England-born Mahika Gaur was only 12 when she made her debut for UAE women's cricket team. Now she is the key pace bowler in England team
An out of the world musical experience marked the end of the Space Week at Expo 2020 on Saturday night as Firdaus Orchestra led by Academy and Grammy award winning musical composer AR Rahman lifted the audience to a different plane.
Listen to this story and more on the 8@8 with David Light podcast
True to the theme, the stage was illuminated with visuals from the space - celestial bodies orbiting the outer world - in the backdrop.
The pioneering all-women ensemble Rahman was mentoring for over a year played a mix of contemporary as well as classic pieces including one of his original composition to a packed audience. The performance marked the closing of the Space Week - one of the theme weeks that is part of the People and Planet programme at Expo 2020.
Also read:
>> Travel through past, present and future at 'timeless' Peru pavilion
>> Explained: Why is it called 'Expo 2020' when it's happening in 2021?
The concert that started a little after 7pm saw Rahman’s ardent fans queueing up at the Jubilee Park since early evening to get a glimpse of the music legend.
When the Mozart of Madras, as he is popularly known as, made his appearance to introduce the orchestra, an ecstatic audience roared in applause.
“I want to thank Expo for giving me the opportunity to put together this project,” said Rahman as he thanked everyone who supported him in the Firdaus journey.
The concert began with a short peice titled A Space Odyssey - Zarathustra followed by the theme music from the Bollywood blockbuster Bombay, a hugely popular work by the maestro.
The one-hour performance also saw the orchestra led by conductor Yasmina Sabbah perform music from Star Wars and ET – Adventures on Earth, Turkish March, Karl Jenkins’ Palladio, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
The highlight of the night was Rahman’s original piece A Humanitas-Proorismós-Al Amal, a work he said inspired by the stars, planets and space exploration.
He says: Humanitas-Proorismós-Al Amal is an ode to the explorers of space. I’ve been trying to write it for the past three months; I had a lot of ideas. For the first Firdaus Orchestra concert, I wanted to do something for Space Week, so this is a 15-minute piece inspired by the endeavours of space from the East,” Rahman said.
“There’s the sense of poetry, and a sense of deep spirituality when you see the planets and space. So how would an Indian sound or Eastern sound come together with a Western orchestra or Middle Eastern instruments? That was the idea, and it’s an experiment. I hope people like it,” Rahman said in a media statement.
England-born Mahika Gaur was only 12 when she made her debut for UAE women's cricket team. Now she is the key pace bowler in England team
Is he going to Chanel?
Here's what happened when chef Nicolas Isnard decided to add ice cream to the mix
The Artisan is an ideal choice for a business lunch
Before 1971, the average life expectancy was 53 years — now it's 80; this is why managing seniors' well-being is becoming an important topic, doctor says
Gomez emphasises the role of gastronomy in diplomacy, stating that the relationships between nations are often strengthened around the dining table
Ministers of Gulf Arab states, Iran meet and talk de-escalation
All apartments will have temperature-controlled sunken balconies that allow residents to enjoy year-round outdoor living