(no writer)
Section: Escape / City Escapes
Cultural treats
With both individuals and states actively advancing cultural festivals and fairs, the Middle East is fast developing in new and unfound ways. The month of March is a particularly busy one in the cultural calendar so get out and enjoy the music and arts on offer. Bespoke shows you just where to go.
Al Bustan Festival
Wednesday 18th February – Sunday 22nd March
The Al Bustan Festival in Lebanon was founded in 1994 with the aim of reviving the cultural life of a country re-emerging after many years of war. Ever since it has become an annual affair, establishing a unique and unprecedented tradition of a music season in winter. There is normally a predominance of chamber music although the programme also includes opera, orchestral concerts, choral concerts, dance, marionettes and theatre.
For culture-vultures
Venue Al Bustan Hotel, Beit Mery
Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini
Thursday 6th March
As part of the Doha Cultural Festival, the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale of Spoleto A. Belli, from Italy, will present a performance of Rossini’s popular opera, The Barber of Seville. Rossini was well known for his fast work at composition, and true to form he wrote this opera in just three weeks. This particular performance will be directed by Giorgio Pressburger and conducted by Vito Clemente.
For opera fans
Venue Dafna Hall of the Doha Sheraton Hotel
Twelve Angry Lebanese
Saturday 7th, 14th & 21st March
In the Arab world it is almost unheard of for prisoners to get the chance to express themselves through dramatic works. But for the prisoners of the notorious Roumieh prison outside Beirut, a few inmates got a chance of a lifetime. Twelve Angry Lebanese, funded by the European Union, brings together a group of men, expressing their anger and frustration towards the correctional system.
For cultured community-servants
Venue Roumieh prison, northeast of Beirut
Lyric Compositions by Mahmoud Hamadani
Saturday 21st February – Tuesday 10th March
New York-based Iranian artist Mahmoud Hamadani will showcase his latest drawing project, Lyric Compositions, at the XVA Gallery in Dubai. Limiting himself to just using black ink on white paper, his work is nostalgic, impressionistically autobiographical, and melancholic. In the past Hamadani has exhibited at the British Museum, New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and at New York University amongst others.
For admirers of precision
Venue XVA Gallery, Dubai
Al Bastakiya Art Fair
Sunday 15th March – Sunday 22nd March
This is the third annual Al Bastakiya Art Fair, set to showcase the work of leading contemporary artists in a historic setting also known for being the original cultural centre of Dubai. The fair will run alongside Art Dubai and the Sharjah Biennial and though the main sponsor has recently pulled out, the organisers promise that this year’s event will be more fringe than ever.
For regional art buffs
Venue Al Bastakiya, Dubai Creek
Richard III by Shakespeare
Friday 20th March
This year is the ninth edition of the Al Ain Classics Festival, which serves as a creative source for intercultural exchange by bringing together Arabic and Western masterpieces. One of the highlights of this year’s calendar will be an original adaption of Shakespeare’s play Richard III in Arabic. The tragedy will be performed in the newly restored UAE landmark - the 1898 built Al Jahili Fort.
For Machiavellian sorts
Venue Al Jahili Fort, Al Ain
Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
Tuesday 17th March – Sunday 22nd March
This year is the Abu Dhabi Book Fair’s nineteenth year and its most international yet. With over 50 exhibitors coming from 51 countries the turnout is impressive to say the least. Organised by KITAB, a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the fair aims to become the hub for the Arab book markets and worldwide business.
For book worms
Venue Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC)
Andrea Bocelli
Friday 27th March
Legendary tenor, Andrea Bocelli, will be headlining this year’s Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Festival with his first regional performance. The one-night only show will not be held in the Emirates Palace auditorium, as is the custom, but rather in the stunning gardens of this the world’s most expensively constructed hotel. The seated event has a maximum capacity of 5,000 and tickets have already sold out.
For anyone that can
Venue Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi
