: “From the beginning of the season’s planning process, it was our clear goal to bring the CBSO to Abu Dhabi. There are very few orchestras in the world able to play this range of repertoire at a world-class level: Elgar and Bruch the first night and the music from Star Wars or Bollywood blockbusters on the second. We were very happy and proud when they accepted to be part of Abu Dhabi Classics and are looking forward to two amazing classical music nights that, we hope, will also be very attractive to new audiences.”
For further information on the tour visit www.cbso.co.uk or www.abudhabievents.ae