Music from Africa is having its moment thanks to the likes of chart-topping Nigerian Afro-pop or the gospel and house fusion of amapiano, a South African electronic music genre filling clubs from Johannesburg to Ibiza.
Another sound, more gentle yet no less immersive, also doing the rounds is African classical music.
Bringing this rich and underappreciated form to light is Nigerian-Romanian pianist Rebeca Omordia who, for the past decade, has been unearthing and recording compositions by some of the continent’s influential past and present composers. As a result, she will perform a selection of them during a recital at Abu Dhabi's Manarat Al Saadiyat on Friday, capping off the season's Abu Dhabi Classics concert series.
The works comprise her acclaimed new album African Pianism, which received rave reviews from classical music magazine Gramophone and was featured on BBC Radio.
The attention is deeply gratifying for Omordia, considering the partly academic approach she adopted while recording.
"This album consists of music from all over Africa so a lot of research was done when it comes to presenting this repertoire," she tells The National. "I wanted to tap into and showcase the different traditions of music from all over the continent and give some of these composers the recognition that they deserve."
Local heroes
While some of the names are not immediately recognisable, African Pianism features composers whose work reverberated in their respective homelands.
They include the late Ayo Bankole — represented in the opener Egun Variations in G major — a graduate of London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama who went on to become an influential composer for Nigerian television and radio in the 1960s.
Also featured is a piece from South African composer David Earle and a trio of nocturnes by Nabil Benabdeljalil from Morocco.
With many of the 21 tracks in African Pianism being released for the first time, Omordia recalls digging out these scores through research trips to Nigeria and Morocco.
There, she engaged with composers and the families of those deceased, in addition to scouring the records in classical music institutes and conservatories in Lagos.
“Then of course are the events where a lot of these composers, who are still with us, can be found and where we connected,” she says.
One of these niche gatherings was a piano competition in Casablanca where Benabdeljalil, a composer and musicologist at the University of Hassan II, was on the jury.
"He was amazed to discover that there was someone out there interested in recording this kind of music,” Omordia recalls. “I was also excited because, through Benabdeljalil’s work, I was able to discover a different musical language within African classical music.”
Omordia is referring to the suite of his sumptuous nocturnes recorded for the album.
“The nocturne is normally associated with European composers using the genre to express themselves through this deeply lyrical, slow and beautiful music," she says. "What Benabdeljalil does is a kind of reinvention in that he uses completely different melodies taken from Moroccan and Arabic culture.
“We would have Zoom sessions and he would sing the melodies for me so I can learn how to play them."
A dynamic repertoire
These delicate works are in contrast with some of African Pianism's energetic scores.
Five Kaleidoscopes for Piano by Ghanaian-American Fred Onovwerosuoke is defined as pensive motifs and undulating melodies. While the vigorous third and final part of Ufie by Nigeria's Christian Onyeji is inspired by the dances of the country's ethnic Igbo community.
Those juxtapositions are essential to African Pianism Omordia says, to showcase the diversity of classical music from the continent.
"An example is the comparison between the music from North and West Africa which are totally different cultures. In West Africa, the classical musical tradition is based on using the piano as a tuned percussive instrument. This is because it is linked to traditional non-classical Nigerian music, which incorporates many percussive instruments,” she explains.
“While North African is traditionally slower with more lyrical melodies."
Omordia is pleased many parts of the world are tuning into her passions.
Her Abu Dhabi Classics concert is part of a growing calendar of engagements including the UK, Spain and the Caribbean.
While music from Africa is receiving unprecedented global attention at present, she says these strides were made on the back of pioneering composers of the past.
"I have to insist that this work has been done for many generations and we are not the first ones to bring this rich cultural heritage to the world," she says. "It's coming to light now because, finally, the world is interested to listen to what comes from Africa other than our natural resources.
African Pianism by Rebeca Omordia at the Manarat Al Saadiyat on Friday at 8pm. Tickets, starting at Dh75, are available at ticketmaster.ae
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
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Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
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Favourite book: Harry Potter
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
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Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
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Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
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5.30pm: UAE Arabian Derby (PA) | Prestige | Dh150,000 | 2,200m
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6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round 3 (PA) | Group 3 Dh300,000 | 2,200m
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6.30pm: Emirates Championship (PA) | Group 1 | Dh1million | 2,200m
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7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (TB) | Group 3 | Dh380,000 | 2,200m
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The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
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- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
