KZN Philharmonic in good fettle under visiting Japanese conductor Yasuo Shinozaki. (Review by Michael Green)
A late change of programme and of performers did not adversely affect the quality of this concert given by the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra in the Durban City Hall. A traditional kind of programme attracted a reasonably good house, and the audience obviously enjoyed the music provided by the orchestra, in good fettle under its visiting Japanese conductor Yasuo Shinozaki, and by two highly accomplished duo pianists.
The advertised programme stated that pianists Aglika Genova and Liuben Dimitrov, who come from Bulgaria and who played in Durban three years ago, would perform Mendelssohn’s concerto for two pianos in A flat major. This did not happen. No explanation was offered for their non–appearance, but at a late stage Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhaes, another wife and husband partnership, this one based in Stellenbosch, stepped into the breach with a performance of another Mendelssohn two-piano concerto, that in E major. And this they did with great panache and skill, with no sign of short-notice preparation except for the fact that they played from scores, with two page turners.
Both these concertos were written by Mendelssohn when he was about 14 years old; as a composer he was an even more remarkable child prodigy than Mozart. The E major work, written for himself and his sister Fanny (both were brilliant pianists), was revised by him later, but it was not published in his lifetime of an all too brief 38 years. It is a delightful composition, in the classical mould, with three movements running for a total of about 30 minutes.
As one would expect from people who have performed together for a decade, there was complete empathy between the two pianists. Mendelssohn’s concerto is graceful, sometimes robust, and generally free of cloying sentimentality, and the music is deftly laid out for the two pianos. The outer movements produced much brilliant playing, but the heart of the concerto is the beautiful, tender slow movement, with the two pianos alternating in theme and mood before they sing together.
The orchestra was an expert collective partner, with Yasuo Shinozaki showing again that he conducts with great vigour, with an emphatic beat and many expressive gestures.
The concert opened with Wagner’s Tannhauser Overture, with some admirable playing from the brass section in particular, and ended with Brahms’s massive, mature and eloquent Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98. - Michael Green
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
(Pic by Val Adamson: Darren King and Loyiso Macdonald)Excellent performances from Darren King and Loyiso Macdonald in Manuel Puig two-hander. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Skilfully directed by Clare Mortimer, Darren King and Loyiso Macdonald put in excellent performances in the two-hander, Kiss of The Spider Woman which has just opened at the Catalina Theatre.
On the surface, the storyline appears heavy and potential audiences might feel diffident about seeing a production about two prisoners – one gay, one straight - stuck in a cell with the one being regaled with the other’s ideas stories based on the plot of one of his favourite films, a wartime romantic Nazi thriller.
Don’t be put off. Manuel Puig has incorporated all the good elements of drama into his play which has a good mix of humour, pathos and an underlying current of tension. Darren King, possibly more widely-known for his appearances in pantomime and music revues, shows his strong dramatic skills in portraying Molina, a complex effeminate character under pressure from political peers. Loyiso Macdonald is certainly one of our rising stars and he gives just the right edge to his role as Valentin which requires him to be pragmatic, sensitive and introspective but passionate about his political cause. Despite their opposite characters, their incarceration brings them closer together, each forming a dependency on the other. They escape their loneliness and unhappiness through Molina’s imaginative screenplay. The sex scene is sensitively handled.
Argentinean playwright Manuel Puig has had much success with this play which was adapted into a musical and then into a film which garnered awards for its screenplay and an Oscar in 1986 for Best Actor in a Leading Role for William Hurt (Molina) who played opposite the late Raul Julia. The play focuses on Puig's constant theme of the development and mutation of relationships beneath the culture in which they exist.
The setting is a Brazilian prison cell and Clare Mortimer and Themi Venturas have created an effective set, with Valentin’s bed placed centrestage and Molina’s raised bunk offering different levels of action. Further interest is added with photographs of movie stars, newspaper cuttings and cluttered paraphernalia of a miniature gas hob and “treats” which Molina claims comes from his mother. But is he really telling the truth …?
Mention must be made of Peter Court’s (unseen) role in voice-over as Molina’s manipulator. What a delight to hear his rich tones handling dramatic dialogue with just the right touch of menace.
