First in the Middle East

«From West to East». A dazzling musical journey on the stage of Emirates Palace

Tan Don conducts the orchestra of the Communale di Modena Pavarotti - Freni during the performance. From the source

On the stage of the Emirates Palace, the Abu Dhabi Festival organized last Friday the show "From West to East.. Classic Odyssey" is led by Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dunn as part of its 20th edition, which concludes today in the presence of some of the world's leading musicians.

Tan Don conducted the Orchestra of the Comunale di Modena Pavarotti-Freini and was accompanied by world-renowned Chinese cellist Yan Wang on a musical journey featuring classics from Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky, followed by the UAE's first performance of his original Concerto Pipa.

Huda Ibrahim Al Khamis, Founder and Artistic Director of the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation and Artistic Director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, stressed the role that music plays in bringing peoples closer together and unifying their aesthetic vision of life and human existence, adding: "Since its inception in 2004, the Abu Dhabi Festival has contributed to enriching the cultural vision of the capital and consolidating its global position through cultural diplomacy efforts that are enhanced through co-production and exclusive commissioning."

"It is a work (from west to east. A Classical Odyssey), which presents for the first time in the Middle East, a cultural encounter par excellence between East and West, and a dazzling journey into the worlds of arts and imagination, with the participation of one of the world's most prominent composers, Tan Dun, winner of Grammy and Oscars, accompanied by renowned cellist Jian Wang, to allow the festival audience to enjoy international masterpieces, and Tan Don's original compositions such as the Pippa Concerto, with a spectacular performance by the prestigious Italian orchestra of the Comunali di Modena Pavarotti-Freini.

Renowned for his talent for classical music and Western and Eastern traditions, Tan Don is one of the world's leading classics performers. He rose to prominence in Hollywood in 2001 after winning an Oscar. Held under the patronage of Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Assistant to His Highness the President of the Emirates Red Crescent for Women's Affairs and Chairperson of the Higher Committee of the Ataya Initiative, the festival is supported by its main partner, Mubadala, and celebrates its historic edition, which coincides with its 20th anniversary.

Hoda Al-Khamis:

• "Music plays a major role in bringing peoples closer together, and unifying their aesthetic vision of life and human existence."