The Chinese community in Qatar has highly appreciated the role of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage in bridging the gap between them and their home country.
Qatar hosted a China National Opera House (CHNOH) troupe at the joy of spring festival 2012 at the Qatar National Theatre last Thursday and Saturday.
“The Spring festival is one of the biggest events celebrated by the people of China. In Qatar, many Chinese employees were unable to go home to celebrate the event with their families. However, the government of Qatar has enabled them to draw closer to their home through this musical event. They were able to come together and feel at home with original national music,” said Shi Ruilin, a director at the Chinese Ministry of Culture who attended the event alongside other senior Chinese officials. He said relations between Qatar and China are strong and termed the cultural exchanges between the two countries as an important element. There are efforts to implement more co-operation programmes in the fields of arts, culture, education, sport and publication. The concert enjoyed great support from the Qatari side and contributed much to its success. He also promised that more Chinese cultural and arts events are coming to Doha in the future. CHNOH troupe gave a superb performance to keep the audience enthralled. “This was magnificent. The event helped me remember our festivities with a touch of elegant music,” said a Chinese expatriate.
The troupe made up of 18 string performers and conducted by maestro Ju Man, a distinguished young conductor at CHNOH, performed some international classics alongside Chinese classics. Tenor Lee Shuang and soprano Quwa Chang Chang from CHNOH entertained the audience with their highly skilled performance of both international and Chinese songs.
Among the Chinese songs that were performed at the event were ‘I love you China’ by Quzong Zheng Qiufeng, Xinjiang folk song ‘A cup of wine’ by Wang Luobin, China ancient song ‘Great night’ by Liu Tianhua, and ‘My hometown is beautiful’ by Zheng Qiufeng.
The international pieces included Respighi’s Ancient airs and dances, III suite for stings, and Verdi’s La Traviata ‘Libiamo, libiamo ne’ lieti calici’.
Even the non-Chinese audience expressed their happiness with the event, showing that good music can break the barriers of language and culture. Some of them also expressed their happiness with being in Doha to enjoy the festivities. “One feels that we are living in a cosmopolitan city where the whole world comes together to appreciate and enjoy the best of each other’s cultures,” said an audience member.
Gulf Times
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