Grammy Award-Winning Russian National Orchestra to open Abu Dhabi Classics 2019/2020

The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi is delighted to announce the return of Abu Dhabi Classics, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The Abu Dhabi Classics 2019/2020 season will celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the birth of composer Ludwig van Beethoven, offering a range of classical delights that includes world-renowned orchestras and soloists, inspiring ballets, and renowned artists from the Arab World, alongside a vast variety of performing arts, bringing together the strongest line up to date.

Taking place at the Cultural Foundation’s newly inaugurated theatre, the highly anticipated Abu Dhabi Classics 2019/20 season will commence on Thursday 10 October and Friday 11 October with performances by one of the finest orchestras in the world, the Grammy Award-winning Russian National Orchestra.

The Russian National Orchestra has a global reputation for its brilliant interpretations of Russian classical music, including the great symphonies and concertos by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. Under the baton of the legendary conductor, Grammy Award and European Cultural Award-winner Mikhail Pletnev, the orchestra will play a programme dedicated to Russian composers of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. They will be joined on stage by the winner of the 15^th Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, the young French classical pianist Lucas Debargue.

On the first evening, Debargue will join the Russian National Orchestra in performing Shostakovich’s Concerto in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra. Written in 1933, Shostakovich’s double concerto ranks among the most technically challenging classical music pieces ever composed and is one of the masterpieces of early 20^th century classical music.

On the second evening of the opening weekend, the Orchestra and Debargue will interpret the immensely popular and inspiring Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Another highlight will be Tchaikovsky’s equally famous 5^th Symphony, in which the composer, in the tradition of Beethoven, revisits the theme of fate. Audiences will also be treated to Alexander Glazunov’s music for the ballet The Seasons and contemporary American composer Gordon Getty’s Ancestor Suite and Homework Suite.  It has already been announced that Getty will be present in Abu Dhabi for what promises to be a landmark interpretation of his compositions.

Faisal Al Dhahri, Acting Public Relations and Communications Director at DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Through its series of truly inspiring concerts, Abu Dhabi Classics is committed to bridging genres and not only showcasing classical music, but also encouraging contemporary musical and artistic creation. As a programme that offers audiences some of today’s greatest global musical performers, we are delighted to host the phenomenal Russian National Orchestra, widely recognised as one of the top orchestras in the world, for the opening weekend of Abu Dhabi Classics 2019/20. Music and performing arts lovers can look forward to an exciting season as we will shortly be announcing some of the world’s most renowned soloists, ballets and one the greatest artists in the Arabic world.”

Tickets are now on sale for the Russian National Orchestra exclusively from ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. For further information, please visit www.abudhabimusic.ae and www.dctabudhabi.ae. Further details of Abu Dhabi Classics 2019/20 performances will be announced soon.

Abu Dhabi Classics is organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and produced by Flash Entertainment, the Middle East’s leading entertainment company.