DUBAI: The UAE’s Abu Dhabi Festival this week presented the world premiere of “L’Apocalypse Arabe,” an opera based on the poems of US-Lebanese poet and visual artist Etel Adnan, in France.
The opera, co-produced with cultural institution the LUMA Foundation, ran on July 4 and 5 at Luma Arles’ Grande Halle.
Written in 1975 during the Lebanese Civil War, the poems in “L’Apocalypse Arabe” represent the impact of Arab culture and the disaster caused by war, whilst condemning crimes that spring from intolerance.
Etel Adnan is a US-Lebanese poet and visual artist. (Supplied)
The music and the text were created by Palestinian composer Samir Odeh-Tamimi, and the opera was directed by French-Lebanese theatre director and artistic director Pierre Audi.
Odeh-Tamimi said in a released statement: “It is my pleasure to be part of Abu Dhabi Festival. ’L’Apocalypse Arabe’ had a profound impact on me, and I have thought of it daily since I read it in 2001.
“Seeing this project come to fruition is a dream come true,” he added.
The music and the text were created by Palestinian composer Samir Odeh-Tamimi. (Supplied)
The opera was performed by Frankfurt-based ensemble Modern, a leading group of diverse musicians from across Europe and Asia, and conducted by Ivan Volkov.
Audi said: “I am delighted to be working again with Abu Dhabi Festival to present a work of art that beautifully interprets Etel Adnan’s message decrying intolerance and hatred, a message that is as urgent today as it was when she wrote it over 40 years ago.
The opera was directed by French-Lebanese theatre director and artistic director Pierre Audi. (Supplied)
“It is wonderful to see that Abu Dhabi Festival is engaging global artists to reach audiences with a call for peace,” added Audi.
