Georgian piano prodigy enchants audience for Abu Dhabi Classics
Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili made her debut appearance in Arabia on Wednesday night in front of a sell-out crowd as part of the Abu Dhabi Classics season.
The soloist, regarded as one of the world's best young pianists, received a standing ovation following her 90-minute concert at the Manarat Al Saadiyat Arts And Culture Centre on Saadiyat Island.
Buniatishvili's performance was part of the Abu Dhabi Classics 2014/15 season, which has been reintroduced following a three-year-break, and has attracted some of the world's leading classical performers to packed venues across the emirate.
Every concert of the season, which began last October and runs until May, has been sold out at venues across the emirate of Abu Dhabi, including Emirates Palace Auditorium in Abu Dhabi city, Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain and on Saadiyat Island.
Dr. Ronald Perlwitz, Head of Music Programme at Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, TCA Abu Dhabi, which is presenting the Classics series, said: "Khatia put on a magical performance and was wonderfully impressive in displaying her talent to the audience. This was another very important chapter in the season and again shows the appetite for classical music in Abu Dhabi.
"Each concert has now been completely sold out and we look forward to even more superb concerts as part of Abu Dhabi Classics as the year progresses." The 27-year-old musician, who speaks five languages and lives in Paris, has released three critically acclaimed albums to date – her first a Liszt recital, the second dedicated to Chopin and a third which draws on her musical influences from her native Georgia.
The Classics season continues next month when Germany's Staatskapelle Dresden Orchestra, with conductor Christian Thielemann, plays a night of Strauss and Bruckner at Emirates Palace Auditorium on the 17th February. The following night they will perform music from Liszt, Wagner and Strauss at the historic Al Jahili Fort in the emirate's cultural heartland of Al Ain.
Source: WAM