Recital Series: Benjamin Bernheim and Carrie-Ann Matheson at Abu Dhabi Festival 2026

This classical recital brings the French tenor Benjamin Bernheim to Abu Dhabi as part of Abu Dhabi Festival 2026. He performs alongside his long-standing artistic partner, the Canadian pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson, in a programme billed as an Arab World Premiere. It is a voice-and-piano evening rather than a staged opera, which keeps the focus on the singing itself.

The programme takes its cue from the pair's Deutsche Grammophon album Douce France and opens with the refinement of French song. It moves from Duparc's mélodies to Chausson's sweeping Poème de l'amour et de la mer. From there it travels through Spanish, Catalan and Argentinian songs and Puccini's lyrical romanze, before closing with French chansons by Trenet, Kosma and Brel.

Bernheim has sung at some of the most prominent occasions in recent memory, including the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris. The Süddeutsche Zeitung described him as having "the most beautiful tenor voice since Luciano Pavarotti". Here he appears in a far more intimate setting than those stages.

The recital takes place at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi, a cultural venue in the centre of the city that has long been associated with the arts, literature and exhibitions. Abu Dhabi is about an hour to an hour and a half by car from Dubai, so the evening works well as a dedicated trip for Dubai residents who want to hear a major international tenor in the capital.

The evening suits lovers of classical music, art song and opera, and anyone curious about French repertoire from the mélodie to the chanson. Expect a seated, attentive recital that moves between different languages and moods, with a repertoire that ranges from the formal to the lyrical and the popular.