Jordanian born pianist Karim Said last night delivered a breathtaking piano recital at the British School – Al Khubairat, in a fitting conclusion to the 6th Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival. The 20-year old, who has emerged at the forefront of the international concert stage, performed a selection of some of the most moving and complex works created for the instrument in an exclusive recital.
From his first public performance at the age of eight, Karim’s prestigious talent has gained him international recognition, and earned him a billing alongside some of the greatest performers of our time in this year’s Festival.
Karim began learning the piano at the age of five under the guidance of Agnes Dzodtsoeva-Bashir, alumna of the renowned Gnessin School in Moscow, and now combines his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Tatiana Sarkissova with professional performances both solo and alongside a number of European orchestras. To date, Karim has performed in fourteen countries across Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
Over 300 guests at last night’s recital were treated to select pieces by Beethoven, Schoenberg, Brahms, Schumann and Liszt, performed with accomplishment and passion by this young master.
The recital began with Beethoven’s Variations with a Fugue in E Flat, commonly known as the Eroica Variations for their use in the last movement of his Eroica Symphony of 1804. Fifteen variations delicately build musical themes, culminating in a dramatic fugue bringing these complex interweavings to their conclusion.
This was followed by Drei Klavierstucke – unpredictable and emotional pieces by Arnold Schoenberg which Karim performed with a wisdom beyond his years, with a delicate treatment of the unease and introspection of the first two pieces dramatically sundered by the energetic confidence of the third.
The next two pieces, Themes with Variations in D minor by Johannes Brahms, and the romantic Fantasie in C by Robert Schumann, demonstrated Karim’s versatility. The latter, written after a first kiss and subsequent forced separation from Schumann’s love, providing a passionate counterpoint to the more mature, arboreal theme of Brahms’ piece, as they tell the story of a woman, Clara Schumann (née Wieck), who inspired them both.
The highlight of the evening was to be found in its final piece, the Concert Paraphrase from Verdi’s Rigoletto by Franz Liszt, a piece of breathtaking virtuosity that provided an unforgettable ending to an evening of inspirational performances, with an appreciative audience honouring the young musician with a standing ovation.
Earlier this week Karim’s Journey, following the musical development of the child prodigy over a seven year period, was screened at schools across Abu Dhabi as part of the Festival’s educational programme. The film was produced by internationally acclaimed director Christopher Nupen, who immediately began the seven year filming project after being inspired by the many faceted musician, and was aired last year on UK television channel BBC Four.
Karim has received many accolades including the first prize at the ’Pro Piano International Competition’ (Bucharest, Romania), the second prize and ’Special Audience Award’ at the ’Gradus ad Parnassum International Competition’ (Kaunas, Lithuania), and the ’Best Performance of a 20th Century Work’ and ’Special Audience’ prizes at the ’Junior Franz Liszt International Competition’ (Weimar, Germany).
For the past two weeks, the 6th Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival, organised by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has delighted audiences with a varied and exciting programme of ballet, opera, classical and Arabian music.
The two-week celebration of art and culture has embraced the Festival theme of ‘Bilad al Khair’ of ‘land of blessings’, with a strong community and education programme reaching across the Emirates. More than fifty hugely successful events were held at schools, colleges, universities, concert halls and hotel lobbies across the UAE. These events brought the Festival, and its celebration of the nation, to its widest ever audience and once again confirmed Abu Dhabi’s place as the cultural capital of the UAE.
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