00:04It's one of Mexico's best-known orchestral sounds, and here in Doha, it's being performed
00:11thousands of kilometers from where it was born, by musicians from around the world.
00:16We are closer than we all think. The music really is our international language.
00:29Mexican conductor Enrique Arturo Demecki is leading the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra through
00:35Huapango, a piece that holds a special place in Mexican culture.
00:41The one we call Huapango, that is the anchor piece, that resembles the most. That piece,
00:50for us, the Mexicans, we think it's like our second national anthem, because it has all
00:58this flair, the melody, it has a drive, and something that really makes you feel wonderful.
01:14And it's just one part of a musical journey across Mexico. Sounds of Mexico brings together
01:21works from across the country, highlighting the range and diversity of Mexican music.
01:27The program we are performing this time, it has a variety of rhythms and melodies from
01:33different regions of Mexico, from the Gulf and the Caribbean, and then to the center of
01:40Mexico, and then to the Pacific, and then to the north. So it's going to show a little
01:46bit of the differences that exist in all these regions. Some of those sounds have their roots
01:53in mariachi and other Mexican traditions, but here they're being interpreted by a symphony
01:58orchestra with a very international makeup.
02:03The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra brings together musicians from around the world. This performance
02:07highlights Mexico's orchestral traditions as part of the 2026 Year of Culture, inviting audiences
02:13in Qatar to experience cultural exchange through music.
02:18More than 28 nationalities are represented in the orchestra, and for this Colombian tubo
02:24player, rehearsing this program brings back some very early memories.
02:29When I was a little, little, little child, three, four years, I still remember my father
02:36listening to mariachi bands. And tomorrow evening, we will play some of the mariachi songs made
02:44it for orchestra. So for me, it's like a small traveling through our Latin American deep tradition.
02:55But playing the notes is only part of it. Diameki grew up with these rhythms. And Diaz is having a
03:01Mexican
03:02conductor in front of the orchestra helps the musicians understand how the music is supposed to feel.
03:07For players coming from very different musical traditions, it means learning to find the same
03:12rhythm together.
03:16We have Koreans, Germans, Austrians, Americans, Latin Americans, people from all around the world.
03:24And we sit together. And we have only one mission, and it's to play music together. Today, we are just
03:37trying to think exactly in the same way, to breathe in the same way.
03:43And that international mix is part of a wider exchange. Sounds of Mexico is part of the Qatar-Mexico
03:502026 Year of Culture, with Qatari and Arab culture presented in Mexico, and Mexican culture brought to
03:57audiences here in Doha.
03:59The exchange in the culture is important for the both countries. We present the both countries' culture for us as
04:08an Arab
04:08countries. We show them our musical heritage. So today, we present the people through the music.
04:14That connection was there in rehearsal, too, with the orchestra playing both the Mexican and Qatari national anthems.
04:21But for Diameki, music can make those connections without needing words at all.
04:27It comes from your soul, and it comes from your spirit. It's just a little touch of difference.
04:33And perhaps that's the simplest idea behind this concert. Musicians from more than two dozen countries
04:40learning the rhythms of another, and giving an audience in Doha a chance to hear Mexico a little differently.
04:47Music
04:50Music
04:51Music
04:53Music
04:55Music
