Classical music composers of the past often drew inspiration from marine life. Claude Debussy's masterful Poisson d'or in 1907 attempted to capture the shimmering movements of a goldfish, while Camille Saint-Saens' Aquarium from 1922 is a dreamy suite of works dedicated to life undersea.
The most celebrated aquatic piece of its kind, however, is arguably Franz Schubert’s Trout Quintet, an 1819 composition channelling the undulating movements of a trout. The piece is set to be performed as part of Abu Dhabi Classics at Manarat Saadiyat on Wednesday and Thursday, where Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev will join a quintet from Switzerland's Lucerne Festival Orchestra.
Malofeev, 22, describes the piece as capturing “the joy and intimacy” of chamber music. "When you are talking about chamber music, you are talking as much about the atmosphere the music evokes as well as the melodies," he tells The National. "In that sense, the Trout Quintet is one of the best examples of its kind because it is joyful, sparkling and has an almost dancing rhythm that really made it a favourite with audiences.”
One of Schubert’s more accessible works, the Trout Quintet continues the Austrian composer’s zeal for innovation, according to Ronald Perlwitz, head of the music programme for the Department of Culture and Tourism − Abu Dhabi. As one of the curators of Abu Dhabi Classics, Perlwitz says the piece was responsible for cementing the double bass’s place in chamber music.
"He was inspired by the work of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, an 18th-century Austrian composer who we don't listen to much these days and was one of the first to write a quintet with a double bass," Perlwitz explains. "But when Schubert incorporated it in the Trout Quintet it really felt like an innovation because of the creativity involved. It sounded like nothing else at the time."
From melodies that dart and leap between registers and the staccato and bouncing rhythms of the double bass to the delicate and yearning string passages, the work's mirroring of a trout's movement also evokes a mood of jubilance and reverie. "There is a fair bit of moralising going on here as well," Perlwitz adds. "With some of these quick and abrupt movements of the trout, Schubert was thought to be warning young women to be weary of some of the ill intentions of some men."
But this is all done with a light touch according to Malofeev. "This is what makes it such a joy to play. Schubert has this amazing ability to create a piece with a certain technical complexity that sounds very playful and approachable," he says. "I have performed more demanding pieces in my career but the reaction to the Trout Quintet is always something special. As a musician, it is a great feeling to know that you left the stage with the audience feeling touched."
To come to Abu Dhabi and play a piece that I know will make people happy feels like the best kind of vacation
Alexander Malofeev,
pianist
In that sense, the work is an ideal way to begin the latest season of Abu Dhabi Classics, which will continue throughout the year with more complex orchestral and recital performances. "This show is perfect to bring people who may be unfamiliar with chamber music," Malofeev says. "The music is about pure enjoyment and shows, in my opinion, that classical music can be something that is light and joyful.
"We also feel this on stage. A lot of the time we musicians travel and play alone in recitals, so to come to Abu Dhabi and play a piece that I know will make people happy feels like the best kind of vacation."
Lucerne Festival Quintet with Alexander Malofeev perform at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday and Thursday. Shows start at 8pm and tickets start at Dh50 from Ticketmaster
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Labour dispute
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.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
