Steven Isserlis Returns for Second InClassica Concert

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 12 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

Musical Pilgrimage
Coca-Cola Arena

Joseph Haydn’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No.1 masterfully allows the violoncello to compete effortlessly against the orchestra, demonstrating the composer’s brilliant texturing abilities and being an excellent example of why the composer is considered of such considerable renown. Similarly, Alexey Shor’s ‘Musical Pilgrimage’ is a brilliant composition for cello and orchestra inspired by the virtuosity of 19th century music, baroque opulence and even Latin American music. Steven Isserlis was the soloist for these two fascinating pieces, with Sergey Smbatyan and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra combining these compositions with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, a piece that was declared the best symphony of all time according to a BBC Music Magazine survey of 151 conductors around the world in 2016.

Steven Isserlis (cello)
 - “It was nice, very nice. We did our best to have a nice time. The arena isn’t really a traditional concert hall of course, but it was fine I think, an interesting venue. The Dubai Opera where I played the last time I was at this festival is more of a proper concert hall of course, but this place has its own fascination. It’s unusual and it’s always nice to have unusual things.”

 - “The performance itself was fun. Both Shor and Haydn are really fun in different ways. Haydn of course has the greatest classical of all classical concertos but it’s also always fun to have a composer sitting there and try to put their piece across. It’s a fun challenge although their presence adds no pressure to me, rather reduces it actually in a way!”

 - “This was my second time performing Shor and now I’m performing him again a third time next month in Armenia. The first time I also played him with Sergey so it was very fine tonight, he’s a very charming man. The orchestra I hadn’t played with for 25 years before this. They were very nice although the rehearsal time was a bit limited unfortunately.”

 - “Organisationally everything has been great, the way I’m looked after is incredible, both visits, just unbelievable.”

Sergey Smbatyan
 - “I enjoyed the performance very much, yes. It was a real pleasure to perform with Steven Isserlis, he’s an incredible cellist and I felt that the way we communicated musically was very effective. The repertoire was a lot of fun too, and a real chance to explore not only what the cello can do, but also the different colours that can be created when working with fantastic musicians and when playing works by composers such as Haydn, Beethoven and Alexey Shor. In fact, the work by Shor, while a modern piece, went down very well with the audience — it’s very listenable and takes the audience on a real journey. It was a pleasure to conduct it here at the Coca-Cola Arena.” 

Quotes From Those in Attendance: 

“I’ve been to the Coca-Cola Arena before but never for classical music so it was really interesting to hear this concert tonight.” — audience member

“Great! I enjoyed everything in the programme and actually, although I’m not usually a fan of contemporary music, I really enjoyed the piece tonight. My congratulations to all the performers.” — audience member

“A lovely evening, I came for Beethoven but enjoyed the whole concert very much!”  — audience member 

Tonight at InClassica*

Soulful and Expressive
Coca-Cola Arena

Without a doubt, Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota are two of the greatest film composers of all time. Morricone wrote the scores for several hundred films, and is credited with creating the now famous sound associated with so-called ‘Spaghetti Westerns’. In addition, he was also a prolific composer of concert works, writing more than a hundred throughout his lifetime. Nino Rota worked with directors including Luchino Visconti, Francis Ford Coppola, Franco Zeffirelli anSmbatyand, above all, Federico Fellini, as well as penning the scores to numerous concert works including ten operas and a staggering twenty-three ballets. For this special concert, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Sergey , pays tribute to these two Italian masters in addition to performing several works by the renowned Argentine composer, Astor Piazzolla. Known for his pioneering work as the creator of ‘Tango Nuevo’, Piazzolla revolutionised the South American Tango, expanding its reach to concert halls around the world and contributing immeasurably to its development as a genre. 

 - Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi (bandoneon)

 - Sergey Smbatyan

 - Jerusalem Symphony 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.