Kiss of The Spider Woman runs at the Catalina Theatre from until November 15. Tickets R65 booked through Catalina Theatre, Strictly Tickets, or Going Places. To book call 031 305 6889 or email tsibisi@mweb.co.za
Catalina Theatre Tickets are now available online at www.strictlytickets.co.za or at www.catalinatheatre.co.za or at www.goingplacesSA.co.za / www.goingplacesSA.com.
The Catalina Theatre is still functioning thanks to support from Rainbow Chicken, National Arts Council and Ethekwini Municipality. – Caroline Smart
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS
(Pic: Among the noted musicians will be Karthiegasen Pillay will perform on the tabla)Three-day festival to take place at Howard College Theatre from October 30 to November 1.
The International Centre for Performing Arts will host a treasure-trove of Classical Indian music, song and dance over a three-day period at the Howard College Theatre commencing October 30.
“Many of our very own virtuosos as well as some very promising and equally captivating young aspirants will be taking part with Friday evening’s performance promising to be exhilarating, to say the very least,” promise the organisers.
The festival takes place on October 30 at 19h00, October 31 at 14h00 and on November 1. Admission is free. The Howard College Theatre is situated on the University of KwaZulu-Natal campus on King George V Avenue. For more information contact Venessa Pillay on 083 772 1244 or Vasa Morgan on 031 404 9257.
Monday, October 26, 2009
NCAG MEETING
Next meeting of the North Coast Art Group to be held on November 14.
The next meeting of the North Coast Art Group will take place at the La Lucia Library Hall on November 14. Starting time will be 09h15 with the demonstration at 10h10.
The demonstration will be presented by watercolour artist Lorna Panzenbock, a highly regarded local artist who exhibits at Art in the Park in Pietermaritzburg every year. After doing basic commercial art studies, she started painting full-time in 1983. Her subject matter and preferred medium is varied and she describes herself as "an artist with many faces". She is an Associate of the Watercolour Society of South Africa and enjoys painting flowers, landscapes, scenes with people and even abstracts.
Entrance R25 (R10 NCAG members). New members welcome.
The next meeting of the North Coast Art Group will take place at the La Lucia Library Hall on November 14. Starting time will be 09h15 with the demonstration at 10h10.
The demonstration will be presented by watercolour artist Lorna Panzenbock, a highly regarded local artist who exhibits at Art in the Park in Pietermaritzburg every year. After doing basic commercial art studies, she started painting full-time in 1983. Her subject matter and preferred medium is varied and she describes herself as "an artist with many faces". She is an Associate of the Watercolour Society of South Africa and enjoys painting flowers, landscapes, scenes with people and even abstracts.
Entrance R25 (R10 NCAG members). New members welcome.
RICHMOND ARTISTS AT BLUE CATERPILLAR
Works by Laura Chiazarri, Jeanette Higgs and Lorraine Knott at Pietermaritzburg gallery
The Blue Caterpillar Gallery at Butterflies for Africa in Willowton Road, Pietermaritzburg, is exhibiting works by Richmond artists Laura Chiazarri, Jeanette Higgs and Lorraine Knott until the end of October.
The Blue Caterpillar Gallery at Butterflies for Africa in Willowton Road, Pietermaritzburg, is exhibiting works by Richmond artists Laura Chiazarri, Jeanette Higgs and Lorraine Knott until the end of October.
KING OF “ARTS”
New exhibition at Bean Bag Bohemia.
The new exhibition just opened at Bean Bag Bohemia is titled King of '”Arts" where some 28 of Durban's hottest designers have each created two cards which has been made up into a limited edition pack of playing cards. An edition of prints will also be available for sale.
The participants include Kim Longhurst, Hylton Revall, Kevin Parry, Tyron Love, Camilla Grobler, Dustin Holmes, Scott Robertson, Lindy Pelzl, Matt Kay, Skull Boy, Ross Turpin, Sean Crozier, Paul Salt, Christian Mugnai, Warwick Kay, Stephen Frank, Marco Fuini, JP Brouard, Pete Reynolds, Greg Davies, Jean Ryan, Jenna Turpin, Hylton Warburton, Richard Phipson, Colwin Thomas, Trevor Paul, JoNo and Peter Machen
Beanbag Bohemia is also showcasing new bodies of work by Saskia Whitehead, Ashely Jewnarain and Wesley Van Heerden.
King of '”Arts" runs until November 20. Bean Bag Bohemia is situated in Windermere Road near the Greyville Racecourse.
