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Gargi Shah

Mumbai May 7 It began as a small circle of co-workers with German pharmaceutical company Merck, playing during their leisure time, 40 years ago. Now a completely professional orchestra, "Philharmonie Merck", performed in India to celebrate 40 years of the company's presence here. Founded in 1966, the celebration also coincided with the orchestra's 40 years in existence.

Born in Darmstadt, Germany, the `informal' ensemble of leisure musicians met once weekly to play a common sample. The music-enthusiasts were later joined by professional musicians and now they are among the leading orchestras of Germany, though with no workers.

"Given the growing appreciation of Western classical music among Indian music lovers, it seemed ideal to celebrate this landmark event with the Philharmonie Merck," said Dr Marek Dziki, Managing Director, Merck India.

Classical works

The orchestra conductor Wolfgang Heinzel conducted the composition of music legend Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. These compositions, written on the night of October 28-29 1787, were savoured by the audience at a theatre in down-town Mumbai.

Beethoven, another music maestro lived through the night as the orchestra played the famous Symphony No 4. And there was one more reason to celebrate for the orchestra's conductor Heinzel, as it was his birthday.

Truly rock

But the night came alive when the exclusive gathering were treated to a mix of jazz with the Mozart's classical works synthesizing the otherwise separate worlds. And as the grand finale, the orchestra travelled through centuries to play the songs of English rock band Queen. The experiment of the orchestra with popular music numbers like We are the champions and We will, we will rock truly thrilled the audience.

More Stories on : Music & Dance | Pharmaceuticals

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