Epic rock riffs and majestic symphonic strings will come together in perfect harmony on Friday for a charity performance paying tribute to one of the all-time great bands.
The Music Of Queen: A Rock & Symphonic Spectacular will feature Abu Dhabi's 42-piece National Symphony Orchestra performing alongside four vocalists from We Will Rock You, the West End musical based around the band's songs, plus a 16-piece rock and rhythm section, backing vocalists and a conductor.
In all, there will be no fewer than 70 musicians on stage, conjuring up the power and drama of Queen classics such as Somebody to Love, A Kind of Magic and Don't Stop Me Now. To celebrate UAE National Day next week, entry to the concert will be a minimum donation of Dh50, with the proceeds going to local charities.
A new orchestra
Necessity is the mother of invention. When the NSO director and founder Janet Hassouneh considered the request for the orchestra to take part in the event, she had to make a big decision.
“We had another performance that day, a government show at Al Mamzar Park in Dubai,” she says. “At the same time, we really wanted to be involved with this great opportunity to perform the songs of Queen.”
With the NSO roster including more than 100 professionally trained musicians, Hassouneh decided on a whim to create the NSO’s Symphonic Pop Orchestra – an offshoot of the main orchestra that would be available for events requiring more accessible performances.
For the Queen music, Hassouneh says a couple of rehearsals were all that was needed for the musicians to get ready by Friday. “You have to remember that we have a lot of real professionals in the orchestra,” she says. “We have people who played with the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Orchestra and also in New York and Cincinnati. They are studio musicians as well and they are ready to go.”
Headbanging on stage
When pop artists want to add a touch of pomp or splendour to their tracks, they often call on Richard Sidwell. The British conductor has worked and toured with an array of pop stars and music legends, including Robbie Williams, Duran Duran, Tom Jones and Bob Geldof – and that’s as well as his other work orchestrating numerous West End productions. He has also performed similar Queen- inspired concerts with orchestras in Europe, America and, most recently, Australia.
He describes his arrangements of Queen classics not as reinventions but, rather as enhancements. “At the end of the day, Queen are a rock band,” he says. “Where I come in to create arrangements that would sound similar to what the guys would have had in mind if they had an idea to put an orchestra to a particular song.” Sidwell says the show will in no way be a stuffy affair. He expects people to dance – and not just the audience.
“Earlier in the year I did three shows with Sydney Symphony Orchestra,” he says. “At the beginning they were very cold and standoffish. By the third night they were wearing wigs and they were headbanging on stage. They really enjoyed playing these arrangements, and for a musician to enjoy playing my work is really something thrilling.”
Freddie to go
As a testament to the late Freddie Mercury’s remarkable vocal range, no fewer than four theatre vocalists – Jason Wooten, Peter Eldridge, Julie Stark and Jenna Lee James – have been enlisted to perform the legendary Queen frontman’s variety of singing styles, ranging from his bluesy growl to his almost operatic high tenor.
Wooten says that the multi- vocalist approach is the best way to pay tribute to Mercury, who was known for his pitch-perfect performances. “He is to me the greatest singer,” says the American. “He has a voice that can go so high that it can take you to the stratosphere – at the same time he also has this big rock roar.
“That is why we have the two female vocalists as well, to maintain that energy, to sing the higher notes and keep it all consistent.”
Wooten says don’t expect any of the singers to mimic Mercury’s movements on stage. Instead, they hope to channel some of the trademark passion Mercury delivered on Queen’s classic tracks.
"It is me on stage, but there are many times where you need to draw inspiration from Freddie, particularly in those deeper songs such as Who Wants to Live Forever and The Show Must Go On, which are really heart-wrenching," " he says.
• The Music Of Queen: A Rock & Symphonic Spectacular is at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre on Friday, November 28. Entry is a minimum donation of Dh50 at the door
THREE
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
AL%20BOOM
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
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Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
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Wicked
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
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His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
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RESULTS
SPECS
Company%20profile
The%20specs
PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
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- Andrea Jenkyns
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- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
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- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
Third Test
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
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yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
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Rating: 2/5
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Tomorrow 2021
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
Fast%20X
The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
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