The new exhibition just opened at Bean Bag Bohemia is titled King of '”Arts" where some 28 of Durban's hottest designers have each created two cards which has been made up into a limited edition pack of playing cards. An edition of prints will also be available for sale.
The participants include Kim Longhurst, Hylton Revall, Kevin Parry, Tyron Love, Camilla Grobler, Dustin Holmes, Scott Robertson, Lindy Pelzl, Matt Kay, Skull Boy, Ross Turpin, Sean Crozier, Paul Salt, Christian Mugnai, Warwick Kay, Stephen Frank, Marco Fuini, JP Brouard, Pete Reynolds, Greg Davies, Jean Ryan, Jenna Turpin, Hylton Warburton, Richard Phipson, Colwin Thomas, Trevor Paul, JoNo and Peter Machen
Beanbag Bohemia is also showcasing new bodies of work by Saskia Whitehead, Ashely Jewnarain and Wesley Van Heerden.
King of '”Arts" runs until November 20. Bean Bag Bohemia is situated in Windermere Road near the Greyville Racecourse.
MICHAEL GREEN’S WINE NOTES #232
Wines and their flavours … and Bertus Fourie at Val de Vie produces coffee pinotage.
Wines have a huge variety of flavours. The English wine writer Tom Stevenson says there are more than 200 identifiable aromas or flavours of wines. Many of these terms are in everyday use among the cognoscenti who sniff and sip knowledgeably. Here are some of them: apple, apricot, banana, blackcurrant, cherry, citrus, grapefruit, melon, plum. From the vegetable world we have wines that taste or smell of asparagus, celery, cucumber, pepper. And to that lot you can add cinnamon, clove, grass, mint, bread, caramel, chocolate, honey, jam.
And if a wine is thoroughly unpleasant, an expert may discover that it has the character of burnt rubber or dirty dishcloth or nail polish.
One flavour that pops up quite often at tastings is coffee, or mocha. A Cape winemaker has taken this hint of a flavour a degree further by producing for some years what he calls a coffee pinotage. He is Bertus Fourie from the Val de Vie estate on the Berg River near Paarl, and his latest coffee wine is called Barista, an Italian term for one who is highly skilled in the blending of coffee (real coffee). The neck of the Barista bottle (which is a screwtop) is decorated with black and white squares, depicting the floors found in most Italian coffee bars.
Bertus explains the background thus: “I stumbled across this type of pinotage, with its distinct coffee and chocolate aromas and flavours, while experimenting with different types of yeasts and oak. I have been working on it since then, and the Barista Pinotage 2009 is undoubtedly my best coffee pinotage to date”.
The wine was made from pinotage grapes grown in the Robertson valley, where the dark, deep-red soils are reckoned to be particularly suitable for this style of wine.
So what does it taste of? Well, of coffee, obviously, plus quite a range of other flavours: chocolate, mulberry, plum, maraschino cherries. I have tried it, and I found it a most distinctive and attractive wine, full-bodied (nearly 14 percent alcohol) and full-flavoured. Like most good wines, it would go well with a wide variety of foods or just by itself. Bertus Fourie says he likes it with a brandy snap filled with blue cheese, Belgian chocolate and roasted coffee beans. They have some exotic tastes down Paarl way.
The estate says that Barista Pinotage 2009 retails for about R60 a bottle, but I have seen it advertised by Makro in Durban at R44. It pays to shop around. Other wines from this estate include Val de Vie 2006, a complex red blend, mainly mourvedre and shiraz, priced at an imposing R480 a bottle. Among the others are a shiraz and a white blend called GVC, which stands for its component grapes, Grenache blanc, Viognier and Clairette blanche. Cellar prices range from R70 to R135 a bottle.
The Val de Vie farm (the name means valley of life) began producing wine in 1825. Its historic manor house and wine cellar have been restored and furnished in French-style décor. Today the estate has 550 residential plots, two top-class polo fields, and facilities for many other events, including a ballroom and other functions rooms. The Las Vegas rock band The Killers will perform there in December and will be followed next year by Elton John.
Tastings, sales, walks and bike trails are offered, and an Italian restaurant has just opened. Phone 021 863 6161. – Michael Green
Wines have a huge variety of flavours. The English wine writer Tom Stevenson says there are more than 200 identifiable aromas or flavours of wines. Many of these terms are in everyday use among the cognoscenti who sniff and sip knowledgeably. Here are some of them: apple, apricot, banana, blackcurrant, cherry, citrus, grapefruit, melon, plum. From the vegetable world we have wines that taste or smell of asparagus, celery, cucumber, pepper. And to that lot you can add cinnamon, clove, grass, mint, bread, caramel, chocolate, honey, jam.
