Aida at Katara ‘a stunning success’

Scenes from the Aida performance at the Katara Cultural Village Amphitheatre on Thursday

A stunning success” was the overwhelming response by members of the packed audience to last Thursday’s opening performance at Katara Cultural Village Amphitheatre of Guiseppe Verdi’s opera Aida. 

One of the most-performed operas worldwide, tickets for both performances of the fabulous show were sold out before it was even officially advertised, and on the first night frustrated opera enthusiasts walked the queues waiting to enter the amphitheatre, hoping to purchase any spare tickets. 

Commissioned in 1871 by the Khedive of Egypt, Aida is set in the ancient Old Kingdom of Egypt. With an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, it tells, in four acts, the tragic story of the doomed love affair between the enslaved Ethiopian princess Aida and an Egyptian military commander Radames, who in turn is loved by the Pharaoh’s daughter Amneris. 

In the final act Radames is tried and sentenced to be buried alive, and Aida chooses to share his fate and joins him in the burial vault.

Thursday’s performance was a truly multi-national effort, with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra providing the music, conducted by Verdi specialist Pier Giorgio Morandi, and  two choirs of 80 singers plus a corps de ballet from Hungary.  That is in addition to the 35 actors and eight renowned Verdi singers.

In contrast to the original 19th century set designs for Aida, with huge and elaborate constructions of what looked like most of the great temple at Karnak,  the designer Igor Mitorai chose to present  a simple and austere set of rectangular panels with a heavily textured coppery patinated finish, and pylons to either side. 

As the performance progressed panels slid horizontally to form new enclosures on the stage,  revealing more of the raking backstage area with constantly changing elements, statues and - a special feature of this production - very large sculpted heads. The most breathtakingly spectacular moments were in the victory parade in the second act, and in the final acts where two giant heads formed the vault where Radames and Aida prepare to die, and two white doves, representing their souls, were released and flew up to perch on the top of the set.  

The use of naked flame was a recurring theme, with gas jets through the stage floor, candles carried by members of the cast and on giant head-borne dishes. The lighting subtly complemented the dominant colour themes of the production - browns, oranges and off-white, with effective blue lighting at points.

The stage area of the Katara amphitheatre comfortably accommodated more than 100 members of the cast, leaving room for the ballet performers at the front.

Outstanding performances were by soprano Lucrezia Garcia playing Aida, tenor Jorge De Leon playing her troubled lover Radames, and mezzosoprano Ekaterina Gubanova taking the part of Amneris, the princess whose hopeless passion is not returned by Radames. 

The opera is sung throughout in Italian, but sub-titles in Arabic and English were projected on either side of the set to help the audience follow the plot, although the English was at times a little odd – ‘I now perforce dissemble’ is a random example.

Aida was the first opera ever to be presented in Qatar, with a single performance a decade ago taking place in a football stadium! It started almost two hours late, and heavy showers of rain dispersed most of the audience before the end. Qatar has come a long way since then. Thursday’s performance started on time and the audience enjoyed comfortable evening temperatures. The noisy and obtrusive photographer pack which so often mars musical performances in Doha was, thankfully, banned, and apart from occasional aircraft noise overhead there were no interruptions and the audience was able to fully appreciate the performance, which ended with a standing ovation.  

Artistic Director Dr Emad Amrallah Sultan commented: “‘Aida was selected for many reasons as our first opera to be presented in Qatar. First performed in 1871 in Cairo, it remains the most familiar operatic creation within our region.  

“January 2013 will also mark the commencement of the bicentenary celebrations of both Wagner and Verdi.  Katara’s participation in these celebrations is the presentation of one of the most celebrated Verdi operas.  Katara’s aim was to present a unique production and we therefore selected world class artists and a magnificent cast to embrace the splendid set designed by Igor Mitoraj.”

There will be a repeat performance of the opera today.

Source: Gulf Times

Al Shaqab hosts Educational Art Programs with VCU-Qatar and Al Maha

College and High School students in Qatar got the chance to improve their art skills with a new relationship with Al Shaqab, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

Last week, Al Shaqab hosted art students from Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar and Al Maha at their Riding Academy and Breeding & Show departments. The 70 female students in total experienced multiple equestrian activities and displays that the students took pictures of and drew.

The Al Maha students spent the day at the Al Shaqab Riding Academy facilities. They viewed the carriage driving displays with Al Shaqab’s two driving horse teams, traditional Qatari Arabian horse tack and apparel and riding demonstrations, along with multiple ponies to accommodate the artistic views. The day consisted of lectures and educational programs about Al Shaqab and Arabian horses.

Later in the week, the students from VCU-Qatar were given access to all the barns and facilities within the Breeding & Show department where Al Shaqab houses all their prized pure-bred Arabian horses.  Students were able to draw horses in their day-to-day lives, along with observing mares and foals out in the paddocks.

Along with natural movement and settings of the horses, the horses were also displayed in the exercise facilities of the Breeding & Show department. Students observed, drew and photographed horses in hot walkers, treadmills and swimming pool workouts.

“One of Al Shaqab’s main objectives is to highlight cultural awareness programs in cooperation with schools, universities and governmental institutions on our core belief they will benefit community development and enrich Qatar’s heritage,” said Fahad Al Qahtani, Director of Al Shaqab.

