Rembrandt Exhibition in Muscat

The Rembrandt Exhibition of etchings in Muscat is about half way through its life. Walking through a replica of his rebuilt home in Amsterdam the prints are displayed around the Ballroom wall of the Grand Hyatt .While the entrance adds a touch of drama to a visit – the Ballroom is so large, and the prints so small; that they loose the intimacy that they probably deserve.

Rembrandt Exhibition

Bentley and Rolls-Royce in Muscat Oman

The Al Bandar Hotel is a great destination for Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars at the end of their Arabian Gulf Adventure.

 

 

Rolls-Royce driving through Oman’s mountains

Arriving into Qatar they drove into the UAE and then into Muscat – via Nizwa . Probably the Shangri-la will have to wait a very long time before such a superb queue waits to check in again.

The Spirit of Ecstasy in Al Bandar’s car park

Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra

 

Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra

Simon Wright was the guest conductor for last night’s Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra performance at Al Bustan. He has been a guest conductor for many renowned orchestras – so Oman was fortunate in having a man who is used to quickly getting a good performance from new teams. The orchestra, established in 1985, seemed to have a greater mix of non-Omanis than I had noticed previously and a female Omani principal violin, again new to me .

The program consisted of the overture from Verdi’s Nabucco followed by Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances (1) a Baroque cum Medieval suite. The second half was Sibelius’s first symphony a nice contrast to the first half – though I enjoyed the first half more.