ON TOP OF THEIR GAME: Featuring a cool mix of Bavarian brass music, chartbusters, and classic rock and pop, Harthauser Musi pulled off a thoroughly entertaining show.       Photos by the author

By Anand Holla

 

In a large hall bustling with the festive energy of live music and flavoursome food and drinks enjoyed on a long line of tables draped in blue and white checkers, Oktoberfest dazzled Doha on its cheery opening night on Wednesday.

Decked up in cobalt blue and snow white – colours of the flag of the German state of Bavaria – the Al Jawhara ballroom at InterContinental Doha The City was bathed in light-footed exuberance.

Going merely by the sights of smiles and sounds of laughter and cheer across the hall, the merry atmosphere seemed to have successfully mirrored that of the original Oktoberfest.

As the popular nine-piece Bavarian band Harthauser Musi swung into one groovy number after another, the hall-full of patrons sang along, danced, jumped about, and of course, ate and drank to their fill – and then some more.

While a wide variety of traditional German food such as bratwurst (sausage), schnitzel (meat delicacy), and spaetzle (dumplings) along with breads and pretzels were served in live cooking stations, classic Oktoberfest beverages such as Spaten and Franziskaner were runaway hits, too.

The celebration played out as deliciously on everyone’s plates as it did on the stage as the traditional marching band-turned-contemporary orchestra ensemble stormed through the night. Featuring a cool mix of Bavarian brass music, international chartbusters, and classic rock and pop, Harthauser Musi pulled off a thoroughly entertaining show.

Sample some of the tracks they played: Sweet Home Alabama, Highway to Hell, Eye of the Tiger, Living next door to Alice, Summer of ’69, YMCA, The Chicken Dance. During a break from their performance, Michael Josef Marx, the lead singer of Harthauser Musi, said, “The atmosphere here is truly amazing and we all are having a great time performing here.”

Harthauser Musi has performed at Oktoberfests around the world so regularly that it is often referred to as an international Oktoberfest band. The once-traditional brass band has metamorphosed into a feisty party force complete with clarinets, trumpets, bugles, guitars, and drums, boasting of an international repertoire.

Oktoberfest, the world’s largest funfair is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The 16-day festival that sees more than six million people from around the world attending the event every year, has been an integral part of Bavarian culture ever since it kicked off in 1810. Modelled on this, various cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations – including Doha.

So without further ado, head straight to where the party tonight is at – the last night of Oktoberfest with Harthauser Musi.