The evening in Katara Cultural Village Opera House on 14 February 2026 will break the norms of listening to classical music. Classical Arabesque is not simply another orchestral show. It is a daring reinvention of Western classics in the prism of Arabic music tradition – an idea that poses a titanic challenge:
What would the classical compositions have sounded like had their composers been plunged into maqams, quarter tones, and Arabic complex rhythms?
This concert provides the answer to this question on the stage, in real time.
Event Details
Event: Classical Arabesque
Date: 14 February 2026
Time: 8:00 PM onwards
Venue: Katara Cultural Village, Opera House
Admission: 6 years and above
Ticketing & Entry Guidelines:
- Tickets must be purchased online in advance.
- No refunds or exchanges permitted.
- Children under 6 are not admitted.
- Seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance.
Venue Protocol:
- Follow seating guidance from QPO representatives.
- Mobile devices must be silenced.
- Flash photography and video recording are strictly prohibited.
- Late arrivals will only be seated during an appropriate break.
- Re-entry is limited to seats near exits.
- No food or beverages allowed inside (water permitted).
Dress Code:
Smart casual. Guests wearing overly informal attire such as shorts or beachwear will not be seated.
Vision based on Music Tradition
The classical Arabesque is an initiative by Ghady Rahbani and Omar Rahbany, both artists who can be said to have been close to the tradition of Arabic music but not afraid to venture into a symphony context. It is not a superficial combination on their part. They do not build Arabic instruments on the Western melodies, but rather recreate the language of music.
The structure of the familiar orchestral is maintained, that is, strings, wood wind, brass, and percussion, but the tonal centre is changed. Arabic maqams are microtonal in nature. Rhythmic patterns also are based on Middle Eastern traditions. The melodic phrasing has emotional undertones that are not common to the traditional European classical musical.
This is not East versus West. East and West in conversation.
Played by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra
The world-renowned Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, which is characterized by accuracy, discipline, and expressiveness, delivers the performance. This enables them to maneuver through complex symphonic pieces and therefore to present such an ambitious idea.
The concert is represented in two parts and lasts about 1 hour and 20 minutes. During that time, we are likely to hear grandiose orchestral phrases, rhythmic play, and silence moments accenting the emotional seriousness of the Arabic melodic expression.
It creates a better experience through the setting. Katara Opera House is renowned because of its good acoustic and architectural beauty. All the notes are clear and it is the ideal place to have a performance whose outcome is so reliant on tonal subtlety and equilibrium.
Why This Concert Matters
Qatar is a country at a cultural crossroad. International influences are interwoven with the regional heritage on a daily basis and Classical Arabesque presents such an identity on the stage. It admires classical orchestration but still admires the richness of Arabic music tradition.
Nothing new in this performance. It is an artistic experimentation based on discipline and profound musical knowledge. It challenges the audience to redefine the meaning of classical music and listen to the recognizable symphonic sound patterns altered by an alternate vocabulary of another culture.
In case you are a lover of orchestral music and want to hear something that is mentally challenging and emotionally diversified, then this concert is the kind of thing that you will enjoy.
An Evening Worth Experiencing
Valentine’s Day is usually associated with the same old plans. There is something more to think about this year. Pass the evening in the atmosphere of music uniting the cultures, traditions, and centuries of artistic development.
Classical Arabesque is not just a performance. It is an interlocution between histories, a point of contact between tonal systems, and a recalling that music has always been transnational, transnational.
You can now book your tickets to all the events in Qatar and you see more events still in Qatar only through QTickets.
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