Al Wasl Opera… an epic that tells the history of the UAE from Expo 2020

Today, Expo 2020 Dubai revealed the date of the first show of Al Wasl Opera, which was scheduled for the period from 16 to 19 December, and it was also announced that tickets will be available for sale directly from Dubai Opera, in which the show will be held.

Al Wasl Opera represents a prominent cultural achievement for the international event, celebrating the thousands-year history of the UAE, its achievements to date, and its ambitions for the future. It is the fruit of a collaboration with the Welsh National Opera. Over 100 artists and musicians, as well as a production team of 70 professional musicians, bring together the world’s best operatic talent, in celebration of Expo 2020’s theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.

The musical Al Wasl was composed by Muhammad Fairouz, co-written and written by Maha Gargash, directed by Sir David Bounty and led by Justin Brown. Al Wasl is the old name for the Emirate of Dubai, a name that expresses international cooperation here, as Al Wasl Opera shows the importance of joint action to achieve sustainability, one of the three sub-themes of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Values
Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, Executive Director, Office of the Commissioner-General of Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Expo 2020 Dubai will present an outstanding opera that supports the burgeoning arts scene in the UAE, and also embodies our country’s values ​​of tolerance and cooperation, as well as our global sense of responsibility to each other and to our planet.”

Mohammed Fairouz, author of Al Wasl Opera, said: “To celebrate Expo 2020’s vision for collaboration, Al Wasl Opera brings together personalities from diverse artistic backgrounds to craft a single art form – and there is nothing more universal than opera and theater. If people can laugh and cry together, everyone can laugh and cry together. Anything between them is possible.

Sir David Bountney, director of Al Wasl Opera, said: “The story of Al Wasl begins in the desert; we have devised a rather unique way to metaphorically represent this desert. In the middle chapter we are in the present, strongly referring to the construction of the Burj Khalifa, and we move into the future in The final chapter, where we are in a purely imaginary world that explores what the future may or may not be, which will be determined by whether we make a commitment to a sustainable future.”

Al Wasl Opera will be sung in English, and the show will last for 90 minutes, including only one intermission. Tickets start at AED 300 and will be available on the Dubai Opera website.