By Peter Townson
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) celebrated its one year anniversary last night, dazzling an audience of invitees with superb performances of various classical pieces as well as the premiere of the first Qatari-composed symphony by Haamed Naama.
The evening was preceded over by the conductor, Nader Abbassi who has led the QPO on a number of occasions with great success.
Qatar Foundation vice-president, Saif al-Hajiri addressed the audience prior to the concert, expressing his pleasure at seeing the dream of the orchestra being realised one year ago, and praising everyone involved for the success during its first year.
“One year ago these musicians were living all over the world, and today they are all here under one umbrella to combine the creativity of the West with the promise of the East,” he said, adding “and we promise much more to come in the next years.”
He was followed by composer Marcel Khalife who spoke about the importance of music and the arts in transcending borders and nationalities, and its power in connecting people.
His speech was immediately followed by the opening piece of the concert, which was Khalife’s own work, “Salute.” Opening with a beautiful violin solo, the piece – which was specially commissioned for the QPO’s inaugural year’s concerts – moved into a wonderful example of a classical opera creating an Arabian sound.
The next piece to be played was Naama’s “Doha Secrets Symphony,” and the Qatari-themed piece, focusing on the development of Doha, went down particularly well with the audience, which included a large number of local music enthusiasts.
The four movements of the symphony took the audience on a journey through history, presenting the past of Qatar and the decision by the “Prince of Peace” HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, to advance into the future, as well as the efforts of people in Qatar to get behind this mission and move forwards together.
This was Naama’s intention, and it seems he managed to achieve it. The audience leapt to their feet after the final note of the fourth movement, giving the performance a standing ovation and welcoming the composer onto the stage, where he remained for an encore.
The orchestra then proceeded to play three well known pieces, Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” from the Nutcracker Suite, Khachaturian’s “Masquerade” and Jose Pablo Moncayo’s “Huapango.”
All three were played expertly, and the audience sounded their appreciation after each, before hearing the “surprise” which was left out of the programme notes.
Organisers of the concert had previously remained tight-lipped about the programme for the evening, promising that there would be a special treat at the end of the night.
So it was left to the conductor, Abbassi to explain the concert was a chance to say happy birthday to the orchestra, both from the audience in Doha, as well as in the style of various famous composers.
He then led them into a number of variations on the famous birthday tune in the style of artists such as Puccini, Bizet, Wagner, Verdi and Schubert.
This surprise certainly went down well with the audience who sounded their appreciation and amusement as the orchestra played the same tune in such a large variety of styles.
As well as giving music lovers the chance to hear some of their favourite pieces played live throughout the evening, the selection of music clearly highlighted the extensive cultural diversity the orchestra represents and their intention to enhance Qatar’s cultural landscape. Taking the audience from Lebanon, to Qatar, through Russian, Armenia and then Mexico, the orchestra managed to lead them on a cultural journey through the medium of music.
This ‘journey’ has always been one of the major inspirations for the orchestra and its founders, and last night was a clear indication of just how far music can take its audience.
But perhaps the highlight for many attendees was hearing a Qatari composition in the same lineup as such well-known pieces of music. The “Doha Secrets Symphony” represents a major step for the QPO, and is a clear indication of the kind of opportunity the orchestra has brought to Qatari musicians, as well as audiences here.
To have achieved as much as the QPO has in the past year is certainly worth recognising, and it was definitely a major achievement to hear a Qatari composer’s work on a night that Doha wished happy birthday to one of its newest, but most promising initiatives. Bravo! |
