A challenge that has surpassed all expectations! emblematic success for Tamerlano international premiere in Dubai by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation. This achievement takes on a very high value and meaning for all of us.
It was a demanding operation from an artistic, technical and logistical standpoint (more than three hundred artists, technicians, and workers traveled from far and wide), which required years of preparation, a lot of work, determination, inspiration and great vision on the part of those who supported the project from the very beginning!
The result is moving, affirming the value and importance of culture and art today more than ever in a rapidly changing world.
Always seeking new languages, new horizons, new audiences. Heartfelt thanks to everyone for this dream come true.
Right in Dubai, symbol of the new world built on a love of progress, stands Tamerlano, who made Uzbekistan a center of intellectual and artistic splendor, the beating heart of the millennia-old Silk Road. A bridge between ancient and modern, toward a future of constant growth.
10 – 11 Jan 2026 presented by Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation“Handel’s Baroque orchestration enriched by the colours and timbres of Uzbek traditional instruments, reimagined in a new musical version by celebrated composer Kirill Richter.”
For the first time in Dubai, one of Handel’s most powerful operas will be performed in a new cross-cultural reimagining, uniting European Baroque tradition with the musical heritage of Central Asia.
Tamerlano has arrived to Dubai Opera in a spectacular large-scale staging that reinterprets Handel’s 1724 masterpiece through the creative vision of world-renowned Italian director Stefano Poda.
Inspired by the historical figure of Amir Temur (Tamerlane), the opera tells a story of love, power, and destiny — a deeply human drama between conquerors and kings, set at the crossroads of cultures.
This monumental production features more than 160 artists on stage, including the acclaimed National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan, performing together with the State Choir, the Uzbegim ensemble, and the Orchestra of National Instruments.
The result is a sound world that bridges the West and the East — Handel’s Baroque orchestration enriched by the colours and timbres of Uzbek traditional instruments, reimagined in a new musical version by celebrated composer Kirill Richter.
A Unique Artistic Vision
The production, commissioned by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, is conceived by director Stefano Poda, whose holistic artistic approach merges direction, stage design, costumes, lighting, and choreography into one unified aesthetic language.
Visually inspired by Timurid architecture and symbolism, the staging offers a poetic dialogue between history and modernity — an immersive theatrical experience that transcends borders.
The National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan, under the baton of Honoured Artist of Uzbekistan Alibek Kabdurakhmanov, leads the performance with remarkable artistry, joined by a constellation of international soloists and dancers from the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi .
Stefano Poda – Ph.Federico de Bartolo
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