ADACH Draws Positive Balance on 1st Abu Dhabi Classics Season
TU 16 JUN 09
2009/10 season opens October 23 with New York Philharmonic:
Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, director general of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage announced the opening of the second season on 23 October 2009 with the first-ever visit to the UAE of the New York Philharmonic and concluded: “The first season has already surpassed all expectations. Only six months after its launch, Abu Dhabi Classics won a ‘What’s On’ award, and the series immediately started to attract its own growing and enthusiastic public.” It generated more than 8000 hotel nights spent by artists and visitors, and more than 15,000 tickets were sold. Al Mazrouei: “In the past, classical music concerts here were always free, but it is important for people to learn that you must pay for quality. We are happy to have started a new trend.”
Abdullah Al Amiri, Director of the Department of Culture and Arts at ADACH, said the Abu Dhabi Classics reflect the determination of Abu Dhabi to make art, music and culture part of daily life, and to become a leading centre of culture in the world. He said that the series has succeeded in bringing top world musical figures together in a short period of time in Abu Dhabi. "Abu Dhabi Classics is an important basis of ADACH's cultural strategy," Amiri said, "the project compliments learning programs coordinated with the schools of Abu Dhabi already."
For the 2009/10 season, executive director Till Janczukowicz has announced an expansion of the education programme while highlighting strategic partnerships with three of the world’s leading orchestras: the New York Philharmonic, the Philharmonia of London and the Vienna Philharmonic will specially design education projects for Abu Dhabi. Visiting stars in the next season will include violinists Anne-Sophie Mutter and Frank Peter Zimmermann, pianist Emanuel Ax, and conductors Seiji Ozawa, Myung-Whun Chung and Lorin Maazel. The Bavarian State Opera from Munich will present a Wagner Gala, and Venice’s Teatro La Fenice returns with two full acts of opera: from Verdi’s Rigoletto and La Traviata. Programming highlights will also include the continuation of the cycle of Mahler symphonies, the beginning of a Beethoven symphonies cycle, family events, children’s concerts as well as a Valentine’s Day gala concert.
The Al Ain Classics Festival will take place the first half of March 2010 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs. It welcomes the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra as resident orchestras. Continuing its collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Classics, the Al Ain Classics will welcome two of the world’s most distinguished institutions during the season: the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Teatro La Fenice from Venice.
In September the complete Abu Dhabi Classics programme will be available online and a press conference will announce the season's details and the new services.
