Today's Edition
TAARIQ HALIM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE National Orchestra is bringing the curtain down on its historic first season with four concerts this June. The final four performances will be staged in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
An Evening with Conductor Xu Zhong
Taking place at The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi on Monday, June 8, the UAENO presents an evening celebrating musical exchange and shared artistry with maestro Xu Zhong, one of China’s most distinguished conductors and pianists.
The programme opens with Liu Tieshan and Mao Yuan’s “Dance of the Yao People”, followed by “Double Concerto for Violin and Cello” performed by Eric Picard of the Orchestre de Paris and UAENO concertmaster Nicolas Koeckert, and Johannes Brahms’ “Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op. 102”.
The evening concludes with Beethoven’s “Symphony No.5”, a masterpiece whose famous opening motif continues to resonate across centuries as a symbol of determination and triumph.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Scheherazade’
The orchestra’s final tour date in Abu Dhabi is at the Cultural Foundation on June 21. Inspired by the legendary tales of “One Thousand and One Nights”, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov created “Scheherazade, Op. 35”, a vivid orchestral masterpiece where storytelling unfolds through music.
Conducted by Ahmed Farag, the work opens with the commanding themes of the sultan in the lower strings and brass, answered by the lively solo violin representing Scheherazade herself. Through this musical dialogue, the orchestra brings to life a world of fantasy, tension and beauty, where music becomes a powerful form of storytelling.
The programme also includes a piece by a composer and orchestrator, Kamel Ahmed Moustafa, inspired by classical repertoire, blending symphonic textures with the distinctive sounds of traditional Arabic instruments.
Rhythm Without Borders
The final show of the season will be staged in two performances at Dubai Opera on June 24 and 25.
The finale bursts with colour, rhythm and energy, a vibrant celebration of diversity through music. From sweeping orchestral textures to infectious dance rhythms, the concert journeys across cultures, where jazz meets symphonic grandeur, Latin pulse meets theatrical brilliance, and global classics blend with regional traditions.
The programme, conducted by Ahmed Farag, opens with Arturo Márquez’s “Danzon No.2”, followed by Leonard Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story”.
In the second half, the music turns closer to home, honouring the richness of the UAE’s heritage while keeping the same joyful spirit. The finale unites voices and orchestra in a triumphant tribute to identity and shared experience – featuring Abdulaziz Almadani’s “The Fiftieth Samaei”, “Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah” by Camille Saint-Saëns, and “An Emirati Suite” arranged by Qoutayba Neaimi.
The finale concludes a landmark inaugural season that celebrates Eastern and Western musical traditions and innovations.
From its public debut in December 2025 at the Zayed National Museum to mark Eid Al Etihad, the Orchestra has toured all seven emirates, presenting symphonic reinterpretations of Emirati music, and voicing classical works with Arabic sounds.
From “The Beginning”, “Faces of Love”, “Vivaldi: A Journey East, Russian Classics”, “Echoes of Time”, and “Once Upon a Tune”, every programme has established the UAENO as a unique and culturally distinct voice in global classical music.
