March 16, 2016
The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, under the baton of celebrated conductor Christoph Eschenbach, performed two world premiere commissions on March 16, 2016 on Saadiyat Island entitled Universal Expressions: Inspired by Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The concert opened with a short film of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Rain of Light celebrating the museum’s iconic dome. The inaugural performance of Zayed’s Dream, a specially commissioned piece by Emirati composer and oud master Faisal Al Saari who, with Emirati musicians, combined classical orchestra with melodies and instruments from Emirati heritage. This was followed by another world premiere and commission of world-wide renowned contemporary French composer, Bruno Mantovani, the director of the Conservatoire de Paris, called Once Upon a Time, and Cello Fantasy by internationally-acclaimed soloist Gautier Capuçon. The evening concluded with the masterpiece La Mer (The Sea) by famous impressionist composer Claude Debussy.
The Emirati-French Cultural Programme, an initiative by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and French authorities, was created in the spirit of cultural dialogue between the two nations. One of the world’s most prestigious youth orchestras, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester comprises of 120 musicians from all around Europe, who performed at major venues and festivals across the world with leading conductors and soloists such as Herbert Blomstedt, Myung-Whun Chung, Sir Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez, Paavo Järvi or Philippe Jordan.
Louvre Abu Dhabi construction
Construction of the building is in advanced stages on Saadiyat Island, with the museum’s iconic dome completed. Pritzker-prize winning architect Jean Nouvel sought inspiration for the concept of Louvre Abu Dhabi in traditional Arabic architecture. Louvre Abu Dhabi has been designed as a “museum city” in the sea, with its contrasting series of white buildings inspired by the medina and low-lying Arab settlements. The 180 meter-wide dome covers the majority of the museum city and becomes an iconic structure visible from the sea, the surrounding areas and Abu Dhabi city. The eight-layered dome is made up of 85 super-sized elements, each weighing on average 50 tonnes.
The dome’s complex pattern is the result of a highly studied geometric design, repeated at various sizes and angles in the eight superimposed layers. Each ray of light must penetrate the eight layers before appearing then disappearing, creating a cinematic effect as the sun’s path progresses throughout the day. Named the “rain of light,” this effect has been the subject of many models and mock ups over the years and is one of the defining features of the concept.
For further construction updates please visit www.tdic.ae.
About Louvre Abu Dhabi
Born of an intergovernmental agreement between the Abu Dhabi government and France in 2007, Louvre Abu Dhabi will be a universal museum in the Middle-East translating the spirit of openness and dialogue of cultures. Designed by Pritzker-prize winning architect Jean Nouvel, the museum will display works of historical, cultural and sociological significance from the most ancient to the most contemporary. Spanning millennia, artworks on display will originate from civilisations all over the world with universal themes and common influences highlighted to illustrate similarities and exchanges arising from shared human experience transcending geography, nationality and history. The originality of the museum narrative trail resides in presenting these civilisations in the same spaces, galleries, rooms or gallery cabinet. Beyond the gallery space, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s “museum city” will offer late openings, an auditorium, restaurants, shops, promenades and gardens, to provide visitors with a new perspective of the holistic museum experience in the Arab World.