“Painting is one of the factors that builds the individual’s personality where the graphics carry psychological connotations. It reflects their mental and sentimental attitudes by stimulating the students with live drawings of the Arabian horse, thus strengthening the relationship between the human and the horse.”

Al Shaqab looks forward to additional artistic relationships with these schools and further development of artist education and participation available at their new world-class facilities in Education City.

His Highness, The Amir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani founded Al Shaqab in 1992 to preserve and further develop the Arabian horse in Qatar. Al Shaqab is led by H E Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and encompasses an Endurance Team, Breeding & Show division, Riding Academy. In 2004, Al Shaqab proudly became a member of Qatar Foundation.

Al Shaqab’s mission is to be global leaders in preserving, improving and promoting the Arabian horse breed through setting the highest standard in breeding, show, equestrian arts and equine welfare, and encouraging community participation.


Source: Qatar is Booming

Al Ruwaida site yields unique archaeological find

The oryx plaque, probably carved from an animal’s shoulder-blade. PICTURE: Dan Britton

DOHA: From the elegant silhouette on the tails of the national airline fleet to the overstuffed animals perched atop the Post Office roundabout, the oryx appears everywhere in Qatar. This beautiful black and white antelope, with its long curved horns, has long been regarded as the nation’s unofficial national symbol. “Orry the Oryx” was the logo for the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, and his giant statue on the Corniche continues to delight youngsters.   

Curiously, there are no written or oral accounts of the oryx ever having set hoof on the peninsula of Qatar in days gone by. The bones of many other mammals have shown up in the midden heaps on archaeological sites. But no evidence of the oryx has been found, although it’s assumed that, as the supreme Arabian desert survivor, it must surely have wandered the plains of Qatar. Until now.

Just two weeks ago archaeologist Ifan Edwards, one of a team from the University of Wales  carrying out excavations at the old coastal site of Al Ruwaida in north-west Qatar, spotted something unusual in his sieve during work on the large fortress which dominates the settlement. Beneath a dense layer of rubble a deposit rich in organic and ceramic remains had been uncovered. Archaeologists routinely dry-sieve such material to make sure no object, however small, is overlooked.

Ifan had noticed a tiny bone silhouette of an oryx, only 5cm in length, but instantly recognisable from its profiled head and horns. “I was amazed at its beauty,” he said, “and the fact it had survived.” The little carving is thought to be about 300 years old.

Faisal al-Naimi, head of the Department of Antiquities at the Qatar Museums Authority, said: “The image of the oryx is very interesting because it looks, in its simplicity and lack of small details, like a piece of modern art, but it’s actually three centuries old or more. The oryx is greatly admired in Arabia for its elegance and beauty, so much so that its Arabic name, Maha, is a name sometimes given to girls.”  

Dr Andrew Petersen, director of the Welsh team which is working under the sponsorship of the Qatar Museums Authority, commented: “This is a unique find, and especially so because the oryx is the national emblem of Qatar. It’s a rare example of the kind of craftsmanship at the time.”

Archaeo-zoologist Dr Hannah Russ, working with the project at Al Ruwaida, said: “The plaque was carved from the bone of a large mammal, which because of its flat surface was most probably a scapula or shoulder bone. We hope that with advanced chemical analysis we’ll be able to identify what species of animal the bone came from.”

One side of the little plaque appears to be polished, while the other side is rougher and includes a vertical groove, which may have been used to attach the plaque to a wooden panel as an inlay. It has already been subjected to a high resolution 3D laser scan by Ben Jurgensen of Virginia Commonwealth University.

In addition to the miniature oryx, several other objects of interest have been recovered from the same rich organic layer, including a small triangular bone plaque and a number of bronze tacks with traces of fabric still adhering to them.

The site at Al Ruwaida, profiled in Gulf Times on  May 6, consists of a large fortress and settlement, including two mosques, a boatyard and merchants’ warehouses. After several centuries of occupation it was abandoned in the 1760s when the inhabitants appear to have moved to Al Zubara.

Source: Gulf-times

Ali Abdulsatar supports Stenden Student Event

“A Year to Remember” charity gala dinner hosted on Friday, 29 June 2012 at Katara by Stenden University students to celebrate the end of the academic year for all universities in Qatar. The main objective of the event was to raise funds for various social community projects for charity.

The ‘Sparkling Events’ team showcased a spectacular performance which encompassed a cultural concept of four different dance performances from different countries. The student of International Business and Management Studies teamed up to organize the event as part of their study program.

IBMS has recently been approved by the Supreme Education Council of Qatar. This four-year bachelor program is taught in English and its European degree is recognized in Qatar and globally. Admission is open until the end of August 2012 for studies starting in September 2012.

The closing event of the evening was the popular Arab superstar Ali Abdulsatar.

Special gratitude is directed towards its sponsors who made this event a success: Yammani Contracting Co., R.B. Eyewear, Damas, iSpace, Chooy Goowy, Dippingo Chocolate Lounge and Qatar Vinyl Company QVC, the main sponsor of the event.

‘Sparkling Events’ team expresses heartfelt thanks to Stenden University staff and especially the audience who contributed to the success of this event.


Source: Qatar is Booming