On the back of what is already a sold-out concert of Marcel Khalife and Rami Khalife on April 16, the crescendo of symphonies refuses to scale down with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) presenting an irresistible platter of performances with the Festival of Music on April 22.
The day-long musical celebration – tickets are available on the QPO website – at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) begins with the Music of Mozart at 2pm. The 45-minute performance at the QNCC Foyer will see Alie Bekirova, violin; Lilya Bekirova, violin; Victor Sumenkov, viola; Hassan Moataz El Molla, cello; and Mihai Ichim, double bass, perform Mozart’s gems such as Serenade No. 13 for strings in G Major, K. 525, Eine kleine Nachtmusik; Divertimento in D Major, K. 136; and Carlos Gardel’s tango piece Por una Cabeza.
A family concert titled Carnival of the Animals will be performed from 2:30pm to 3:15pm at the QNCC Theatre by Ozgur Mert, piano; Ai Moser, piano; Christoph Schmitz, narrator; and Tamara Schäfer, shadow theatre. The Carnival of the Animals or Le Carnaval Des Animaux is a musical suite of fourteen movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. Here’s what in store: Introduction and Royal March of the Lion, Hens and Roosters, Wild Asses: Swift Animals, Tortoises, The Elephant, Kangaroos, Aquarium, Personages with Long Ears, The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods, Aviary, Pianists, Fossils, The Swan, and the Finale.
Next up at 3:15pm is the 45-minute set ‘Mozart Serenade for Woodwind Octet’ at the QNCC Foyer. The piece that will be performed is Mozart’s Serenade No. 12 for woodwind octet in C Minor, K. 388/K. 384a.
At 4pm, for the first time, Qatar Music Academy (QMA) students join the QPO on stage, both as soloists and as orchestra players. Led by conductor Giovanni, Tricia Enlin Ng, violin; David Sztankov, horn; Sebastian Tia, piano; Talin Rimoun F. Jouzi, qanun; Nader Abd al-Salam, oud; Lubna Hassanain, nay; Sami Bou Ghanem, percussion; and Chloe Adelaja, percussion, will dive into everything from Tchaikovsky to Haydn to Vivaldi to Brahms at the QNCC Theatre.  
The foyer, at 4:30pm, will host the music of Attia and Mohamed Sharara, as the latter will be on the violin, joined by Islam Nour Eldin El Hefnawy, violin; Islam Abd Elaziz, viola; and Hassan Moataz El Molla, cello.
In Music from Star Wars and Other Movies – from 5:30pm to 6:30pm – at the QNCC Theatre, conductor David Niemann will helm the orchestra through some scintillating OST pieces – Lalo Schifrin: Music from Mission Impossible; Jerry Horner: Music from Titanic: My Heart Will Go On; John Barry: Music from Goldfinger; Hans Zimmer: Music from Pirates of the Caribbean; John Williams: From Harry Potter: Hedwig´s Theme; Henry Mancini From Breakfast at Tiffany’s: Moon River; and John Williams: Star Wars Suite.
Continuing in the same vein, Film Music for Chamber Ensemble will bathe the foyer in the lush instrumentals of Camille Saint-Saëns: From Samson and Delilah: Bacchanale; Henry Mancini: Salute to Mancini; Jerry Horner: Music from The Mask of Zorro; Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion; Astor Piazzolla: Libertango; Bob Thiele and George David Weiss: What a Wonderful World; Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey: Music from Grease; Quincy Jones: Soul Bossa Nova; and     : Zorba’s Dance. The pieces will be brought to life by Cinemoon Ensemble featuring Lorena Manescu, violin; Raluca Stancel, violin; Islam Nour El-Hefnawy, violin; Merve Kenet-Bulun, viola; Ines Wein, viola; Hassan Moataz El Molla, cello; Radu Lucian Mihaescu, double bass; and Ferdinand Schäfer, percussion.
To close the Festival of Music is ‘Carmen… Boheme… And the 1812 Overture’ from 7:30pm to 10pm, at the QNCC Theatre. Featuring David Niemann, conductor; Felicitas Fuchs, soprano; and Bechara Moufarrej, tenor; the ensemble extravaganza will feature works of Georges Bizet – From Carmen: Act 1: Prelude, Je dis que rien ne m`épouvante (Michaela’s aria); Act 3: Entr’Acte, La fleur que tu m’avais jetée; and From Suite No. 2: Danse Bohème.
The performance will also feature pieces by Giuseppe Verdi – From La Traviata: Prelude to Act I, Parigi, o cara; Giacomo Puccini – From La Bohème: Che gelida manina, and Si. Mi chiamano Mimi; Alexander Borodin – From Prince Igor: Polowetsian Dances; Mikhail Glinka – Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmilla; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – From Eugen Onegin: Polonaise, and Kuda, Kuda; and Charles Gounod – From Romeo and Juliet: Je veux vivre; and even Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Op. 49.