“Falling in love is one of the few human rights that no one can take away,” says clarinettist Kinan Azmeh from the stage at Emirates Palace, dedicating the Silk Road Ensemble’s final piece to his fellow Syrians who have “managed to fall in love in the past six years”.
With that, the 13 musicians launch into Wedding, a joyous group extrapolation of the traditional folk melodies one might still hear at a village marriage ceremony, building into an ecstatic improvised coda that distils the very essence of the all-star group founded by celebrity cellist Yo-Yo Ma close to two decades ago.
In Wedding, we hear the Silk Road Ensemble's international ethos, welcoming musicians and melodies from different backgrounds and continents – laying waste to the barriers between "classical" and "world" music, between the improvised and written, between old traditions and new approaches.
Wedding was one of two works performed on Friday (March 31) – the closing night of the 14th Abu Dhabi Festival – from last year's Sing Me Home, which recently won the Best World Music Album award at the Grammys.
But really, Azmeh’s composition provides further evidence of how redundant such labels are in the 21st century.
Exhibit B: The other new tune is Ichichila, a traditional Malian work song, here re-imagined by percussionist Shane Shanahan as head-nodding chamber-funk.
Now 61 years old, Yo-Yo Ma made his name while a young performer as a virtuoso classical soloist, but it is doubtless his inclusively international work with Silk Road that the Chinese-American musician has to thank for his appointment as a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2006. Yet in this music, one finds much conflict and division – particularly in two impressionistic new pieces that have to tell history in reverse to reach a happy ending.
Tabla player Sandeep Das’s King Ashoka begins with a Buddhist chant, representing the peace the Ancient Indian warmonger found late in life, then spirals into a gripping, four-way percussive showdown battle.
More sombre still is Silent City from Kayhan Kalhor – a Kurdish master of the traditional bowed kamancheh – which begins with a long, haunting improvised passage representing the chemical-attack massacre in the Kurdish city of Halabja, during the closing days of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, before building, looking backwards in time, to a celebratory dance of life.
rgarratt@thenational.ae
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Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
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