One of the region’s biggest music and cultural gatherings is set to return in March with the 12th edition of the Abu Dhabi Festival. Run by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, the month-long event runs from March 3 to April 2 and includes a series of concerts, experimental theatre and film screenings. This year, Italy has been selected as the country of honour, with a March 25 performance by the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra, led by conductor Riccardo Multi.
“2015 will be a groundbreaking edition with a world-class calibre of artists,” says Admaf founder and festival curator Hoda Al Khamis Kanoo. “I hope we will once again excite and inspire local and international audiences.”
Connecting ideas
Each year the festival line-up is built around a specific theme. After last edition’s slogan of Creative Innovation, Al Khamis Kanoo says the latest edition will run under the banner Idea: The Seed of Invention.
“Invention is the promise of a new future and new possibilities – not for us but for our children and the wider region,” she says. “This is all that lies beneath the Abu Dhabi Festival and Admaf. Through encounters with excellence, we as individuals can be inspired to look beyond our own boundaries and conceive new ideas and new ambitions for the betterment of ourselves as well as others.”
The bossa nova king is coming
Every year, the Abu Dhabi Festival has brought artists responsible for influencing their genre. This year is no different, with the Brazilian bossa nova and jazz luminary Sérgio Mendes performing at the Emirates Palace Auditorium on March 20.
The 73-year-old was a favourite at home in the early 60s before being propelled to international stardom courtesy of the seminal band Mendes & Brasil ’66 and his 1968 cover of Dusty Springfield’s The Look of Love.
Since then Mendes has built a strong and steady career; he scored a 1981 chart-topping hit with Never Gonna Let You Go and in 1992 won a Grammy Award for the album Brasileiro.
As well as the classics, expect some new Mendes tunes in his Abu Dhabi show. His latest album Magic, released in September, has collaborations with the likes of John Legend, will.i.am and Cody Wise.
The festival house band
The world’s leading orchestras and classical-music maestros are also coming to the capital. On the vocal front, the Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez will perform on March 23 with the Budapest Festival Orchestra (the ensemble is pretty much the Abu Dhabi Festival house band next year, with this being the first of three performances).
Also on the way is the award-winning pianist Leif Ove Andsnes. The Norwegian's March 26 programme will feature selections by Beethoven and Brahms and will also be backed by the Budapest Festival Orchestra. The Hungarian musicians will cap off their Abu Dhabi Festival stay on March 28 and 30 as they lead a cast of soloists in a performance of Mozart's masterpiece The Magic Flute.
Young talents on display
The festival is launching a series of recitals to showcase the talents of the next generation of virtuosos. Artists taking part in the concerts at the intimate M 031 Room in Emirates Palace are South Korea’s Ah Ruem Ahn on March 3, Belgium’s Julien Libeer on March 13 and the Dominican Republic violinist Aisha Castro on March 17.
On March 24 there will be a performance by the pianist Jan Lisiecki at the Emirates Palace Ballroom. The 19-year-old Canadian will make his Gulf debut after having performed in venues such as London’s Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall.
The following night, the Emirates Palace Auditorium will see the return of the German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, who will perform works by Rossini, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. She will be accompanied by Italy’s up-and-coming Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra.
Urban Shakespeare
In what is set to be a sell-out show, the Chicago hip-hop duo Q Brothers will perform their innovative take on Shakespeare's Othello at the Abu Dhabi Theatre on March 5. Othello: The Remix reimagines Othello as an MC who rises from the ghetto to the top of the charts and falls in love with the singer Desdemona. However, members of the hip-hop community are jealous of Othello's success and begin making plans for the rapper's demise.
The finale
The Abu Dhabi Festival closes with a special performance by Mayssa Karaa on April 2. The 23-year-old Lebanese singer was a student at the Conservatory of Beirut before moving to America where she cemented her classical music knowledge at the Berklee College of Music. After a string of regional shows Karaa made an international impact with her Arabic take on Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit, which featured in the Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated film American Hustle. The film's success resulted in Karaa performing internationally and has raised anticipation for her upcoming debut album, which will be released not long after her Abu Dhabi appearance. She will team up with the MK Orchestra at the Emirates Palace Auditorium, making the festival audience among the first to hear selections from the new release.
Visual arts at the Emirates Palace Gallery
Expect new works by two of the UAE's leading visual artists Noor Al Suwaidi and Fatma Lootah. Both were commissioned to create artworks to be unveiled as part of the festival. Details of the pieces will be released in the future. Evocative photography from the region will also be shown as part of Views From Inside, an exhibition curated by the American organisation FotoFest. Both exhibitions run from March 20 and will conclude after the festival on April 20.
Community and education programme
As well as the big performances on the Emirates Palace stage, the Abu Dhabi Festival is also running events around the emirate targeting young minds and the wider community. The festival’s education stream includes Ministry of Science Live, an hour-long interactive performance and workshop looking at different types of energy used in the modern world. The Young Artists Day also returns for its seventh edition, where students from Abu Dhabi schools collaborate for a concert.
The festival’s community programme focuses on local stories both on the screen and the page. An Abu Dhabi Festival tent will be built for two days to hold screenings of local films, documentaries and film projects that have UAE support or involvement. Some of the filmmakers will also attend a question-and-answer session after the screening.
Book lovers should relish the World Storytelling Day event, which will run in both Arabic and English. The story sessions will be held in relaxed settings that include beanbags. The Emirati authors Maitha Al Khayat and Noura Al Noman will run the children and adult sessions respectively. Details of the events and dates will be announced on www.abudhabifestival.ae soon.
• Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, December 10,; Emirates Palace Auditorium shows start from D125; Emirates Ballroom and recital-series performances are Dh150. Tickets for Othello: The Remix are Dh50. For details, go to www.abudhabifestival.ae. For tickets, go to www.timeouttickets.com
sasaeed@thenational.ae
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Schedule for show courts
Centre Court - from 4pm UAE time
Johanna Konta (6) v Donna Vekic
Andy Murray (1) v Dustin Brown
Rafael Nadal (4) v Donald Young
Court 1 - from 4pm UAE time
Kei Nishikori (9) v Sergiy Stakhovsky
Qiang Wang v Venus Williams (10)
Beatriz Haddad Maia v Simona Halep (2)
Court 2 - from 2.30pm
Heather Watson v Anastasija Sevastova (18)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) v Simone Bolelli
Florian Mayer v Marin Cilic (7)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
((Disclaimer))
The Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG (“Bank”) assumes no liability or guarantee for the accuracy, balance, or completeness of the information in this publication. The content may change at any time due to given circumstances, and the Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG is under no obligation to update information once it has been published. This publication is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer, a recommendation or an invitation by, or on behalf of, Liechtensteinische Landesbank (DIFC Branch), Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG, or any of its group affiliates to make any investments or obtain services. This publication has not been reviewed, disapproved or approved by the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) Central Bank, Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”) or any other relevant licensing authorities in the UAE. It may not be relied upon by or distributed to retail clients. Liechtensteinische Landesbank (DIFC Branch) is regulated by the DFSA and this advertorial is intended for Professional Clients (as defined by the DFSA) who have sufficient financial experience and understanding of financial markets, products or transactions and any associated risks.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
