Inside the ornate Goldsmiths’ Hall near St Paul’s, one of Britain’s finest opera singers, Dame Sarah Connolly, is performing a snippet of a new work. As her powerful voice fills the room, busts of George III and George IV gaze on, and chandeliers filled with real candles flicker by the ceiling.
It’s mostly what you might expect of a western classical music concert. All except for one thing: the words Dame Sarah singing are in Arabic. Goldsmiths’ Hall was host to a showcase for the new opera Zarqa Al Yamama, the first grand opera to be produced by Saudi Arabia, and the world’s largest grand opera in Arabic.