And if a wine is thoroughly unpleasant, an expert may discover that it has the character of burnt rubber or dirty dishcloth or nail polish.
One flavour that pops up quite often at tastings is coffee, or mocha. A Cape winemaker has taken this hint of a flavour a degree further by producing for some years what he calls a coffee pinotage. He is Bertus Fourie from the Val de Vie estate on the Berg River near Paarl, and his latest coffee wine is called Barista, an Italian term for one who is highly skilled in the blending of coffee (real coffee). The neck of the Barista bottle (which is a screwtop) is decorated with black and white squares, depicting the floors found in most Italian coffee bars.
Bertus explains the background thus: “I stumbled across this type of pinotage, with its distinct coffee and chocolate aromas and flavours, while experimenting with different types of yeasts and oak. I have been working on it since then, and the Barista Pinotage 2009 is undoubtedly my best coffee pinotage to date”.
The wine was made from pinotage grapes grown in the Robertson valley, where the dark, deep-red soils are reckoned to be particularly suitable for this style of wine.
So what does it taste of? Well, of coffee, obviously, plus quite a range of other flavours: chocolate, mulberry, plum, maraschino cherries. I have tried it, and I found it a most distinctive and attractive wine, full-bodied (nearly 14 percent alcohol) and full-flavoured. Like most good wines, it would go well with a wide variety of foods or just by itself. Bertus Fourie says he likes it with a brandy snap filled with blue cheese, Belgian chocolate and roasted coffee beans. They have some exotic tastes down Paarl way.
The estate says that Barista Pinotage 2009 retails for about R60 a bottle, but I have seen it advertised by Makro in Durban at R44. It pays to shop around. Other wines from this estate include Val de Vie 2006, a complex red blend, mainly mourvedre and shiraz, priced at an imposing R480 a bottle. Among the others are a shiraz and a white blend called GVC, which stands for its component grapes, Grenache blanc, Viognier and Clairette blanche. Cellar prices range from R70 to R135 a bottle.
The Val de Vie farm (the name means valley of life) began producing wine in 1825. Its historic manor house and wine cellar have been restored and furnished in French-style décor. Today the estate has 550 residential plots, two top-class polo fields, and facilities for many other events, including a ballroom and other functions rooms. The Las Vegas rock band The Killers will perform there in December and will be followed next year by Elton John.
Tastings, sales, walks and bike trails are offered, and an Italian restaurant has just opened. Phone 021 863 6161. – Michael Green
HAIRLIP FOR ONE PERFORMANCE
One performance only of 80’s retro-revival at Barnyard Theatre.
If you were a child of the 80’s, prepare for a retro-revival at The Barnyard Theatre at Gateway for one night only with Hairlip on November 2.
“Every once in a while the world needs a super-group to come along that feels like more than just a band, more than just an institution, more than simply, a vibe. It is THE vibe!,” says the publicity material. “With a band line-up that is as impressive as the hits they have spawned, or rather, should have, Hairlip is nothing short of a phenomenon. Mind-blowing, mercurial and mesmerising, they are the epitome of pompous cool and grandiose sex appeal, fuelled by an endless barrage of foot-stomping 80’s pop and underground class.”
Expect to hear favourite 80’s hits such as Starship’s We Built This City, The Bangles’ Walk Like An Egyptian, Sade’s Smooth Operator, The Fine Young Cannibals’ She Drives Me Crazy, Depeche Mode’s Just Can't Get Enough, The Cure’s Friday I'm In Love, Underworld’s Underneath The Radar, Men At Work’s Who Can It Be Now and Transvision Vamp’s I Want Your Love?
Hairlip features Toby Needham-Clark and Bullet Mayfield (vocals and guitar); Bopsy Bought-Won (bass); Sheeba Deveraux (keyboards, synthesizers, vocals) and Trent Duvall (drums).
Tickets R115 pp. For bookings and enquiries, phone The Barnyard Theatre on 031 566 3045, e-mail gateway@barnyardtheatres.co.za or visit www.barnyardtheatres.co.za for more information.
