São Paulo – The São Paulo City String Quartet performed this week at the Damascus Opera House (Dar Al-Assad), the leading concert hall in Syria. According to information supplied by the Brazilian embassy in Damascus, the concert, which took place last Thursday (19th), was the quartet’s first in the Middle East.
The group comprises musicians Betina Stegmann (violin), Nelson Rios (violin), Marcelo Jaffé (viola) and Robert Suetholz (cello) and played pieces by Osvaldo Lacerda, Antonio Carlos Gomes, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Astor Piazzolla. According to the embassy, the audience was receptive and warm, and applauded the quartet enthusiastically.
"It proved an excellent opportunity for promoting Brazilian classical music, which is still unknown in the region," informed the embassy in a statement. After the concert, the group stated that it has achieved its goal of promoting chamber music in Brazil and providing local audiences with quality entertainment.
The Cultural Department at the Brazilian embassy in Damascus supported the event’s organization and promotion. According to the embassy, the concert is but one of its several initiatives aiming to promote Brazilian classical music in Syria.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
