The cast of real-life characters reimagined in Emirati composer Mohammed Fairouz’s second opera offers a mere glimpse of its ambition, complexity and relevance.
Osama bin Laden, Hillary Clinton, Mohammed Morsi, Henry Kissinger, Adolf Hitler and Mao Zedong are some of the historical figures who share stage time in The New Prince, which will have its world premiere tomorrow, beginning a week-long run at Amsterdam's Dutch National Opera.
Taking in scenes from Tahrir Square to the White House, the framing device for this modern meditation on power and revolution is Niccolò Machiavelli. The notorious Renaissance-era political philosopher is transported 500 years forward – from the publication of his political tract The Prince, to 2032 – and is called upon to bring its contents up to date. The libretto was written in English by celebrated American journalist and novelist, David Ignatius, and by any measure – size, scope and significance – The New Prince is one of the biggest productions to have its premiere this international opera season.
“Machiavelli had a really incredible, operatic life,” says Fairouz. “He happens to have been from Florence, which has an incredible operatic tradition, and he is a tragic figure and a deeply human figure.
“We decided really early on that we were not going to have people prancing about in Renaissance costumes in Florence for two hours.”
Instead, Machiavelli’s modern-day patron is president Wu Virtu, leader of an imagined meta-kingdom called Amerasiopia, which links the “tri-capitals” of Miami, Dubai and Shanghai (referred to in the opera as New Columbia). The inclusion of Dubai in this post-globalised trinity of influence was not coincidental. When linked to Abu Dhabi in minutes with the upcoming Hyperloop project, forming a single metro area, the emirate is poised, says Fairouz, to become the “central nexus of the new Renaissance”, at “the centre of a digitally reimagined silk road”.
Fairouz calls The New Prince a "geopolitical sci-fi" – but like all good science fiction, the imagined future is grounded in studied reality.
“I’m very interested in statecraft – the systemic issues in the world and how to solve them,” says the 31-year-old composer.
“That’s how this opera came about; it is a historical and ethical study of the current moment we are in, and it projects into the future – but not too far, within our lifetime.”
The son of an Emirati diplomat, Fairouz grew up across five continents and now lives in New York, but still proudly hails Dubai as his hometown. Despite his young age, The New Prince is just the latest dramatic high in Fairouz's celebrated career, which has included four symphonies, numerous song cycles, chamber works and previous opera Sumeida's Song.
Fairouz is also a columnist for numerous newspapers, including The National.
In Ignatius, Fairouz found not just a fitting intellectual interlocutor, but another fearless mind willing to take a leap of faith. An award-winning Washington Post columnist, regarded as one of America's foremost political commentators, Ignatius has written 10 novels – largely espionage thrillers – but had never considered penning an opera until he got Fairouz's call.
"I told [Mohammed] frankly that not only had I not written a libretto, but that I wasn't particularly an opera buff – I'd seen some operas, but I was far from an expert," remembers 66-year-old Ignatius. On Fairouz's advice, he sat down to Jacques Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann, and became inspired by the use of three interwoven stories, sandwiched between a prologue and epilogue. This became the basis of the three key lessons Machiavelli learns from the 500 years of history he has missed. "There's a way opera does not just allow you to write about big ideas – it almost requires you to," adds Ignatius.
The first lesson, explains the writer, focuses on the theme of revolution, taking in passing appearances from Hitler and Mao, before moving to the recent successive political upheavals in Egypt.
The next zeros in on scandal and the politics of shame through the stories of Alexander Hamilton’s blackmail and Bill Clinton’s disgrace.
The final lesson is a warning about the greatest threat facing today's world order, a post-September 11 ideological clash of civilisations, and climaxes with Osama bin Laden and Dick Cheney singing in unison. Kissinger, meanwhile, is employed throughout as a contemporary counterpoint, the "modern-day epitaph of Machiavelli's ideas", says Ignatius. Bringing such a roll call to the stage might sound engineered to generate headlines. Yet it is intriguing to learn that an early title for the opera was Fear and Love – two key themes of the opera, says Fairouz.
Moreover, many of the words which come from these historical figures are quoted verbatim from recorded speeches. “Kicking up dust is crude,” adds the composer.
"The idea is not to create controversy or raise eyebrows – drama has to be about stakes, and by setting [The New Prince] in the future, it creates a personal investment – because this is the home we live in – it is either going to burn down or succeed.
“If we don’t break the cycle of historical abuse that we’ve been immersed in since time immemorial – the stakes are so high – we’re talking about the destruction of the world, the very glue of life being torn apart.”
• For more details, go to www.operaballet.nl/en/opera/2016-2017/show/new-prince
rgarratt@thenational.ae
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Formula One top 10 drivers' standings after Japan
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 306
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 234
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 192
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 148
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 111
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 82
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 65
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 48
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 34
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
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
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