The show currently running at The Barnyard Theatre at Gateway is “Rock On Beethoven” – story to follow
If you were a child of the 80’s, prepare for a retro-revival at The Barnyard Theatre at Gateway for one night only with Hairlip on November 2.
“Every once in a while the world needs a super-group to come along that feels like more than just a band, more than just an institution, more than simply, a vibe. It is THE vibe!,” says the publicity material. “With a band line-up that is as impressive as the hits they have spawned, or rather, should have, Hairlip is nothing short of a phenomenon. Mind-blowing, mercurial and mesmerising, they are the epitome of pompous cool and grandiose sex appeal, fuelled by an endless barrage of foot-stomping 80’s pop and underground class.”
Expect to hear favourite 80’s hits such as Starship’s We Built This City, The Bangles’ Walk Like An Egyptian, Sade’s Smooth Operator, The Fine Young Cannibals’ She Drives Me Crazy, Depeche Mode’s Just Can't Get Enough, The Cure’s Friday I'm In Love, Underworld’s Underneath The Radar, Men At Work’s Who Can It Be Now and Transvision Vamp’s I Want Your Love?
Hairlip features Toby Needham-Clark and Bullet Mayfield (vocals and guitar); Bopsy Bought-Won (bass); Sheeba Deveraux (keyboards, synthesizers, vocals) and Trent Duvall (drums).
Tickets R115 pp. For bookings and enquiries, phone The Barnyard Theatre on 031 566 3045, e-mail gateway@barnyardtheatres.co.za or visit www.barnyardtheatres.co.za for more information.
The show currently running at The Barnyard Theatre at Gateway is “Rock On Beethoven” – story to follow
SUSHIELA GOVENDER WINS SATMA AWARD
Durban-born singer wins best Indian album at the SA Traditional Music Awards.
Durban-born singer Sushiela Govender won Best Indian Album at the South African Traditional Music Awards (Satma) held in Durban recently.
Formerly of Malvern and now living in Cape Town, this recognition for the retired school teacher comes after more than five decades in the music industry. The award is for her devotional CD Dharshan, A Prayer for All. This is her second CD released early this year following her debut CD, Anbumalai, which was released in 2000.
Durban-born singer Sushiela Govender won Best Indian Album at the South African Traditional Music Awards (Satma) held in Durban recently.
Formerly of Malvern and now living in Cape Town, this recognition for the retired school teacher comes after more than five decades in the music industry. The award is for her devotional CD Dharshan, A Prayer for All. This is her second CD released early this year following her debut CD, Anbumalai, which was released in 2000.
BAROQUE 2000 NOVEMBER CONCERT
(Pic: Cecilia Di Cecco (cello), Ralitza Cherneva (Concertmaster) and Evelien Ballantine (flute).)Baroque 2000's next concert on November 1 features music by Bach, Handel and Telemann.
Taking place at the beautiful Church of the Monastery, Mariannhill, the programme includes Bach's Suite no.2 for Flute (soloist Evelien Ballantine) and Strings, concluding with the celebrated Badinerie. Telelmann's Don Quixote Suite, containing the protagonist's vivid attack on the windmills will also be presented, along with Biber's Battaglia and one of Handel's Concerti Grossi.
The concert starts at 15h00 on November 1 and there will be tea, coffee and scones in the tranquil Monastery gardens before the concert. Tickets R80 on sale at the door and there is ample safe parking. Enquiries to Michel on 031 312 5539 or at sursouth@iafrica.com
BEN SCHOEMAN FOR FOM
Friends of Music to host recital by acclaimed South African pianist.
Friends of Music will host a recital on November 3 by Ben Schoeman, one of the acclaimed South African pianists who graduated with distinction at the University of Pretoria in 2005. He recently became the first South African to win the 1st grand prize and gold medal in the 2008 UNISA Vodacom International Piano Competition.
He has performed as soloist with all the major symphony orchestras in South Africa and given recitals throughout the country with many of his performances being broadcast on South African radio and television networks. He has also performed in several European countries such as Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Georgia, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
In July 2007, Ben Schoeman was invited to give solo recitals at two important festivals in Canada, the Oxford Arts Festival as well as the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. A performance at the Schloss Moritzburg in Germany was well acclaimed in August 2007.
The recital will take place on November 3 at 19h45 at the Durban Jewish Centre, 44 Old Fort Road, Durban. Tickets R70 (R60 FOM members and R20 students/orchestral members). There is safe parking. Booking is through Computicket.
