FIT FOR A KING

Amanda Holloway visits the Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman’s unique performance venue which blends traditional craftsmanship with bold architectural statements from the country’s ancient past and forward-looking present

Muscat

Amanda Holloway

National treasure: the Royal Opera House Muscat

Modern-day opera houses often reflect the ambitions of their paymasters: all those fantasies in steel and glass designed to look like icebergs, birds or sailing ships. But the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM), an imposing white marble edifice stretching over 80,000 square metres along a tree-lined highway, is an altogether more restrained building. Its blend of Islamic architecture and contemporary craftsmanship reflects the taste of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Anglophile ruler who has brought Oman into the modern world without jettisoning its traditional culture.

Having acquired a love of opera during his education in Britain and travels in Europe, the Sultan wanted to share the pleasure with his people. In 2011, his palatial opera house was inaugurated with Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Turandot conducted by Plácido Domingo. In January 2017, Domingo was back for two gala concerts, singing and conducting the Royal Omani Symphony Orchestra, another of the Sultan’s initiatives. Among the highlights of the fifth-anniversary season was the company’s first home-grown production, Celebrating Oman.