AlUla: Wadi AlFann, or Valley of the Arts, begins its arts and cultural program with the world premiere of “Nine Songs” by Chinese musician, vocalist, and artistic director Rui Fu, with musical director Jocelyn Pook, on Nov. 25-26. Fu’s new work is inspired by the “Chu Ci” or “Songs of Chu,” an ancient anthology of romantic Chinese poetry from the first century BC. The performance also reflects the dramatic landscapes and geological formations found in AlUla. Fu told Arab News: “It comes from a time when humans saw the mountains as kin, and sang to the clouds as if to a lover. “Just as the Chu people of central China made music and wrote poetry to the rivers and forests more than 2,000 years ago, the people of the AlUla heritage region communicated, for many centuries, to their vast deserts and numerous hills through poetry and song.” Jocelyn Pook Fu says the piece was inspired by the convergence of cultures on the ancient Incense Route, a network of roads that extended over 2,000 km to enable the transportation of frankincense and myrrh from Yemen and Oman in the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean. Fu added: “We made our journeys from various backgrounds to meet together in AlUla on the same land, and through the communal process of paying tribute to nature, to explore our differences, exchange common stories, and find new ways to sing, speak, and see.” Rui Fu, who will perform in Nine Songs at Wadi AlFann Fu’s work features the improvisational interpretation of Chinese ethnic musical traditions. She regularly collaborates with musicians from minority tribes in China to explore indigenous practices, using rare instruments. She is also known for singing in her own invented, non-lexical language that goes beyond cultural barriers. Nora Aldabal, executive director of arts and creative industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla, told Arab News: “Rui Fu’s new creation pays homage to the ancestral connection between humankind and nature, inspired by poems devoted to clouds, mountains and rivers. “It therefore resonates powerfully in the unique natural landscape of AlUla and is an important part of Wadi AlFann’s mission to provide unparalleled experiences of art in dialogue with nature.” Wadi AlFann’s initiative is being led by Iwona Blazwick, the former director of London’s Whitechapel Gallery, who has been appointed chair of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s Public Art Expert Panel. The project forms part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 agenda for social and economic change. Following its world premiere at AlUla, “Nine Songs” travels to some of the most prestigious arts festivals across the world, taking in London, New York, Edinburgh, Shanghai, Berlin, and Athens.