A trip to Abu Dhabi...
13 April, 2010
It was my first trip to the Middle East. I can only say that it was truly a new experience. An experience I will never forget. The hospitality, the people, the grand hotel, the cars and newly erected sky scrapers. It is a feast for the eyes
I received a request through my managers to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) conducted by Kristjan Jarvi at the Abu Dhabi Festival. I immediately decided I wanted to go to Abu Dhabi because of three reasons: i)Kristjan Jarvi and I are very good friends and we always have a great time performing together; ii) The LSO is a fantastic orchestra to perform with; iii)I had never been to the Middle East and I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to visit the area.
The Abu Dhabi Festival staff organised everything to the most basic detail. Travel was booked for me and my fiancee on Etihad Airways. An airline which I shall surely use again. As soon as we arrived in Abu Dhabi Airport we were met by a representative who took us through passport control. I had never experienced this before – normally I am met in the arrivals lounge. We were then escorted to a limousine which took us to the Emirates Palace Hotel. Where do I begin? The Hotel is so grand that it is like seeing Versailles from a distance. Okay, perhaps I am exaggerating a little bit but it truly is a sight to see. We arrived just after sunset and the water from the fountains were dancing to the spectacular lights strategically placed to give a warm welcoming effect.
The next day was spent rehearsing with the orchestra and trying to find my way from the reception area to my hotel room. It took about 8 minutes to walk from the main entrance of the hotel to my room. The LSO were in top form as always and it was great to see Kristjan again. The last time we worked together was in Leipzig at the Gewandhaus in 2009. The concert took place at the Emirates Palace Hotel itself. The only slight criticism I have is that the acoustics are very dry. The hall is carpeted and thus the dry sound. All in all though, it was a great concert. The hall was packed and afterwards we were treated to a lovely dinner by some very special hosts.
My fiancee and I decided to stay a few extra days after the concert to explore Abu Dhabi and Dubai and find some time to relax. We started off by doing the 1.5 hours journey by car to Dubai. My priority was to go up the tallest building in the world. We succeeded in doing this and did take plenty of pictures. At the risk of sounding a bit too unimpressed, I did not think the building was so impressive. Perhaps this is to do with the fact that there are no other buildings nearby and therefore it is very difficult to judge how high you are. Of course, I am glad I went up the building though.
The following day we were treated to a sumptuous lunch by the Minister of Culture. The amount of food laid out on the table was unbelievable. After lunch we were driven to Al Ain to hear Wynton Marsalis and his septet conduct an educational workshop on Jazz followed by a concert. Needless to say this was absolutely fantastic. Wynton and I are great friends so it was good to have time to catch up later in the evening when we all went to have dinner at a high-ranking offical’s house.
The next day was spent exploring the grounds of the hotel and the beach since this was our last day in Abu Dhabi.
This was an experience I will truly never forget. The Festival is doing a marvellous job inviting all these great orchestras and soloists to Abu Dhabi. The hospitality was fantastic and I truly hope I will return. “http://www.abudhabifestival.ae/en”