Renowned Mexican guitarist Mauricio Diaz Alvarez is hosting an evening of Spanish classical guitar works in the cosy confines of Dubai Opera's Studio at 8pm, Wednesday.
Diaz Alvarez will be performing a programme of works from Spain and across Latin America that includes Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Cuba. The concert will feature music by Albeniz, Villa-Lobos, Ponce, Tarrega and other Latin American and Spanish composers.
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1973, Diaz Alvarez started studying music at the age of 8. In 1991, at 18 years of age, he moved to Spain, where he pursued his degree at the Madrid Royal Conservatory graduating with honours under the instruction of the legendary Spanish guitarist Gabriel Estarellas.
Now Paris-based, Diaz Alvares has recorded three CDs in the past decade – 2009's contemporary guitar work Tribute to Marcel Proust, 2010's recording of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto of Aranjuez, alongside Mexico's Philharmonic Orchestra of Queretaro, and, in the same year, a performance of M M Ponce's Concierto del Sur. In 2004, he participated as a judge for the XVI Doña Infanta Cristina International Guitar Competition accompanied by renowned composers Anton García Abril and Tomás Marco.
We caught up with him ahead of his Dubai debut...
What are your expectations for your UAE debut? Do you, or Spanish classical music in general, have a big following here?
Yes, it’s my first time in the UAE. It’s amazing to play at the Opera House. I really don’t know if there’s a big following for this kind of classical music in Dubai, but why not? I’d love the possibility in future to play with a guitar orchestra. This time may be a guitar solo, but why not an orchestra in future? I hope so, but who knows?
This is a fairly intimate gig in Dubai Opera’s Studio. Do you prefer to play in the grand concert halls with a full orchestra?
It’s a very interesting question because, honestly, I don’t mind. I can play for two people and it’s the same concentration and effort as playing for thousands. It’s not important how many people you play for, what’s important is the music.
A lot of people would associate Spanish guitar with the likes of flamenco, but I believe your programme will be a little more traditional?
Sometimes, it’s complicated for me because when I play Spanish music it is classical, not flamenco. I was living in Spain from about 17 years old and for me it is a great culture. Now I live and work in Paris because my family is French, but most of my life is in Spain, so when I play the guitar it is not flamenco but the great composers like Albeniz, Tarrega and so on.
Are the strong historical and cultural links between Spain and the Arab world reflected in Spanish music?
I think the history of this music is so important, in southern Spain particularly, and you can see the route of the music in our culture. If you take a piece like [Francisco Tarrega's] Recuerdos Del Alhambra, it's a great piece of music and you can really see the link between the history of the Mediterranean culture and the Arab culture. You can really understand that connection in the music.
What do you hope the Dubai audience can take from your performance?
When I make masterclasses with my students, it’s possible to talk about the music, there are many examples, and there are many reasons to play the guitar as a type of communication and connection. I’m sorry. It’s very hard to express my ideas in another language, but the guitar, it’s all about communication.
Mauricio Diaz Alavarez is appearing 8pm, Wednesday at Dubai Opera’s Studio; tickets start at Dh150
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
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Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The%20specs
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Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Company%20Profile
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Results
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