Friends of Music will host a recital on November 3 by Ben Schoeman, one of the acclaimed South African pianists who graduated with distinction at the University of Pretoria in 2005. He recently became the first South African to win the 1st grand prize and gold medal in the 2008 UNISA Vodacom International Piano Competition.
He has performed as soloist with all the major symphony orchestras in South Africa and given recitals throughout the country with many of his performances being broadcast on South African radio and television networks. He has also performed in several European countries such as Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Georgia, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
In July 2007, Ben Schoeman was invited to give solo recitals at two important festivals in Canada, the Oxford Arts Festival as well as the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. A performance at the Schloss Moritzburg in Germany was well acclaimed in August 2007.
The recital will take place on November 3 at 19h45 at the Durban Jewish Centre, 44 Old Fort Road, Durban. Tickets R70 (R60 FOM members and R20 students/orchestral members). There is safe parking. Booking is through Computicket.
CHANGE OF SOLOISTS FOR KZNPO
(Pic: Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhães)Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhães to perform in KZNPO concert on October 29.
The KZN Philharmonic has announced a change in the programme of the concert to be held on October 29 titled Lyrical Duo. The duo, whose international performances have earned popular and critical acclaim, will now be South African pianist Nina Schumann and Portuguese partner Luis Magalhães.
The programme which will be led by the accomplished Japanese conductor Yasuo Shinozaki includes Wagner’s Tannhäuser: Overture, Mendelssohn’s Concerto for 2 Pianos in E major and Brahms’s Symphony No.4 in E minor. The four contrasting movements of the Brahms symphony, with its periods of subtlety alternating with those of great intensity, have ensured it a well-earned popularity among music lovers and makes for a notable conclusion to the concert.
As always the Friends of Music host a pre-concert talk at the Royal Hotel at 18h15. The talks are designed to enrich the experience of the concert goer. The admission is R30 pp and light refreshments are served.
This concert forms part of the World Symphony Series Spring Season which takes place every Thursday at the Durban City Hall at 19h30 until November 12. Bookings open through on 083 915 8000. Safe and subsidised parking is available at the Royal Hotel on concert nights. Single tickets available from R60 through Computicket but up to 25% discount on subscriptions are available through the KZNPO offices on 031 369 9438, email: Bookings@kznpo.co.za or log onto www.kznpo.co.za
DURBAN MEN’S CHOIR
Performance to take place at Assumption Parish on November 6.
The highly popular Durban Men’s Choir will perform at Assumption Parish, corner of Nicolson Road and Queen Mary Avenue, on November 6 at 19h30.
Tickets R40 (R25 pensioners and scholars). No babies please! Refreshments will be on sale.
The highly popular Durban Men’s Choir will perform at Assumption Parish, corner of Nicolson Road and Queen Mary Avenue, on November 6 at 19h30.
Tickets R40 (R25 pensioners and scholars). No babies please! Refreshments will be on sale.
THUTHUKA JEWELLERY 2009 WINNERS
KZN jewellery designers do well in national competition.
The winners of the Thuthuka Jewellery Competition 2009 were announced at a glittering exhibition at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery on October 21.
The exhibition display, which showcases the entrants’ jewellery pieces, is as innovative as the jewellery itself. The individual pieces of jewellery have been carefully hung in the centre of three-litre glass jars, which are then suspended from the ceiling with steel cables. Beautiful lighting completes this highly original installation, which was designed by Nicholas de Klerk of Design & Display.
Now in its 2nd year and previously part of the Sasol Wax Art Award, the Thuthuka Jewellery Competition bears testimony to the success of the Jewellery Programme as a whole. In this short space of time, the competition has gained a reputation amongst jewellery design students, and the public, as the benchmark for innovation and excellence in this industry.
The Thuthuka Jewellery Development Programme, which is a partnership between The Department of Arts & Culture and Carola Ross & Associates, focuses on intensive workshops and mentoring by well-known jeweller Marchand van Tonder. It combines creative and technical skills development with a strong entrepreneurial emphasis. It also facilitates rapid learning exchange, and empowers learners by giving them the practical tools to eventually begin their own micro-enterprises.
For this year’s competition, the challenge for the students was to create an object that could stand alone as a 3-dimensional sculpture as well as forming part of a piece of jewellery. The judges commented that the standard of this year’s entries were high with extraordinarily innovative entries being received - as is apparent in the exhibition.
