Masrah Al Qasba- Theatre hosted the fourth and fifth nights on Sunday and Monday of the Sharjah World Music Festival (SWMF 2016), organised by Furat Qaddouri Music Center and sponsored by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq). Stefano Di Battista, Italian Jazz Saxophonist, took over the stage for the fourth night of the festival and entertained the audience with his beautiful melodies. In true Italian spirit, Battista began the evening by enchanting the audience with his melodies along with the other band members on the piano, double bass and drums, the evening was filled with sound of romance.Battista performed a solo piece that he dedicated to Coco Chanel, the renowned French fashion designer, and then brought the night to an end by heading into the audience as he played harmonious tunes on his saxophone with the audience clapping, singing and clicking along.On the fifth night of the festival, famous Hungarian violinist, Jozsef Lendvai, entertained the audience with the world's best contemporary and classical music. Armed with one of the oldest violins in the world, a 300-year-old 1693 Stradivari worth 5 million euros, Lendvai performed a combination of traditional and modern music.
The audience was enchanted as he thrashed out European folk music from different cities, and then moved smoothly into classical tunes. Lendvai also played a passionate solo on his violin, the beauty of which left the audience in stunned silence, taking them several seconds to recover and erupt into applause. Lendvai and his quartet brought the evening to a cheerful end by playing a smooth harmony from Transylvania about hope.
About the SWMF 2016
The third Sharjah World Music Festival’s main sponsors are Zee Alwan and Zee Aflam channels, and Al Zahia (the first gated community project in Sharjah undertaken by Sharjah Holding Company). The Government of Sharjah and the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority are the golden sponsors, and the Emirates Neon Group is the co-sponsor. The festival was launched in Al Qasba in 2014. Owing to its great success, the second edition was expanded to include five venues; Al Majaz Amphitheatre, Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Qasba, the Heart of Sharjah and The Flag Island. By organising the festival, the Furat Qaddouri Music Center aims to raise the artistic and cultural profile of Sharjah and the UAE, introduce the local community to various musical cultures from other parts of the world and add a new milestone to the emirate's rich portfolio of cultural, artistic and tourist achievements by hosting major art, cultural and heritage festivals throughout the year.
About the performers
Stefano Di Battista, who was born in 1969 in Rome, is an Italian jazz saxophonist who plays soprano and alto. He recreates a bit of jazz history with his blazing fast technique while adding tender ballads within. At the age of 21, he graduated with honors from Rome Conservatory. In a few years, he proceeded to work as a soloist associating with famous musicians from around the world. Jozsef Lendvai was born in Budapest in 1974, and began learning to play the violin at the age of five. At the age of eight he became a student of Franz List Academy of Music, Budapest, in professor Miklos Szenthelyi’s class of violin. Lendvai is one of the world’s most outstanding contemporary violinists, and has won several awards, most notably the first prize in the Tibor Varga International Violin competition for violinists in Switzerland, and the Classic Music Award.