• The concert was a fast-paced show mixed with nostalgia and reinvention, with Fadel using popular Arabic classics as canvases to inject his modern classical sensibilities.
    The concert was a fast-paced show mixed with nostalgia and reinvention, with Fadel using popular Arabic classics as canvases to inject his modern classical sensibilities.
  • The opening tribute was to Al Safih. The four-song suite was highlighted by a quartet of vocalists who moved from the sweet crooning of the lilting Jannat Aa Madd El Nazar to the call and response of the classic folk song Endak Bahriya.
    The opening tribute was to Al Safih. The four-song suite was highlighted by a quartet of vocalists who moved from the sweet crooning of the lilting Jannat Aa Madd El Nazar to the call and response of the classic folk song Endak Bahriya.
  • Fadel and his band then tipped their hats to the two Lebanese chanteuses Fairuz and the late Wardah.
    Fadel and his band then tipped their hats to the two Lebanese chanteuses Fairuz and the late Wardah.
  • Sandwiched between these classics were some of Fadel’s own compositions, which served to illustrate his ethos of blending East and West.
    Sandwiched between these classics were some of Fadel’s own compositions, which served to illustrate his ethos of blending East and West.
  • adel ended the programme with an elegant medley of pieces by Hafiz, the legendary Egyptian crooner who was a fan of incorporating classical western music to his ballads. Fadel tastefully enhanced the longing and wistfulness of some Hafiz’s popular compositions, leaving a few audience members in tears.
    adel ended the programme with an elegant medley of pieces by Hafiz, the legendary Egyptian crooner who was a fan of incorporating classical western music to his ballads. Fadel tastefully enhanced the longing and wistfulness of some Hafiz’s popular compositions, leaving a few audience members in tears.

Music

In pictures: Pianist Michel Fadel closes Abu Dhabi Festival

Olga Camacho

April 01, 2014

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As part of Bayt Al Farabi, the festival’s Arabic concert series, the Lebanese classical pianist Michel Fadel closed out Abu Dhabi Festival.

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