KZN jewellery designers from the Durban University of Technology did well in the competition with first prize in the Brooch Category going to Siyabonga Cele for his small, silver golf bag with golf sticks as brooch pins.
Receiving a Highly Commended in the Ring category was Scott Munn for his wooden pyramid with detachable silver dome as a ring while Lungelo Dlamini received a Commended in the Brooch category for the grand piano as a small object with the detachable keyboard as a brooch. A Certificate of Originality went to Phumlani Mngoma in the Ring Category for a toothbrush ring with detachable bristle ring.
The Jewellery Exhibition remains on view until October 29 at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, Kingsway Campus, Auckland Park.
The winners of the Thuthuka Jewellery Competition 2009 were announced at a glittering exhibition at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery on October 21.
The exhibition display, which showcases the entrants’ jewellery pieces, is as innovative as the jewellery itself. The individual pieces of jewellery have been carefully hung in the centre of three-litre glass jars, which are then suspended from the ceiling with steel cables. Beautiful lighting completes this highly original installation, which was designed by Nicholas de Klerk of Design & Display.
Now in its 2nd year and previously part of the Sasol Wax Art Award, the Thuthuka Jewellery Competition bears testimony to the success of the Jewellery Programme as a whole. In this short space of time, the competition has gained a reputation amongst jewellery design students, and the public, as the benchmark for innovation and excellence in this industry.
The Thuthuka Jewellery Development Programme, which is a partnership between The Department of Arts & Culture and Carola Ross & Associates, focuses on intensive workshops and mentoring by well-known jeweller Marchand van Tonder. It combines creative and technical skills development with a strong entrepreneurial emphasis. It also facilitates rapid learning exchange, and empowers learners by giving them the practical tools to eventually begin their own micro-enterprises.
For this year’s competition, the challenge for the students was to create an object that could stand alone as a 3-dimensional sculpture as well as forming part of a piece of jewellery. The judges commented that the standard of this year’s entries were high with extraordinarily innovative entries being received - as is apparent in the exhibition.
KZN jewellery designers from the Durban University of Technology did well in the competition with first prize in the Brooch Category going to Siyabonga Cele for his small, silver golf bag with golf sticks as brooch pins.
Receiving a Highly Commended in the Ring category was Scott Munn for his wooden pyramid with detachable silver dome as a ring while Lungelo Dlamini received a Commended in the Brooch category for the grand piano as a small object with the detachable keyboard as a brooch. A Certificate of Originality went to Phumlani Mngoma in the Ring Category for a toothbrush ring with detachable bristle ring.
The Jewellery Exhibition remains on view until October 29 at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, Kingsway Campus, Auckland Park.
LIVE POETS SOCIETY MEETING
Next meeting to take place on November 4 at the Point Yacht Club.
The next meeting of The Live Poets Society will take place on November 4. The publicity material reads: “You don’t have to be a musician or singer, to love and be passionate about music. You don’t have to be a writer to enjoy good literature and adore books. You don’t have to be an Olympian athlete to sit back, relax and enjoy a good game of sports. You don’t need to be a Poet to fall in love with Poetry and appreciate the written word.” All poets and lovers of poetry are welcome to the meetings of this pro-active society.
The Guest Poet will be Renee Burton who has published an anthology of poetry titled For everyman …by some woman. “As South Africans we have our own stories to tell, our own wounds to heal and our nation to build,” says Renee Burton. “We don’t need to borrow ideologies from other worlds”.
There will be an Open Session where those present can offer their own poetry contributions. As this will be the last meeting of the year, those attending are requested to take along some snacks to share.
The meeting will be held at 17h30 for 18h00 on November 4 at the Point Yacht Club, Victoria Embankment. More information from Danny Naicker on 083 282 0865 or email: dnaicker@metsond.co.za
The next meeting of The Live Poets Society will take place on November 4. The publicity material reads: “You don’t have to be a musician or singer, to love and be passionate about music. You don’t have to be a writer to enjoy good literature and adore books. You don’t have to be an Olympian athlete to sit back, relax and enjoy a good game of sports. You don’t need to be a Poet to fall in love with Poetry and appreciate the written word.” All poets and lovers of poetry are welcome to the meetings of this pro-active society.
