placido domingo opens dubai opera
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Placido Domingo opens Dubai Opera

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Placido Domingo opens Dubai Opera

Spanish tenor Placido Domingo
Dubai - AFP

Spanish tenor Placido Domingo performed Wednesday at the opening of Dubai Opera, a venue the emirate hopes will boost cultural life in the Gulf business hub, organisers said.

The 2,000-seat opera house was packed for the opening after tickets sold out months in advance, leaving many scrambling to buy them on the black market in the days preceding the event.

Domingo launched into the event with a series of performances including Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" and the Broadway musical "West Side Story". 

The venue will also host local shows, with popular Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi performing there in October.

During rehearsals, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum visited the site where he greeted the Spanish tenor, according to a video posted on the Dubai government's Twitter account.

"Cultural development was always present among our development plans and vision for the future... We have provided the infrastructure to support it," he said in remarks published on his website.

Organisers have said that an official opening gala will be held later when work on the venue is completed.

On Tuesday, the Dubai Opera management organised a media tour as workers struggled to prepare the theatre for Domingo's performance.

The opera sits at the foot of Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower, which was built by the same developer, Emaar Properties.

In a nod to Dubai's long history as a port city, the opera house is shaped like a dhow, a traditional wooden boat used for centuries in Gulf waters. 

But the ultra-modern venue can transform into three modes, operating as a theatre, concert hall and a flat-floored hall suitable for banquets and weddings.

In the space of decades, Dubai has transformed itself into a centre for trade, travel and tourism.

Spending trillions of dollars earned from oil exports, it put itself on the map with luxury resorts, glitzy skyscrapers and artificial islands shaped as palm trees and a world map.

But its cultural scene remained low profile in the business-oriented emirate. 

Jasper Hope, chief executive of Dubai Opera, said the opening represents "the start of a new journey for arts and culture in Dubai".

Opera remains very much a cultural import for Gulf Arabs -- the only other opera house in the region is in the Omani capital Muscat.

But Dubai's population is predominantly foreign, including a sizable Western community.

 

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

placido domingo opens dubai opera placido domingo opens dubai opera

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

placido domingo opens dubai opera placido domingo opens dubai opera

 



GMT 16:16 2014 Wednesday ,10 September

Samirah Ibrahim receives Saudi cultural attaché

GMT 09:32 2017 Sunday ,24 September

China confirms will limit oil exports to North Korea

GMT 19:56 2016 Saturday ,17 September

Typhoon Meranti death toll rises to 28

GMT 09:40 2018 Monday ,01 January

OIC Summit opens in Kazakhstan

GMT 06:37 2015 Monday ,07 December

Iran film directors protest colleague's jail term

GMT 18:37 2017 Friday ,25 August

Mental health issues should be prioritized

GMT 04:39 2017 Thursday ,31 August

Trump vows to right 'self-destructive' tax code

GMT 05:29 2017 Tuesday ,22 August

Celebrations across India on 71st Independence Day

GMT 10:54 2017 Wednesday ,11 October

Child obesity grows tenfold since 1975

GMT 02:31 2016 Tuesday ,06 December

Dubai Women Establishment delegation participates
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday