Wednesday, Oct 23, 2013

Abu Dhabi: A quick glance at the events calendar in Abu Dhabi and it is easy to spot a growing interest in opera music, what with legends such as Andrea Bocelli and Placido Domingo gracing our stages at sold-out venues.

Next up on the calendar are world’s top classical soloists, Jose Carreras and Katherine Jenkins, who will share the stage for a concert this Friday (October 25) at Yas Island’s du Arena.

With tickets on sale since late August and fans already thrilled about the performance, it has become clear that opera music is reaching a crescendo in the region.

To get a better sense of the classical music scene in Abu Dhabi, tabloid! spoke to a few with hands-on experience in the field.

Head of Abu Dhabi Classic FM radio station Mathew Sansom described classical music as “extremely popular” in the UAE and said its popularity is constantly growing.

Inclusive genre

“When you see people who paid money to go see the likes of Katherine Jenkins or Jose Carreras, they range from the age of 20 to wherever, from all cultures and creeds. It’s really quite an inclusive genre — far more inclusive than people might imagine,” Sansom told tabloid!.

He added that opera music has enough melody, power of voice and performance to enable even non-Italian speakers to enjoy it.

For those who are unfamiliar with the music, Sansom invited them to attend concerts and operas saying: “Come along for a fantastic evening of entertainment and prepare to be wowed. It’s just fantastic. It’ll make your hair stand up on end.”

As for the future of opera in the UAE, Sansom said: “The sky’s the limit” and with audiences already having an appetite for the music, the events are only getting bigger.

Musical director of Dubai Singers and worldwide conductor Martyn Bagnall agreed with Sansom on the popularity of opera music in the capital, citing the Andrea Bocelli concert.

“The popularity of opera is demonstrated by the fact that you can fill a stadium with 10,000 people paying serious money to listen to this amazing music,” the conductor said.

He said that opera music “speaks to the heart and overrides the language”.

Cheaper tickets

Bagnall also attributed the growth in popularity to the fact that operas and classical concerts are now relatively cheaper than they used to be. While operas used to be exclusive occasions that saw the elite dress up to watch performances, most operas now have affordable tickets.

To foster the classical music scene, though, Bagnall said having an opera house, as well as teaching children about the music would help.

Indeed, there are plans to build an opera house in Dubai, and the UAE already has its very own National Symphony Orchestra (NSO).

Having worked with many homegrown musicians to play classical concerts, Musical Director of the NSO, Andrew Berryman said that “there are more local musicians with huge skills than you would ever imagine.”

“Although on the face of it, classical music doesn’t have the big following it has in the West, it is definitely, without any doubt, growing,” Berryman said.

He added that having concerts with internationally acclaimed artists will help the industry grow as most people tend to enjoy such concerts and thus, develop interest in the music.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has already performed twice in the UAE (in 2009 and early 2013) while Placido Domingo, widely recognised as one of The Three Tenors, performed in 2013. Other prominent names include British operatic pop band, Il Divo who performed both in 2010 and 2012.

By Sarah Diaa, Staff reporter

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