The Royal Opera House Muscat's 2012 autumn season kicks off today and it's looking more eclectic than ever. With children's theatre, grand opera, Uzbek Sufi music, dancing toys and French orchestral jazz as just a few of the pleasures due this autumn, you could never accuse the house of being a one-trick pony.
Among the mix of high art and razzmatazz, however, there's a cultural expression of the globalised network in which Gulf states operate. It does all this while remaining an asset for the local community - as the ROHM's interim chief executive Brett Egan puts it: "This house is, and remains, primarily a venue for Omanis to engage in dialogue with each other and the world, with culture at the centre of that conversation."
Here is a roundup of some highlights to look out for.
Opera
Oman's opera fans get a rich dose of Italian opera this season, with two Verdi operas, one by Puccini (La Bohème) arriving on stage before the New Year. The delectable La Bohème (performed on November 3 and 4) will be the highlight for many; a bittersweet tale of artistic life in Paris that remains the most performed opera in the world. People who have seen La Bohème before, however, might prefer Opéra de Nice's production of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra (from December 13 to 15). It is a tale of medieval Italian intrigue with stirring music.
Music of the Islamic world
The delicacy and virtuoso skills required by Arabic classical music often work brilliantly in concert halls, and the oud players Ahmed Fathi and Safwan Bahlawan should bring the house down when they perform on September 27. The ROHM will nonetheless be pushing beyond the Arabic Middle Eastern repertoire this season, with a performance of Sufi music from as far afield as Pakistan and Uzbekistan on October 20.
Classical concerts
With marquee names such as the veteran US soprano Jessye Norman and the opera superstar tenor Roberto Alagna both performing this October, the recitals section might just be the strongest. There are also some intriguing crossovers, with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing their own versions of Broadway show tunes on September 21 and the Munich Percussion Ensemble's many Egyptian performers staging a percussion-driven evening on October 3.
Voyage to India
Oman is giving a special spotlight to South Asian culture this season. Perhaps most striking is The Manganiyar Seduction, a musical extravaganza from the director Roysten Abel on November 29 and 30 that brings Muslim musicians from India's Thar desert onstage and places them in stacks of glass-fronted boxes. More sober but no less ambitious is Nine Jewels of India, a performance on September 29 and 30 that combines classical Indian music, song and storytelling to create an environmental message.
Ballet
You'd have to have a heart of stone not to be won over by Tchaikovsky's wonderful Nutcracker. Featuring a host of toys dancing to the catchiest, most tuneful ballet music ever, Muscat's staging of a Moscow Classical Ballet production from December 26 to 28 should make the house feel especially seasonal. The forthcoming dance shows aren't all sugar and spice, though. On November 12 and 13, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal is staging works choreographed to the music of ballet's spikiest great composer, Stravinsky. The Russian's exciting ballet music sometimes caused riots when it was premiered a century back.
Category busters
Muscat's offerings take a French turn on September 25 when Michel Legrand (best known outside France for the song The Windmills of Your Mind) takes the stage to perform and conduct his own music. Children and families will love the October 9 to 11 performances of The Music Man, an award-winning musical that follows a swindling con man who meets his match in an unlikely guise.
For the full programme and to purchase tickets, visit www.rohmuscat.org.om.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
MEFCC information
Tickets range from Dh110 for an advance single-day pass to Dh300 for a weekend pass at the door. VIP tickets have sold out. Visit www.mefcc.com to purchase tickets in advance.
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
