CineMoon Ensemble and members of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s (QPO) “Broadway and Film Music” event is an inventive work of art that thrills and delights delightfully. It is exhilarating, thrilling, and a juggernaut musical. This lavish evening of entertainment whisks us away to the red carpet, the silver screen, and some of the most cherished musicals and contemporary blockbusters.
The most popular songs from the films Grease, James Bond, Chicago, Aladdin, and Mamma Mia will be featured during the performance! The Pre-University Education Theatre in Education City was packed on September 9 for a concert that featured, among other things, family favorites made famous by Hollywood.
Almost 30 songs were featured in the concert including Louis Prima’s “Sing, Sing Sing” (Barrage); followed by “Mambo” (West Side Story) considered one of the greatest musicals of all time; “Could Have Danced All Night” (My Fair Lady); “Greased Lightnin”, “Summer Nights”, “We Go Together” (Grease); “The Music of the Night” (Phantom of the Opera); “Arabian Nights”, “A Whole New World”, “Friend Like Me” (Aladdin); “And All That Jazz”, “Cell Block Tango”, “Roxie”, “We Both Reached For The Gun” (Chicago); “Mamma Mia!”, “Chiquitita”, “Money Money Money” (Mamma Mia); and for the finale – Robert Longfield’s James Bond Theme in the movies Live and Let Die, Nobody Does It Better, Goldfinger, and Skyfall).
The concert is the third installment of CineMoon Ensemble’s Broadway series. Its first concert was in March with the United States Air Forces Central Band (AFCENT) themed “Music Unites” held at Qatar National Library, followed by a show during summer in Türkiye at the ancient city Epheses. CineMoon is a member of QPO.
The performance was superb, witty, and electrifying – it’s a runaway success.
Members of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra backstage
Its first piece featured the song “Sing, Sing, Sing” where the audience took part with the orchestra where they scanned the QR codes that were printed in the programme, and altogether with the band, they sang. “This is the first time in a classical concert in Qatar that the audience was also part of the orchestra, and we felt the togetherness and the power of music,” said Merve Kenet-Bulun, Creative Supervisor of the Broadway and Film Music concert and Founder and Director of the CineMoon Ensemble.
“It was such a memorable atmosphere for me as a creator of the show and as a musician to see the full house singing along with the singers and accompanied by the wonderful orchestra in some of the chosen pieces. And we have had two encores because the audience didn’t want to end the concert.”
Performers include Giovanni Pasini as the conductor; Ahmed El Helou, narrator; Fabienne Conrad, vocals; CineMoon Ensemble, and members of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
“Thanks to our conductor Giovanni and our narrator Ahmed, the concert was interactive, and a comedy show with lots of surprises for our audience. As part of the script, the conductor was not only conducting the orchestra, but was also acting, the narrator was singing too,” explained Kenet-Bulun.
And, good news to those who missed the concert, another run of the show will be happening on October 19 at Qatar National Library. Kenet-Bulun revealed that the music will be from movies based on novels. “It will include lots of fun with a narrator, we will use the screen to mention about the movies and play the soundtracks from the movies based on the novels. Now I am ordering the scores, some of them will come directly from the US and some of them will be arranged specially for this concert for CineMoon Ensemble.”
Kenet-Bulun who also plays the viola is a versatile artist, besides being a musician, her biggest passions she said are writing and history. She had recently published a children’s book titled “The Curious Desert Dwellers.” “Most of our shows are having lots of information about the subject we choose. I always try to give the audience, especially young listeners explanations and try to open another dimension to let them understand what exactly they are listening.”
“We always try to give the information in a funny way that brings the people to laugh. During the show I was seeing that people felt themselves inside this movies.”
Lorena Manescu, also a founder of CineMoon Ensemble and plays the violin with QPO said: “Our musicians are very skilled and engaged professionals that together convey a lot of positive energy. I believe attending our broadway and film music programmes will bring audience closer to the symphonic the orchestra, and perhaps even trigger their interest to play music themselves, especially the younger public.”
Manescu also revealed that because of the high demand for this kind of music shows, “there will be many more to come in the future.” “We are overjoyed to bring together people of all ages, from very different backgrounds and walks of life.”
She continued how music can bind people together regardless of culture. “Music is a very powerful tool that can create more sense of unity between people of different cultures, and is a reminder that although we speak different languages, we all feel inspired by music.”
QPO to perform ‘Peter and the Wolf’ tomorrow
The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) will be performing the “Peter and the Wolf” concert tomorrow, Friday, September 16. This musical composition is a “symphonic fairy tale for children” written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936.
Conductor for the concert is Giovanni Pasini, and narrator – Christoph Schmitz. The concert will be held at Hamilton International School Theatre in Mesaimeer. Ticket price is at QR100 and can be purchased via QPO website.
“Music stimulates imagination and creativity, and one of the best pieces to start one’s journey into classical music is without doubt “Peter and the Wolf” by Russian composer Prokofiev,” Pasini told The Peninsula. “Each character of the story is associated to an instrument and a melody, and as the story evolves these melodies and instruments interact with each-other’s following the story narrated by the magnetic Christoph Schmitz. A wonderful opportunity for your children to hear catchy tunes and learn all about the orchestra!,” he continued.
The conductor emphasised that “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,” and the Peter and the Wolf concert is among the many performances of the Philharmonic that addresses this duty.
Prokofiev was born on April 23, 1891, in Sontsovska, Ukraine, and his mother, a pianist, gave him his first musical instruction. When he was six years old, he started creating little piano pieces, and by the time he was nine, he had finished The Giant, an opera for kids that would be followed by three more.
Prokofiev immediately established a reputation as a composer of bold rhythms and harmonies who rejected romanticism. He was a prodigy pianist who played with fervor, strength, excellent articulation, and a command of the chords. He rose to fame as a composer and pianist in both pre-revolutionary Russia and later in the Stalinist Soviet Union.
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