Bollywood legend A R Rahman has called Dubai’s all-female Firdaus Orchestra “groundbreaking” for challenging misconceptions about the Middle East.
The Firdaus Orchestra, which is mentored by the Oscar-winning composer, is celebrating its second anniversary in July.
It is made up of 55 musicians hailing from 25 different countries and features Middle Eastern string instruments such as the qanun and oud.
We have to make Firdaus the best orchestra in the world
A R Rahman
The Firdaus Orchestra's latest performance, The Reinvent Series, interprets the works of legendary composers – such as Johannes Brahms – with a Middle Eastern twist.
This has also been documented in a new 50-minute film released on YouTube to reach wider audiences.
But Rahman has told orchestra members they can achieve more.
“We hope to do much more,” Rahman told The National. “I was telling them that we have to make Firdaus the best orchestra in the world.
“We are pushing everybody so every project is of quality and there should be a surprise element of what comes next.”
Groundbreaking initiative
Rahman – whose work on director Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire won him Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song in 2009 – put together the Firdaus Orchestra for Expo 2020 Dubai in 2021.
Rahman said the ensemble acts as a “collective statement” that smashes preconceived ideas of music and female musicians in the Middle East region.
“I think the whole idea of the Firdaus Orchestra is such a groundbreaking one,” he said.
“There are so many narratives about the Middle East and this whole attempt to have Firdaus in Expo City breaks it all and says, ‘No’ – it shows what this place is capable of.
It’s an inspiration because it’s about people from different countries and traditions, and they all come together to play music,” he said.
Rahman praised the UAE government for encouraging musicians to follow their dreams.
“There is security here and when people are secure, they create and perform well,” he said.
“All across the world, orchestras are packing up because there is no funding.
“Here, the government is hosting them so beautifully. The way they take care of the orchestra is one of the most important things.”
Unique sound
Firdaus means “paradise” in Arabic and the orchestra serves as a legacy of the world’s fair held in the UAE back in 2021.
Rahman hopes that the orchestra’s unique sound will draw in fans from around the world who are keen to listen to a combination of classical and contemporary music that is rich in diversity.
Developing a distinct sound is also crucial for Monica Woodman, Firdaus Orchestra’s conductor.
“I want people to identify that it is the Firdaus sound and not just any orchestra,” she told The National.
“Firdaus is different from the rest.
"We want to show that classical music is not boring.”
Unlike traditional orchestras, Firdaus has an Arabic section, an Indian sitar, drums and an electric bass guitar that would normally be part of a band.
Woodman's goal is to reach beyond people who enjoy listening to classical music, and to tell young people that music as a career can sustain them.
“We want to merge these two worlds – the Middle Eastern and Oriental worlds – with the Western world and encourage younger generations to pursue music,” said the Cuban national.
“We want to say that your gender does not matter, and it doesn't matter where you come from. If you are passionate, you can commit to music and make a living from it.
“One of the big reasons that Firdaus exists is to change the history of music in the region.”
Growing popularity
Firdaus Orchestra has already secured impressive gigs, including sharing a stage with Beyonce in January.
The orchestra performed a specially arranged version of Spirit of Rangeela, from 1995 Bollywood movie Rangeela, with the global star at the grand preview of the Atlantis The Royal hotel at Dubai's Palm Jumeirah. This attracted A-list celebrities from around the world.
The musicians also accompanied Disney Princess – The Concert for five performances at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena in May. The show featured a cast of West End and Broadway performers.
Woodman hopes such high-profile appearances raise the orchestra's profile, so people in the UAE and overseas can discover the musicians’ talent.
“I hope the younger generation, older expats in Dubai, the UAE and the world get to know what Firdaus does,” she said.
“I hope our audience understands that it’s more than playing classical or pop music. We are trying to transmit a very big message about the language that is music.”
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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