The orchestra performs famous pieces and Qawwali music at Dubai Expo City

Under the dome of Al-Wasl, the soft fingertips of “Al-Firdous” are playing again

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With the fingertips of the soft firdaws orchestra, the first events and concerts that will be presented in Al Wasl Square in Dubai Expo City kicked off last night, as the audience was on a date with high-end music that combines the western and eastern tones.

The band, which launched with "Expo 2020 Dubai", presents the most famous international songs, as well as Sufi qawwali music, which accompanies the audience to the world of spiritual music that is very famous in India.

The leader of the Firdous Orchestra, Yasmina Al-Sabah, said about the concert to "Emirates Today", that "the orchestra that saw the light through the global event (Expo Dubai) participated in eight evenings, including the opening and closing ceremonies, and the band continues its performances again under the Dome of Al Wasl, and that will be It is like returning to the place from which the orchestra started,” noting that this place holds a special place for the band, as the Al Wasl Dome is an unparalleled site in the world, as she put it.

She added that the women's orchestra started with 23 female musicians, and today the number of its members has increased, but the most prominent feature that distinguishes it is the mixture of eastern and western instruments, including the oud, the qanun, and the flute, in addition to the Indian instrument, the sitar.

The concert, which lasted 90 minutes, was divided into three parts. In the first part, it presented the most famous tracks that the band played during Expo 2020 Dubai, and tracks from several famous works, including “Game of Thrones”, while the second part carried the participation of the guest artist, Abby. Simba, and the last part was playing the pieces of “AR Rahman”, the founder of the band.

challenges

The band consists of female musicians from several nationalities, according to Yasmina Al-Sabah, who saw that the challenges facing working in a women’s orchestra are no different from the ordinary, although some instruments are difficult to find female players for, including heavy instruments or wind instruments such as “tuba” and “tuba”. trombone,” explaining that when she works, she does not remember that the female players are all women, as one of the band’s missions is to change the stereotype about playing, instruments, and orchestras.

Yasmina Al-Sabah started as the leader of the Firdaws Orchestra since its founding, but today there is another leader who cooperates with her, Monica Woodman.

Yasmina saw that the status of a woman conductor supports breaking the stereotype about women, especially when they are in a leadership role, and also contributes to highlighting job opportunities in the field of music for girls, adding, “The responsibility of the orchestra conductor is carried out more during rehearsals, but in the concert he intends to make The musicians are in harmony, within the same common rhythm.

full of energy

For her part, the singer, Abi Samba, said about her participation in the ceremony: “I performed a (Qawwali) singing segment, and I felt happy and proud to be here, and to work in a band that was founded by AR Rahman, especially since his music influenced me a lot many years ago.”

And she believed that singing in an orchestra carries many challenges, including that playing and singing must be within a specific time frame, and it cannot be circumvented, so the singer must use his full energy and focus while singing, explaining that Qawwali is from spiritual music, and for this reason it leaves the singer integrated. in it to a large extent.

For his part, the composer, Rochelle, said about the Sufi Qawwali music that he wrote and presented during the ceremony, that «this genre is very old, dating back hundreds of years, and it is worthy of a concert organized in multinational Dubai, which makes the author more free to express without any fear of how The public accepts his music, because society is so diverse that it is the ideal place to present arts from different civilizations and colors.

He explained that qawwali music often begins with the singer's voice, so he seeks to present something completely new, far from copying some of the colors and effects of what he heard in the past.

about the band

The Firdaus Orchestra of Expo 2020 Dubai was formed before the start of the World Expo, which Dubai hosted for six months.

She participated in presenting a group of performances, including the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony.

The band started with 23 female musicians, ranging from intermediate to semi-professional, from different nationalities, with ages ranging from 16 to 51 years.

He supervised the establishment of the band, "AR Rahman", and it bears a special character in music that is presented to all ages.

23

A female musician, the women's band started with them, and today the number of its members has increased.

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