Abu Dhabi Classics presents a new season of dynamic, classical and traditional musical performances in the capital.
Audiences can always expect a rich and diverse selection of performances, built on the works of leading composers - a highlight of the cultural calendar.
As well as world-renowned orchestras and soloists, Abu Dhabi Classics brings ballet and the performing arts, and celebrated artists from the Arab world to audiences, in what is considered amongst the strongest arts programming in the region.
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra with Jaap van Zweden and Sarah Chang
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is one of Asia’s top international orchestras and a regular guest in the most important concert halls worldwide. For its first concert ever in the UAE, the prestigious orchestra will be joined by one of the great violin stars of our time: Korean-American violinist Sarah Chang. Since her debut at the age of eight, as a child prodigy under the direction of Zubin Mehta, violinist Sarah Chang has not ceased to impress the audience with her virtuosity, emotional Depth and refinement.
Date: 7 November 2024
Event Location: Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
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Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra with Jaap van Zweden and Inmo Yang
For its second concert in the capital, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, one of Asia’s top international orchestras and a regular guest in the most important concert halls worldwide, will be joined by Korea’s rising violin star: In Mo Yang. Under the baton of one of today’s leading conductors, Jaap van Zweden, the Orchestra will play one of the most virtuosi pieces of the Classical repertoire: Bruch’s violin concerto from 1868, that remains today the probably most known and celebrated violin concerto worldwide.
Date: 8 November 2024, 8 PM
Event Location: Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
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Lang Lang Plays Disney
In collaboration with Mac Global and Miral, Abu Dhabi Culture is set to host an exclusive performance by internationally renowned pianist Lang Lang as part of Abu Dhabi Classics 2024. On 22 November, Lang Lang will perform movie soundtracks from the enchanting world of Walt Disney in a one-of-a-kind experience at Yas Island’s Etihad Arena.
The pianist will be accompanied by a full orchestra and special guests for an unforgettable, immersive, and visually stunning musical night.
Date: 22 November 2024
Event Location: Etihad Arena
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Family Concert: Duo Calva
In its attempt to always innovate and reveal new approaches to classical Music, Abu Dhabi Classics is now introducing Family concerts. The objective is to present musicians that perform music in a family friendly way while offering a true high quality artistic performance. This season, the Abu Dhabi Classics lineup will include the entertaining Duo Calva, an association of two cellists, former top orchestra musicians, who are combining classical music and comedy.
Date: 16-17 May 2024
Time: 16 May 2024, 6PM
Time: 17 May 2024, 5PM
Place: Manarat Al Saadiyat
Víkingur Ólafsson: Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is a phenomenon. Like no other classical musician in the past year, he has managed to combine wide popular success with the highest artistic standards. With his recording of the Goldberg Variations, released in October 2023, he immediately propelled himself into the exclusive ranks of the finest Bach interpreters, his name now being mentioned together with the timeless Glen Gould or Wanda Landowska. His balance between the individuality of each section and the sense of its shape, maintained over the work’s 75 minutes, has been praised in numerous reviews. Víkingur Ólafsson’s unified, flawless, nostalgic, but at the same time life-affirming vision of the work has led to his CD appearing in all the overviews of best recordings of 2023 (for example in the 'Best of 2023' by the New York Times) and has become a sales hit for his label, Deutsche Grammophon.
For his first appearance in the United Arab Emirates, the Icelandic pianist will be offering this magical performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations as part of the famed Abu Dhabi Classics concert series. It will be a true highlight that the country’s classical music lovers will look forward to. The composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, left no instructions as to how the music should be played, allowing a great deal of interpretative latitude. Ólafsson will offer his enchanting, fresh and exciting rendition of the monumental work — one he has adapted to our time, taking the past into account, but also opening its notes to the musical innovations of the 21st century.
Ólafsson’s rendition explores the realities of our modern world, and forms another proof that Bach’s masterpiece really does belong to each time period in which it is played.
Date: 28 May 2024
Time: 8PM
Place: Cultural Foundation
Renaissance Ballet
Step into a world where the elegance of classical ballet intertwines with design, creativity and
Date: 17 October 2024
Event Location: Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental