Qatar German 2017 Year of Culture Concert struck a chord with a full house of musical enthusiasts. At the the Fifty Fifty Concert earlier this month, presented by the Doha Youth and Junior Choir with a visiting choir from Germany, the Magdeburg Knabenchor, hosted at the German International School of Doha, audiences experienced a magical musical extravaganza.
The concert engaged each one of its audience, from music professionals to amateurs, in an experience so powerful that it was difficult to disregard the effect of the music. There was a feeling of heightened expectation in the audience, an excitement about what was to come, perhaps the preparation of the venue and the intent on the faces of the young singers had something to do with it.
The venue twinkled and sparkled, the ambience of a school hall totally masked by clever lighting and backdrops. The evening had added stimulus with the presence of officials from the Qatar Museums Authority, represented by Mohammed Nasser al-Othman, and the German Ambassador Hans Udo Muzel who formally opened the concert.
From behind the audience rose this beautiful sound, and the Doha Youth Choir processed onto the stage singing a simple yet poignant Asalaam Aleykum arranged by their director Alena Pyne.
The voices of the singers of DYC, crystal clear and in perfect harmony, carried the message of unity and cultural understanding directly to the hearts of the listeners. Doha Youth Choir tackled songs from around the world in different languages and the variety of songs, touched on the universal message of music that brings communities together.
Under the direction of the talented Pyne’s hands, the singers, ranging from 11 to 18 years, sang softly, showing great vocal technique and control. Their voices seemed to swell so beautifully from loud and back to soft, like waves lapping on the seashore, never hesitating a moment. The reverberations created by the tuned glasses that added to the beautiful music of The Stars, one of the songs sung by DYC, literally moved the listeners to ecstasy.
These singers, according to Pyne, will travel to Latvia to perform with the National Choir School in Riga later this month where they will sing these and the rendition of Ah Ya Zein that is beautifully arranged by their director – these young people will do Qatar proud.
Mohammed Nasser al-Othman, Director of Public and International Relations at Qatar Museums Authority, also expressed his views on the event. “The Fifty Fifty concert was a beautiful evening, expressing musically the special ties between our two countries. The visiting Magdeburg Knabenchor gave a great concert of traditional German choral music. Our own Doha Youth & Junior Choirs performed superbly in Arabic, Georgian, Latvian, German, Serbian and the Junior Choir’s performance of the New Zealand war dance – the Haka – was delightful. However, the ethereal sound of the tuned glasses together with Doha Youth Choir’s voices has remained with me ever since, it was remarkable,” said al-Othman.
“We express our thanks to Alena Pyne and all who were involved for presenting such a fitting concert to celebrate our two countries. Qatar Museum Authority wishes the Doha Youth Choir Mabrook as they prepare to represent Qatar in Latvia later this month.”
The third group to perform on the night was the Doha Junior Choir, a considerably younger choir, both in terms of the ages of the singers and experience, as this Choir was formed just under two years ago They gave another beautiful performance of simple songs culminating with a surprising New Zealand war dance and folk song.
The second half comprised the visiting choir Magdeburg Knabenchor who sang a very traditional German choral programme including young boy sopranos in their mix. The choir ages spanned from eight years to 39 years old. The tenor and bass arranged songs were magnificent, their voices blended in perfect harmony and although there was some imprecision in the younger voices, they gave a great performance of German, French and Italian choral repertoire.
The concert closed with Estonian Arvo Pärt’s Summer Waltz, performed by all the choirs, 100 voices on the stage, accompanied by some string players from Qatar Music Academy. This was a fitting and joyous end to an outstanding concert. A musical extravaganza that made the crowd wishing for more.
The choir tackled songs from around the world in different languages and the variety of songs touched on the universal message of music that brings communities together.
