Giovanni Pasini, conductor of the two concerts, Broadway and Film Music and Peter and The Wolf
Doha: The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) kicks off its new season with a jam-packed schedule of concerts in September, featuring everything from the most well-known Mozart symphonies to modern and classical Broadway and film music.
The season began with the Gulf folk meets Philharmonic in a musical concert last week. It combined Western orchestral music with conventional folk genres from the Gulf in an effort to improve and preserve regional music.
Four concerts will be held this month: Broadway and Film Music on September 9 at Pre-University Education Theatre, Education City; The Philharmonic at the Library: Schubert Octet on September 14 at the Qatar National Library; Peter and The Wolf on September 16, and Mozart’s Piano Concert No. 20 on September 23.
The last two concerts will be held at the Hamilton International School Theatre in Mesaimeer.
Giovanni Pasini, conductor of the two concerts, Broadway and Film Music and Peter and The Wolf told The Peninsula that “the beauty of QPO is it being capable to be so versatile and flexible in order to reach out to a very diverse public with an extremely diversified, high quality musical offer”.
“On the 9th [Broadway and Film Music], we will present an explosive mix of broadway and film soundtracks classics; the superb French soprano Fabienne Conrad will join us and I am sure we’ll make all the millennials in the hall grin... and not only them!,” Pasini explained.
Performers during the Broadway and Film Music set on September 9 are Ahmed El Helou as the narrator; Fabienne Conrad, vocals; Merve Kenet-Bulun, creative supervisor; CineMoon Ensemble, and members of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. CineMoon is a member of the said orchestra.
The show is a Broadway and Film Music Concert with inspiration from the silver screen. Feel the excitement and nostalgia of the music from popular musicals like Grease, James Bond, Chicago, Aladdin, Mamma Mia!, and many other blockbusters.
“One of the main tasks of any professional music ensemble anywhere in the world is to raise awareness towards music and complex music structures among the youngest generation, and QPO is no exception. Music stimulates imagination and creativity, and one of the best pieces to start one’s journey into classical music is without a doubt, the “Peter and the Wolf” by Russian composer Prokoviev,” said Pasini who is also the conductor of the September 16 Peter and the Wolf concert.
The conductor explained that each character of the story is associated to an instrument and a melody, and as the story evolves these melodies and instruments interacts with each-other’s following the story narrated by the magnetic Christoph Schmitz.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for your children to hear catchy tunes and learn all about the orchestra!.”
The opening performance of the orchestra at the library series for 2022–23 is the Schubert Octet, scheduled on September 14. Schubert’s Octet in F Major will be performed by eight QPO members as a group. This well-known masterpiece, which has six movements, exudes gentle warmth of expression and lyrical beauty from the first note to the very last.
Performers for this concert are Joo Young Oh and Mohamed Oweda, both on violin; Giovanni Pasini, viola; Hassan Moataz El Molla, cello; Sandor Onodi, double bass; Rony Moser, clarinet; Daniel Hrinda, bassoon; and Gideon Seigenberg, horn.
And the Mozart’s Piano Concert No. 2 on September 23 features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466; and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op. 64.
One of Mozart’s few compositions in a minor key is the Piano Concerto in D Minor, which is also his stormiest concerto. It was the first of six magnificent works for piano and orchestra that were written between 1785 and 1786. It was regarded as Beethoven-like by critics of the 19th century, the highest level of praise during the period, and a moody epoch to the Romantic Era.
