Daniel Hope Lights Up Dubai Opera at InClassica Music Festival

InClassica 2021 is the biggest and most ambitious ever music festival to take place in the Middle East, welcoming a staggering 37 world-renowned soloists, 7 celebrated orchestras and 12 leading conductors to Dubai for a 30-day celebration of sublime musicianship, world-class performance and international collaboration. InClassica is pleased to present the biggest names in classical music today, featuring performers from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, for an unrivalled programme of phenomenal concerts taking place at the Dubai Opera and Coca-Cola Arena. The festival features a range of music from distinguished historical European composers, as well as works from the event’s Composer-in-Residence, Alexey Shor. 

Last night at InClassica

Hope from the Heart 
Dubai Opera

Daniel Hope is one of the leading violinists of our time. As a truly holistic artist, he goes beyond the boundaries of classical music. Hope's renditions of Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 are so full of energetic personality, enlightenment and deep understanding, that his appearance at the InClassica International Music Festival must be labelled as one of the highlights of the season. As much as Bruch's concerto is the most popular work by the composer, Bedřich Smetana's Vltava (The Moldau) is one of the best known classical compositions there is. And Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 is valued as one of his most important creations. The Slovak State Philharmonic plays these popular master-pieces conducted by Sergey Smbatyan.

Daniel Hope (violin)
 - How did you enjoy it? “I love it here, I love playing here, and, as I said on stage, it’s very special for me to be in Dubai as I have family here. To see my niece and nephew — they’re little, but they still stayed up especially — is very emotional and very moving. And then to be part of this amazing festival with these legendary musicians who I met for the first time today...I’ve known them all my life, like Gil Shaham, and suddenly to be there on the stage with him was a great thrill for me, so I’m delighted to be here and delighted to make music in Dubai.”
 - This was the first time you’d worked with the conductor and orchestra? How was the experience? “It was the first time, absolutely. We met today for the first time and it’s always very intense when you meet somebody just a few hours before the concert. But they were extremely nice, very prepared, and made me feel very welcome — as indeed everybody here has done at this Foundation, so that makes it a lot easier.” 
 - Was this your first time performing at Dubai Opera? “No, I played here about five years ago, just shortly after it opened, but it’s a fantastic concert hall and it’s a real gateway to the rest of the world. We’re coming out of a very difficult time for culture, for classical music and for music in general, and that InClassica here has been able to put this together is breathtaking. I don’t know anywhere else in the world that has activity at this level going on, so I can only say a huge thank you to Konstantin [Ishkhanov] and his whole team for having us here and for allowing this to happen.”

Sergey Smbatyan
 - “Tonight’s concert was an absolute thrill for me, and it was a real pleasure working with Daniel Hope. He has an incredible richness of sound and such an interesting musical personality, it was lovely to be on stage with him and to conduct this wonderful orchestra. Tonight was the third of my InClassica performances, and I’m pleased to say that every concert has been a real joy...bravo to everyone involved.”

Quotes From Those in Attendance: 

“It was amazing! Especially the Tchaikovsky in the second half. It’s one of my favourite pieces and I really loved the way they performed it tonight”  — audience member

“It was an excellent programme and a truly wonderful evening. The soloist, the orchestra, they were all top notch. Really great to hear” — audience member

“Hope is such a world-class talent. I’ve been following his career almost from the beginning and he just keeps getting better. A real pleasure to listen to” — audience member 

Tonight at InClassica*

The Divine Clarinet  
Dubai Opera

Alexey Shor's Clarinet Concerto is a beautiful example of the contemporary composer's neoclassical style. With a deep knowledge of Shor's work, the exceptional Austrian clarinettist Andreas Ottensamer is the soloist in this concerto. As a composer, Antonín Dvořák fought for the cultural revival of his homeland. One of the two main motifs presented in the overture is none other than Where Is My Home, today's Czech national anthem. When Beethoven began to work on his Symphony No. 7, Napoleon was preparing for the invasion of Russia. It was inaugurated after the allied victory over Napoleon, during a charity concert for the wounded of the conflict. Daniel Raiskin is the conductor of the Slovak State Philharmonic, an orchestra that is equally familiar with the music of Antonín Dvořák and Ludwig van Beethoven.

• Andreas Ottensamer (clarinet)
• Daniel  Raiskin
• Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra

*Full details (including quotes from performers and attendees) will be available tomorrow. For any enquiries regarding tonight’s performance, please contact us.

Organised by the European Foundation for Support of Culture and SAMIT Event Group, the 2021 Edition of the InClassica International Music Festival is currently underway, with daily concerts taking place until the 26th of September. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the official website at inclassica.com.