West-Eastern Divan: Opera in Oman
A magnificent building with traditional Arabic architecture and cutting edge hi tech opened its doors two years ago in Muscat, the capital of Oman. Since then, the Royal Opera House Muscat has attracted Omanis, foreign business people and tourists alike, with a repertory that includes popular Italian operas, ballet performance, and oriental music. The opera house is a gift from Sultan Qaboos, who has ruled in Oman since 1970. Like the country, so does the opera company perform a balancing act between the preservation of traditional values of the region and opening up to the West. One person in the epicenter of the cultural mix is the CEO of the Royal Opera House Muscat, Christina Scheppelmann, who is a native of Germany. Georg Hirsch visited the opera house in the desert state.
Listen (in German)
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