The Kennedy Center - Opera House (Washington, DC)
Lorin Maazel conducts the Arab and western musicians of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in their international debut program at the Kennedy Center Opera House. They'll be performing two new works by their Artistic Director Marcel Khalifé, and Beethoven's immortal Fifth Symphony.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last date listed for Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Beethoven's Fifth was Tuesday February 24, 2009 / 7:30pm. (view all dates)
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I rate the musicality of the event at the highest level. Beautiful music with interesting instruments I've never heard before, all part of the "Arabesque" fest at the Kennedy; and conducted expertly by Maazel. And being in the Kennedy is always a treat. There were a couple of glitches, both unexplained: The restless audience, and the orchestra, waited for maybe 10 minutes after tuning up, for the conductor to appear on the stage with the solo ensemble. In the second half, after Beethoven's 5th, I was anxious to hear more of the scheduled Arabian composer's (Kalife) music. However, Maazel "announced" that if "you're not going to applaud, we're not going to play an encore", then launched into a spirited Rimsky Korsakov (I think); never any explanation of what happened to the final scheduled piece. Rumblings thru the audience indicated some problem with the composer, who had been in the audience and came on stage at the end of the first half.
There were a couple of inexplicable things about this performance - a delayed start and a deviation from the program (omitting the last number). But, to be honest, had it been announced that composer Maurice Khalife was NOT going to perform at the end, I might well have left - before - the Beethoven - since that's not why I went to hear the Qatar Phil. That said, hearing the Beethoven confirmed that this is, in fact, a first rate symphony orchestra in any genre.
I was going just expecting the fifth and nothing much else, but I really enjoyed the Arabic music they played. I think I liked that part more than Beethoven's fifth.
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The Opera House is the second-largest theater in the Center, with 2,300 seats. It was designed for ballet, opera, and musical theater. Over the years, the Opera House has welcomed dozens of the world's great dance and opera companies and has hosted some of the most important artistic events of the last quarter century. With its distinctive red and gold silk curtain, a gift from Japan, and the e
Website: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=...
Based in Doha, Qatar, the newly formed Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Marcel Khalifé, music director and resident composer, makes its international debut. Maestro Lorin Maazel, Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, conducts the Arab and western musicians of the orchestra in a program that includes Beethoven's powerful and ageless Symphony No. 5 and two new works by Khalifé: Arabian Concerto and Salute.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, located on 17 acres overlooking the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., is America's living memorial to President Kennedy as well as the nation's busiest arts facility, presenting more than 2,000 performances each year. The Center is home to seven theaters: the Concert Hall, the Opera House, the Eisenhower Theater, the Family Theater, the Terrace Theater, the Theater Lab, and the Terrace Gallery. In addition, as part of the Kennedy Center's Performing Arts for Everyone outreach program, free performances take place each evening at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage. In addition to offering annual series of the National Symphony Orchestra, theater, ballet, dance, chamber music, jazz, and performances for young audiences, the Kennedy Center presents festivals celebrating the arts and culture of countries and regions around the world. Recent festivals include African Odyssey, AmericArtes, Festival of China, and JAPAN: culture + hyperculture.