East meets West as A R Rahman’s all-women Firdaus Orchestra makes a stellar debut
Expo 2020 Dubai organisers may have to think about adding more Firdaus Orchestra shows if the demand for the opening night of A R Rahman’s ensemble is anything to go by.
Shows at Jubilee Park are not ticketed, so it was those who queued early who were able to see the all-women orchestra perform their space-themed repertoire.
Thousands of visitors queued for hours, with dozens left outside once the venue filled up.
“I have been an A R fan for so many, many years and I love Bollywood,” said Dina Belise from Kazakhstan.
“I will be coming for all his events at Expo.”
She stood in line for three hours before the concert.
“It is thrilling; fantastic to hear him and be so close,” she said.
Many speaking before the show began said they hoped
to hear Rahman classics like Vande Mataram.
“Any AR hits will do. This is his first concert for us,” said Dubai resident Noumith Dhananjaya from Bangalore, India, who was with his family.
Yasmina Sabbah, the conductor, led the 50-strong
orchestra into an opening rendition of the Star Wars theme and a famous Rahman soundtrack – Bombay, a Bollywood release from the 1990s.
This was followed by some haunting pieces, including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
Musicians playing traditional Arabic instruments – the qanun, buzuk and oud – matched the beat and tempo of the western classical oboe, flute and violin.
The crowd clapped and cheered through the hourlong show around the perimeter of the park that houses Expo’s largest performance venue.
The Oscar and Grammy-winning composer thanked the Expo for making his first performance in Dubai possible this year.
This is the first of six concerts over the next five months with the orchestra he has mentored.
Rahman commanded the stage after the concert’s first hour for his original finale piece.
Rahman said he completed the composition two days before Saturday’s show, as he welcomed Hindustani classical vocalists from India and sopranos, in a fusion of East and West.