Celebrated Soloists Thrill Dubai Audiences as InClassica Nears its End

InClassica 2021 is the biggest and most ambitious music festival to ever take place in the Middle East, welcoming a staggering 37 world-renowned soloists, 7 celebrated orchestras and 11 leading conductors to Dubai for a 30-day celebration of sublime musicianship, world-class performance and international collaboration. InClassica is pleased to present the biggest names in classical music today, featuring performers from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, for an unrivalled programme of phenomenal concerts taking place at the Dubai Opera and Coca-Cola Arena. The festival features a range of music from distinguished historical European composers, as well as works from the event’s Composer-in-Residence, Alexey Shor. 

Last night at InClassica

Heroes’ Triumph
Coca-Cola Arena

Under the baton of conductor Sergey Smbatyan, the Russian National Orchestra interpreted works by Wagner and Shor in the company of two great soloists: cellist Alexander Kniazev and pianist Mikhail Pletnev. The evening began with Wagner's mythical symphonic poem ‘Siegfried Idyll’, a gift to the composer's wife Cosima after the birth of their son Siegfried, after which the evening continued with performances of two works by the festival’s Composer-in-Residence, Alexey Shor. Alexander Kniazev closed the first half of the evening with a performance of the composer’s Cello Concerto No. 2, a work that was in fact first premiered in June of this year with the same orchestra and conductor. Finally, superstar pianist Mikhail Pletnev made his entrance to tackle From My Bookshelf, a suite of eight piano pieces that serve as a tribute to various notable literary characters, specially edited by the pianist himself for the performance.

Alexander Knyazev (cello)
 - Did you enjoy the concert? “Yes, the concert went very well — even better than the rehearsal. That's the important thing.” 
 - Can you tell us a little about the repertoire you performed this evening? “I did the premiere for this piece in Moscow. I’d already played another piece by Alexey Shor before that, so I'm already familiar with his music in principle. When I first began to play it I was somewhat surprised by how the man had the courage to return to beautiful harmonies and melodies — he is not afraid of it. Beautiful music appeals to everyone. Secondly, I want to say once again about this man's courage, I think he is the only one in the world right now who writes like that. Contemporary music, modern music, for a very long time — it seems to me — is somehow around the same thing.”
 - Can you say a few more words about your collaboration with the RNO and Sergey Smbatyabn? “I’ve been working with the RNO for I don't know how many years now. I've been touring since I was 17, so that's 43 years. I don't remember when we played our first concert. It was a very long time ago. And with Smbatyan we played the premiere in June this year in Moscow, so this was the second time.” 

Sergey Smbatyan
 - “It was a wonderful concert, and one that I’m very proud to have served as conductor for. Not only was the repertoire a fantastic mix of great works both old and new, the soloists featured tonight are amongst the most talented and prolific in the world. Working with such musicians was a real pleasure, and I think the audience enjoyed themselves very much. I would like to thank the orchestra for their hard work, and extend my congratulations to Alexander Knyazev and Mikhail Pletnev for their truly phenomenal performances. This was my final performance here at this year’s InClassica, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for what has been a truly magical event.” 

Quotes From Those in Attendance: 

“Great performers, it was a real joy to listen to. I particularly enjoyed the Wagner. I’m not really a big fan of his operas, but this was great.”

“I felt lucky to hear contemporary music like this, it’s something completely new.” 

“It’s fantastic to hear the Russian National Orchestra here in Dubai…this isn’t something that happens very often.”

Tonight at InClassica*

Fantastical Violin Dreams
Coca-Cola Arena

Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 is known by people around the globe, with the first movement Morgenstemming i ørkenen ("Morning Mood”) and the fourth movement I Dovregubbens Hall (“In the Hall of the Mountain King”) used in so many films and adverts that the music is recognised even by those who never heard Grieg's name. In contrast to the images of Nordic nature that the music often illustrates in adverts, "Morning Mood" depicts a sunrise on the African coast. “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is a description of Norwegian myths that takes place in the hero's fantasy. When, in 1879, Pyotr Tchaikovsky saw Ivan Samarin's production of his opera Eugene Onegin, he was so delighted that he dedicated a composition for string orchestra to the famous actor and director. The short work became known as Elegy for Ivan Samarin, and is of such beauty and sincerity of feeling that it serves as a perfect example of the emotional depth of Tchaikovsky's music. The same can be said about his Violin Concerto, a piece written during a turbulent time for the composer. Under the baton of Mikhael Pletnev, Daniel Lozakovich is the soloist in this masterpiece as well as in Alexey Shor's recently composed Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in B minor. Shor frequently seeks inspiration in the music of the past, his works a joyful expression of strong melodies, tonal harmonies and traditionally based orchestration — defining factors that make them sound both familiar, yet excitingly new.

 - Daniel Lozakovich (violin)

 - Mikhail Pletnev

 - Russian National Orchestra

*Full details (including quotes from performers and attendees) will be available tomorrow. For any enquiries regarding tonight’s performance, please contact us.

Organised by the European Foundation for Support of Culture and SAMIT Event Group, the 2021 Edition of the InClassica International Music Festival is currently underway, with daily concerts taking place until the 26th of September. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the official website at inclassica.com.