One Thousand and One Nights is likely one of the best-known collections of stories in the world, and one that has captivated authors, artists and musicians for centuries. While rooted in Arabic culture, the stories have a universality that captivates us all. This concert presents a retelling by authors and writers from a range of backgrounds from diverse UK voices to the Arabic world, alongside Rimsky-Korsakov’s well-loved music.
Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his own retelling of One Thousand and One Nights, taking the name of the heroine Scheherazade as his title and inspiration. The music, while not attempting a direct telling of the stories the movements are named after, is full of the colours and sounds that Rimsky-Korsakov imagined from the stories in One Thousand and One Nights.
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade
City of London Sinfonia
Ben Gernon Conductor
Ruth Padel Author/Narrator
DBC Pierre Author/Narrator
Daljit Nagra Author/Narrator
Hanan al-Shaykh Author/Narrator
Enter below to win two tickets to Scheherazade: A Retelling for Our Times by City of London Sinfonia at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre on Sunday 1 December. The winner will also receive a signed copy of The Occasional Virgin, the latest book by Hanan al-Shaykh.