Opera

As a British composer living in Dubai since 2007 I have been keen to see Western classical music become a more
highly valued part of the Middle East arts scene and to create meaningful connections with the region in my
compositional work. This approach has led to some unique opportunities, from writing an orchestral work to
celebrate the building of the Burj Khalifa, music for HM The Queen’s visit to Abu Dhabi in 2010; to ‘Flare’, a Dubai
Opera commission for the first BBC Proms Dubai based on ‘Oil Field’, a short story by Saudi writer Mohammed
Hasan Alwan.

‘My Beautiful Camel’ was born of a desire to create an opera genuinely from Dubai, with a story revolving around
known elements from the UAE and written specifically to connect with the local population who were not largely
opera goers. I therefore sought out subject matter that felt relevant to the widest body of Emiratis. Realising that
it would be helpful if the opera was a comedy, I was drawn by the possible complications arising from local interest
in the international fashion industry and its love of beauty pageants for camels. I then came up with the idea of a
event that goes spectacularly wrong when an event company tasked to put on an international fashion show
accidentally puts on a camel fashion parade instead. I know first-hand how easy it is for misunderstandings to
arise in this part of the world. Events regularly teeter on the edge of catastrophe for more than a fleeting moment.
Dubai is also a place that doesn’t particularly heed the time frames required to deliver leading international quality
events. ‘It will be tomorrow’, is a statement we all dread. So this idea has roots in an all-too-plausible reality.

David Pountney created the libretto from my story and brought structural definition and characterisation to the
tale. He introduced some great elements: the two preening ‘Fashionistas’ one of whom is styled as Karl Lagerfeld;
a trio, the Joys, who always sing in the style of the Andrews sisters; and the two Saudi Abduls, the second who
always repeats the words of the first (low bass followed by squeaky alto). David’s ideas gave me lots of room for
musical manoeuvre and creativity.

The musical line-up of nine instrumentalists was determined by a need to create two key ensemble sonorities,
that of a small big-band and that of a pseudo-Arabic chamber ensemble. The Arabic band is not required to play
quarter-tones but does reproduce some of the dance material one finds in Gulf music at various moments.