Music

Beethoven continues to make his mark in the world of new age entertainment

Ludwig van Beethoven’s music has been delighting audiences for hundreds of years, and will continue to captivate music fans when his famous 9th Symphony is performed live by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra at the du Arena in Abu Dhabi on February 5 as part of the Abu Dhabi Classics 2020 series.

Over 100 musicians and 70 vocalists will combine on the night to perform one of the world’s best-known pieces from the classical music canon. While some experts can immediately tell the difference between Beethoven and other great composers, we can all identify classical pieces that the German composer Beethoven wrote, feeling the nostalgia every time we hear these pieces as they evoke memories of blockbuster movies or pop songs we grew up listening to.

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony has featured in no less than seven films, including Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 dystopian classic A Clockwork Orange and Dead Poets Society, the 1989 coming of age drama featuring Robin Williams, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, as well as Bruce Willis action flick Die Hard (1988) and even Jim Carrey’s goofball comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). The wide variation in movie genre that adapted Beethoven’s 9th Symphony highlights the timeless message and values the German composer covered when he released his last Symphony in 1824.

Symphony No.9 is not the sole Beethoven piece to find its way into modern day cinemas. His symphony No3 featured on Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation, while Symphony No.5 accompanies John Hughes’ teen drama The Breakfast Club (1985), as well as Academy award-winning romantic drama Howards End (1992), comedy Goldmember (2002) and Charlie Brown and the gang in The Peanuts Movie (2015).

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.8 has featured in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) among others while Für Elise, which was published 40 years after his death in 1867, features in a wide variety of movies – from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), through to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012), Patch Adams (1998) and cult horror Rosemary’s Baby (1968).

In addition, the cinema industry celebrated the life and talent of Beethoven in Immortal Beloved of 1994. Director Bernard Rose sampled some of the greatest pieces that Beethoven produced throughout his life to complement the plot of the biography film. Away from the big screen, Beethoven’s works have featured in contemporary music, with hip hop artists Wu Tang Clan sampling Sonata No. 8 Pathétique in Impossible (1997) and rapper Nas using the Für Elise in I Can (2002), with British electronic dance duo The Chemical Brothers incorporating the Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major for The Salmon Dance (2007).

Billy Joel’s This Night (1983) uses the same melody as Beethoven’s Sonata no.8 Pathétique while the late, great Beatles legend John Lennon also revealed that Abbey Road track Because was put together after listening to the Moonlight Sonata with Yoko Ono.

Tickets for the below events are on sale exclusively from www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. For further information please visit www.abudhabimusic.ae and www.dctabudhabi.ae.

AL AIN OASIS FUN RUN 2,5km & 5km | 5yr +

An amazing fun run in the heart of Al Ain City, in the tranquil Al Ain Oasis with a 3.000 year old falaj irrigation system, featuring a series of mesmerising water channels.

The date palm oasis is one of a growing number of ecosystems in the UAE that have been formally recognised by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The oasis has been designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) and the FAO has explicitely praised the UAE’s active conservation efforts on various occasions.

A great mix of family, heritage, fun and fitness. Register here: https://www.premieronline.com/ event/al_ain_oasis_run_5072

RACE PREPARATION

Making the call

• Make the decision. Decide you are going to race, this is always the first and most important step.

Set a goal, pick a race & register.

• Set a goal on why you want to run and what you would like to accomplish from racing. It could be anything from the experience, challenging yourself, run a faster time, see how fast you can run or simply as an active social activity, just to run with family and friends. Whatever it is know your why...

Once you have a goal, it's easier to decide on the distances, dates or type of races you would like to participate in, decide on your race and get registered.

Practice & plan

• Make sure you get some training in to prepare for your race, go out a couple of times in the week for some running training just to condition your body and mind for the upcoming race. Training duration and frequency will mostly depend of the type of race, as well as your daily routine, work, family, etc...so it is important to have a training plan that easily fits into your daily routine and you may have to be as adaptable as possible. We would recommend 20-45 mins of running 2-3 times a week for a 5km race.

The Day Before

• Rest well and eat well...you will need to get in more carbohydrates to boost up your energy reserves, get sufficient rest, and stay hydrated. • Get your race clothes ready, ideally this should be clothes you are comfortable running in and have used them in your practice runs...this is not the time to experiment on new shoes and attire, stick your tried and tested outfits and most importantly should be comfortable.

Race Day

• Get to the venue nice early to sign in and collect your race pack if there are any provided. Do some warm and stretches in preparation for your run.

Stay upbeat & positive!!!

• Hydrate, before, during and after the race. • Don’t eat anything heavy within two hours of the race. While different meals work for different runners, as a general rule of thumb, your meal should contain mostly carbs, a little protein, and a limited amount of fiber and fat. Here are a few tried-andtrue prerace meals: a toasted bagel with peanut butter and a banana; an energy bar with a cup of fruit; or oatmeal topped with berries and a handful of nuts.

TOP TIP

• Stick to your plan...manage your pace and listen to your body.

YOUR RACE, YOUR PACE.

Relax and enjoy the run!!!

Simba Chikona Performance Coach | Fitness Edge™