(Pic: Zanne Stapelberg by Magriet Theron)Orchestral music, opera and Spanish guitar mix with maskanda, rock and gospel at National Arts Festival.
The appetite for orchestra gnaws audiences who don’t live in big cities. The forthcoming National Arts Festival in Grahamstown will offer satisfaction when it presents the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra in two concerts.
The orchestra will also accompany the Cape Town City Ballet, performing Lǿvenskjold’s score for La Sylphide and Ludwig Minkus’ stylish music for Paquita. The Symphony Concert conducted by Bernhard Gueller features soloist Catherine Foxcroft (piano) performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 op. 26 in C major. Moerane’s symphonic poem Fatso la Heso (My Country) and Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 op. 68 in C minor are also on the menu.
The Sunday afternoon Gala Concert, conducted by Allan Stephenson, includes a number of popular light classics with Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner Jacques Imbrailo (baritone) singing opera favourites. Schumann’s Dichterliebe form the centrepiece of Jacques Imbrailo in Concert with Waldo Weyer (piano).
There are several other vocal treats on the Main festival programme.
Accompanied by a double-bass quartet and directed by Lungile Jacobs, The Voice of Cape Town Choir presents Moerane Tribute in honour of the great South African composer, Michael Mosoeu Moerane who was born 100 years ago. Founded less than 10 years ago, California’s Pacific Boychoir (conducted by Kevin Fox) already enjoys high esteem and has a number of CD recordings to its credit, winning a Grammy Award in 2004. Their programme includes songs old and new.
In a career that makes showbiz history, singer/dancer/composer Busi Mhlongo has chalked up numerous achievements, but her music and singing style have never lost their freshness and energy. Her Festival show will weave together many of the themes we love – listen out for mbaqanga, maskanda, funk, rock, gospel, rap, reggae, West African music and opera! Opera is home base for Zanne Stapelberg, a classical musician with irresistible popular appeal. She joins forces with guitar maestro James Grace for a programme of Canciones en Españolas (songs in Spanish) traditional and contemporary, all throbbing with Latin passion. A piece by Sting and music from the movie Frida are included.
In his solo recital, A Spanish Celebration, virtuoso guitarist James Grace pays tribute to three giants of Spanish guitar music: Tàrrega, Albéniz and Rodrigo. Their compositions confirmed the guitar as a magnificent classical instrument. That other well-loved string instrument, the cello, takes centre stage in two programme items: Viva Baroque Cello and the Trio Hemanay recital. The first sees Hans Huyssen on heritage cello in concert with Andrew Cruickshank on harpsichord. Illustrating their contention that old music and new, as well as Western and South African music, should be heard in the same context, their programme includes a composition by each of them, along with sonatas by Bach, Vivaldi and Boismortier. The Trio Hemanay (flautist Helen Vosloo, pianist Malcolm Nay and cellist Marian Lewis) is also known for its commitment to South African and contemporary music. The trio’s festival programme ranges from Haydn, Reger, Rutter and von Weber to Martinu.
Talking across oceans of space and time, in Intersections: Swiss / Africa, traditional Xhosa music finds a common vocabulary with an avant-garde Swiss group. Madosini and Dizu Plaatjies with their evocative historic instruments present a recital that celebrates a creative collaboration with EnsemBle baBel (conductor Olivier Cuendet, cellist Pascal Desarzens, saxophonist Laurent Estoppey and percussionist Luc Müller). In a further celebration of the rich complexity of Xhosa cultural traditions, Songs of the AmaGcaleka presents a large ensemble of singers, dancers and musicians performing traditional pieces from the Eastern Cape. Remembering and re-enacting with this joyful energy is part of cultural husbandry.
Memories of their roots in the Mother Continent run deep in African Americans. Marcus Eley (clarinet) and Lucerne DeSa (piano) present a programme titled An African American Celebration of Music that reflects the African pulse underlying traditions like the Negro spiritual, jazz, and stream-of-consciousness.
Looking East, Music of the Philippines is a rare opportunity for Festival audiences to get to know the classical music tradition of the island nation. Filipino pianist Mariel Ilusorio and Chilean violinist Juan Munoz are the guides for this culture-tour. They are joined by the tenor voices of Sibusiso Mkhize, Songezo Bomvana and Nosipho Dyanase with special participation by Philippines Ambassador Virgilio Reyes. East meets West closes the musical circle with the deliciously sensuous communion of Indian and Western music. The ensemble includes Vevek Ram (sitar / udu), Rabin Ram (sarod), Haren Tanna (tabla), Berthine van Schoor (cello) and Chats Devroop (saxophone / flute).
The National Arts Festival is sponsored by Standard Bank, The Eastern Cape Government, The National Arts Council, The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and The Sunday Independent and runs from July 2 to 11, 2009, in Grahamstown. For more information visit the website www.nationalartsfestival.co.za
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