The brass band during their performance as part of the German-Qatari Cultural Weeks last night at the Waqif Art Center.

BY RAYNALD C RIVERA

DOHA: Five young talented members of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra took the audience in a musical journey through the works of famous composers in different periods during a brass band concert at the Waqif Art Centre (WAC) last night.

The five-man brass band filled the WAC hall with magna opera of musical greats including J B Bach, G F Haendel, J. Strau, and Leonard Bernstein during the one-hour show which was part of the series of events in line with the ‘German-Qatari Cultural Weeks’ celebration.

The blending of trumpets, trombone, French horn, and tuba generated beautiful melodies that reverberated the walls of the WAC entertaining the audience composed of Asians and Europeans, including German Ambassador Dr Dirk Baumgartner who graced the event.

The band enthralled the audience by playing wide-ranging classical compositions resonating from as early as the 1400s.

Joris Laenen, one of the musicians said the concert did not delve into a definite theme, type of music or period because they wanted to offer the audience the widest array of music to enjoy.

“We wanted to introduce music lovers in Qatar to a variety of compositions written in different times. Our repertoire covered music genres from renaissance to baroque to romantic and even popular jazz,” explained Joris Laenen, one of the members of the five-man brass band.

Considering the diversity of the audience, Laenen said by playing different genres listeners would be able to relate and appreciate them in various magnitudes.

He found the concert interesting and a new experience having been used to playing in a big orchestra, the QPO comprising over a hundred members under the baton of a conductor.

Playing in a smaller ensemble gives musicians more freedom to perform and create their own music, according to Laenen.