Qatar National Theatre

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The American School, Doha hosted the first in the series of “Friends of ASD” chamber music concerts last night, featuring stunning performances from a number of highly renowned musicians which were met with a standing ovation at the end of the night.

The concert featured pianist Sonja Park, violinists Alie and Lilya Bekirova, cellist Hassan Moataz and Merve Kenet on viola, playing selections from Schumann, Sarasate, Shostakovich and Piazzolla.

The idea behind the series is that the funds raised go towards the “Friends of ASD Foundation” for endowments and scholarships, and the first event in the 2009 series proved to be a huge success, with many people turning out to see world-class musicians in an intimate and personal environment, Gulf News reported.

The Bekirova sisters opened the evening with Sonja Park on the piano, playing a number of duets as well as a solo piece each, which were both very well received by the audience. The Uzbek sisters amazed the audience with their unbelievable vitality and togetherness - the violinists are twins, and watching them play together their connection became abundantly clear as their timing was absolutely perfect. And Park’s performance was also a joy to behold. Rather than simply providing accompaniment, the Korean pianist sparkled as she played alongside the sister duo.

The second half of the concert featured a performance of Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet opus 44, which was performed by Park, the Bekirova sisters and Kenet and Moataz on the viola and cello respectively.

Once again the audience was wowed by the talent on display, and the additional timbre of the viola and cello produced an even more complete sound and a wonderful example of chamber music at its best.

Head of the fine arts department at the ASD, Robert Krebs explained that the foundation aims to organise concerts such as last night’s on a monthly basis. And as another organiser mentioned, this kind of performance is “filling a niche that exists here in Qatar.” And if they continue to host concerts with such a high level of quality and professionalism then chamber music will surely only increase in popularity here.

Following the official proceedings, the sisters and Park gave one more “party trick” performance with both of them playing the same violin - one pressing the strings and the other using the bow.

This display of togetherness from the sisters was as good a point as any to end on, as their passion and joy for the music throughout the evening was clear for all the audience to see.