The UAE National Orchestra presented its first full public concert at the Emirates Palace Auditorium in Abu Dhabi to open its inaugural season.
The event on Thursday was attended by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and minister of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence; and Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State and chairperson of the UAE National Orchestra. Emirati singers Ahlam and Hussain Al Jassmi were also among those present.
Speaking ahead of the opening night, Sheikha Alia bint Khalid Al Qassimi, the orchestra’s managing director, hailed the concert as “the beginning of a new chapter in the journey of the UAE National Orchestra and in the country’s cultural landscape”.
“We are launching our inaugural season from Abu Dhabi with confidence and pride, following months of collective work to present something worthy of this nation,” she said.
“Since its founding, the UAE National Orchestra has carried a clear goal: to celebrate Emirati musical heritage and present it through a contemporary language that reflects our identity and connects us to the world.”
The programme opened with a fresh orchestral take on Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances by 19th-century Russian composer Alexander Borodin, arranged by Shakir Hassan. The work’s signature galloping string figures were paired with Emirati percussion, used sparingly so as not to overpower the orchestral writing.
That approach carried through the first half, which placed Arabic instruments within the orchestral fabric rather than isolating them as solo features. Turkish qanun maestro Aytac Dogan appeared in Alisamadim for qanun and orchestra by Ercan Saatçi and Kaybolan Yıllar by Sezen Aksu, arranged by Abdel Aziz Shabakouh.
Dogan’s rippling qanun lines acted as a counterpoint to the orchestra, with the sharpness of the instrument’s tone giving Saatçi’s writing, which at times felt spare and desolate, a more expansive character.
Iraqi oud composer and performer Naseer Shamma featured in Ishraq for oud and orchestra and Journey of Souls for oud and qanun, the latter bringing both instruments into dialogue within a shared orchestral framework.
The second half gave us The Beginning, an new symphony created for the occasion by Lebanese composer Nadim Tarabay.
It was also the moment the orchestra’s 30-piece choir came to the foreground, presenting Emirati traditional folk material in a contemporary symphonic setting, including the jubilant, sashaying melodies of the Ayala and the chant-based structures of the Taghrooda.
Describing the work, Sheikha Alia said: “The Beginning, a symphony that reimagines Emirati traditional musical sounds, from Al Ayala and Al Aazi to Nadbat Al Shuhuh, within a contemporary symphonic form.”
Rather than unfolding as a single, unified thematic work, The Beginning moved freely through Emirati musical traditions, allowing the orchestra and choir to be heard across a wide range of textures.
Sheikha Alia said the ensemble brings together “a team made up of 70 musicians and 30 singers, united by one shared passion: belief in the power of music and its ability to express the identity of the UAE”.
She added that the inaugural season would see the orchestra travel beyond the capital. “During the inaugural season, we will take this music to audiences across all the emirates, because we believe music is not for one group over another. It is for everyone.”
For Dogan, who featured across multiple works during the first half, the opening concert highlighted how the qanun can function within a large symphonic ensemble.
“If you noticed on stage, I had speakers in front of me so I could hear what I was doing within the orchestra’s sound,” he told The National after the concert.
“Initiatives like this are not only important for the region. It is about finally showing not just our culture, but what we can contribute to the universal language of music. They also challenge musicians in the region to step outside our comfort zones in the most thrilling way.”
The UAE Symphony Orchestra will perform The Beginning across the country over the coming week.
The programme will be presented on Saturday at Al Ain City Municipality Theatre on Monday; at Dubai Opera on Thursday; at Fujairah Cultural Centre Theatre and at Ras Al Khaimah Cultural Centre Theatre on January 24; and Sharjah Performing Arts Academy on January 29. Tickets are available online.
