The steady hum from a warehouse in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Creative Hub has been growing in line with the anticipation surrounding the debut public performance from the UAE National Orchestra.
The 100-piece ensemble will take the stage of the Emirates Palace Auditorium on Thursday as part of an eclectic and sprawling concert season that will feature 14 performances staged across 10 venues in all seven emirates.
The National pays the orchestra a visit ahead of the opening show, dubbed The Beginning, and the excitement and scale of the production are palpable. Members of the string section are finessing knotty passages, members of the horns are rehearsing in another section, while artistic director Amine Kouider, who will also conduct the opening concert, is actively present on site, ensuring all on stage and behind the scenes were in tune.
Kouider describes The Beginning as the end of a particular journey that began nearly two years ago.
“It is exciting because here we are, finally reaching the first show as part of a process that began in July 2024,” he says. “Before that it was just a project on paper and now it is an amazing reality, and we are so excited about it because this is all one big team effort.”
For the French-Algerian maestro, this is familiar territory, having spent 30 years conducting in Paris. He is founder of the International Philharmonic Orchestra, has led the Algerian National Symphony Orchestra, and has served as founding conductor of the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir.
Kouider describes his role less as a figurehead and more as a “musical bridge” and co-ordinator, particularly in an orchestra where musicians come from 30 nationalities and different musical traditions.
“They are all professionals, so they are not nervous,” he says. “Sometimes they ask technical questions and I am more than ready to answer. For those more familiar with western music, I try to help them have a deeper and richer understanding of Arabic music. Now this can be a challenge for them – and also for the Arabic musicians, by the way – but this is the spirit of the orchestra, and that is to bring these two traditions together within one collective.”
The programme reflects that intent. The first half features works that place instruments such as the oud, qanun and rababa within an orchestral setting through a piece by 19th-century Russian composer Alexander Borodin, as well as Iraq’s Naseer Shamma, who will also perform at Emirates Palace.
The second half is devoted to the evening’s namesake, The Beginning, an Emirati Symphony, commissioned by the orchestra from Nadim Tarabay.
The Lebanese composer is regarded as a leading voice in regional contemporary classical music, with his work last heard in December in the Abu Dhabi staging of the Lebanese opera Antar Wa Abla. Tarabay's richly textured score underscored the folk-tale’s geographic reach, drawing on musical influences from the Levant and the Hijaz (modern-day Saudi Arabia) to Asia, particularly in a sequence featuring Shaolin monks.
“The structure of the UAE National Orchestra itself, which is the idea of a composite of an oriental and a western orchestra through new compositions, is a very special thing,” Tarabay tells The National from Beirut. “For a Middle Eastern composer, this combination of ‘yes, let’s experiment’ and being given the support to develop this aspect of our arts culture is special, but also a responsibility.”
Tarabay describes the research process, including the UAE’s musical heritage and its use of distinct modes and rhythms, as intensive.
“I had to do a deep dive into the richness and diversity of the music,” he says. “You need proper guidance for this, and what was great is that the orchestra provided me with a specialised musicologist who has spent many years studying Emirati music, who helped me a lot in understanding its inherent structures.”
As for what to expect from The Beginning, Tarabay says it does not follow the traditional western symphonies method of multiple movements, but instead moves in one continuous stretch.
“Think of it as a journey rather than a set of destinations,” he says. “What we adopted was a symphonic poem strategy, a continuous flow meant to create non-obvious associations between different Emirati music. These different types of musics exist and people who know them will recognise them, but we worked on creating deep connective tissue between them so it feels like one symphonic poem.”
For the musicians tasked with transmitting those heady ideas and cultural references from the stage, there is as much excitement as there is healthy trepidation.
Emirati oud player Abdulaziz Al Madani describes the weight of what the first performance represents.
“Everyone would wish to be where I am and to feel what I’m feeling,” he says. “The orchestra is the first musical, cultural and media platform that represents the country, and we are part of it. I don’t take this lightly, and for the last few months I have been approaching this with absolute discipline.”
Al Madani says the audition process signalled early on that this would be a long-term institution rather than a ceremonial ensemble.
“Yes, it was difficult and intense and required me to study and work really hard. But what stood out for me was how official, organised, respectful and professional it all was,” he says. “This is really important because it sets the standard for all of us. Under this orchestra, there is a real foundation. It is built to last and not just a one-off thing or a random gathering.”
For a solo-leaning instrument such as the oud, Al Madani says playing it within the context of an orchestra requires a different approach.
“We have three oud players, for example, but each one has a different part,” he explains. “So where before, as part of a small group or as a soloist, you can stretch a bit when playing, within an orchestra it is all about being committed, precise and fully focused with the maestro.”
For Al Madani, the pressure of representing the UAE as an Emirati musician is ever-present.
“Those of us from the UAE in the orchestra carry a great responsibility,” he says. “It requires 'himma', honesty, loyalty and sincerity. I am happy, but I am also honest to tell you that I am a little afraid.”
For violinist Yuliya Ostapchuk, a Ukrainian who previously freelanced with orchestras in the UK, the experience of building an ensemble from the ground up is bold and exciting.
“Here, we get to create a new sound,” she says. “We get to combine all of our cultures and nationalities. I don’t think you can tell that we come from such different places, because we already sound so united.”
That kind of harmony is built beyond the rehearsal room, from group activities and cultural excursions to everyday company and candour.
“Musicians learnt how to deal with one another. Groups formed, people began spending time together, we got to know more about each other and our different cultures. We celebrate birthdays and also bond through food, which is its own universal language. All of this affects the work,” she says.
“It is not a nine-to-five job because for all of us – no matter where you come from – it is a passion. We spend a lot of time preparing in rehearsal, but each of us also rehearses privately every day, not because we have to, but because this is what we have been doing since we were children. This is our life, and we feel lucky to share it with the UAE and, hopefully, the world.”
The Beginning by UAE National Orchestra has its debut at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, on Thursday. Doors open 7.30pm; tickets from Dh250
