ABU DHABI // A classical music concert themed around the story of legendary traveller Ibn Battuta will be held later this year.
The show, by award-winning Spanish composer Jordi Savall, will be held at Emirates Palace Auditorium, Abu Dhabi, on November 20.
The piece, Ibn Battuta: The voyager of Islam, is said to be the highlight of the Abu Dhabi Classics concert season – which will run from next month to May next year.
It will comprise flavours of the music the 14th century Arab explorer may have heard as he travelled to different royal courts, palaces or public spaces, around the world.
“The programme is a mosaic of musical pieces that combines musical traditions of the two shores of the Mediterranean and the Middle East at the time of the most famous medieval traveller, Ibn Battuta of Tangiers,” said Savall.
“For me, to be part of the 2014 Abu Dhabi Classics Season is an exceptional opportunity as I have never played in the UAE and I am curious to discover a new audience, a new way to listen to music and a new sensibility to embrace it. I feel very honoured to be part of this year’s list of artists who will come to fill the magical nights of music.”
Savall will be joined by popular Moroccan oud player Driss El Maloumi, one of the Arab world’s leading artists.
In addition, the music will be complemented by readings from Ibn Battuta’s journal, recreating his adventures through the Middle East, Turkey, Iraq and Iran from 1314 to 1336, by Arabic speaking Spanish poet Manuel Forcano.
A second concert presenting another part of Ibn Battuta’s travels, including his experiences in India, Mali and the Far East, is scheduled for the following year’s Abu Dhabi Classics Season.
Zaki Nusseibeh, a board member of the event host Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, said he was delighted to have Savall perform. “His dedication in bringing ancient music back to life is unsurpassed and in delivering a world premiere to the capital dedicated to the life of one of the Arab world’s most historic figures, he is offering us a rare and unique opportunity to witness a groundbreaking work of art,” he said.
The concert will be recorded by French national classic music station Radio Classique, while French television will also broadcast it.
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