The Guest Poet will be Renee Burton who has published an anthology of poetry titled For everyman …by some woman. “As South Africans we have our own stories to tell, our own wounds to heal and our nation to build,” says Renee Burton. “We don’t need to borrow ideologies from other worlds”.
There will be an Open Session where those present can offer their own poetry contributions. As this will be the last meeting of the year, those attending are requested to take along some snacks to share.
The meeting will be held at 17h30 for 18h00 on November 4 at the Point Yacht Club, Victoria Embankment. More information from Danny Naicker on 083 282 0865 or email: dnaicker@metsond.co.za
ASSUMPTION PARISH MOVIE NIGHT
Double Feature Movie Night at Assumption Parish.
On October 30 at 19h00, Assumption Parish offers a Double Feature movie night in the hall featuring August Rush and Mama Mia. Adults are seated at the back, at tables, bringing their own drinks and snacks. The youngsters sit cinema style in front and popcorn and cold-drink will be on sale.
Assumption Parish is situated on the corner of Nicolson Road and Queen Mary Avenue.
On October 30 at 19h00, Assumption Parish offers a Double Feature movie night in the hall featuring August Rush and Mama Mia. Adults are seated at the back, at tables, bringing their own drinks and snacks. The youngsters sit cinema style in front and popcorn and cold-drink will be on sale.
Assumption Parish is situated on the corner of Nicolson Road and Queen Mary Avenue.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
KZNPO CONCERT: OCTOBER 22, 2009
(Pic: Conductor Yasuo Shinozaki)An occasion of unusual interest and rare quality from Christoph Bielefeld and the KZNPO. (Review by Michael Green)
The many Durban City Hall regulars who missed this concert missed an occasion of unusual interest and rare quality. Works for the harp are not likely to draw huge crowds, but this was harp playing with a difference, as we soon found out. The harpist was a 23-year–old German, Christoph Bielefeld, and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by the energetic and enthusiastic Yasuo Shinozaki, who comes from Japan. A programme of English, French, American and Russian music gave the evening a really international flavour.
We don’t hear Handel very much at our symphony concerts. He is one of a handful of the supreme masters in musical history, and he was nobly represented here by the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, played with much vigour and pomp, and by his splendid Concerto for Harp, Op. 4, No 6.
Like, I suspect, most members of the audience, I am not an expert on harp music, but the excellence of Christoph Bielefeld’s playing was apparent to all. The Handel concerto has two cheerful and lively outer movements and a second movement, larghetto, that is calm, serene and beautiful. The harpist produced an excellent tone, and his clear articulation of rapid passages was remarkable to hear and to see, especially the long cadenza near the end of the second movement. The audience were obviously gripped by all this. They were wholly attentive, and they gave the harpist an ovation.
He had a second item to play with the orchestra, Debussy’s Danses Sacrée et Profane (sacred dance and secular dance), an unusual and elegant work based on Portuguese and Spanish dance styles. In this, as in the Handel, Yasuo Shinozaki and the orchestra handled their role with skill and understanding.
Responding to prolonged applause, the harpist gave a lengthy encore, a gentle piece by Faure played with great delicacy and restrained virtuosity.
Lincoln Portrait, by Aaron Copland (1900-1990) has not, as far as I know, been performed here before. It was commissioned ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, which was not “shortly before the Second World War”, as the programme note stated. The Second World War had started two years earlier. The work calls for a narrator to quote parts of Abraham Lincoln’s, most famous speeches, and this role was taken by the distinguished Durban actor Garth Anderson, sitting in a wheelchair (his legs have been amputated because of diabetes).
Aaron Copland is the most American of composers, and his music exactly fitted the subject: strong, eloquent and down to earth, with a homely element suggested by popular songs of Lincoln’s time. Garth Anderson has a big, clear voice, and he conveyed admirably the dignity and power of Lincoln’s words, with just the slightest American inflection to give added authenticity. A most impressive performance all round.
Some members of the audience must surely have noted the irony of a Japanese musician conducting a performance of a work that had its origins in Japan’s attack on the United States at Pearl Harbour. Music has power to overcome all differences, past and present.
The concert ended with something much more familiar: Rimsky-Korsakov’s brilliantly scored Scheherazade, which tells the story of the Arabian Nights in vivid and memorable music. - Michael Green
KICKING IT COUNTRY
(Pic: Marion Loudon, Darren King and Janna Ramos-Violante)Entertaining and fun evening of country music from Darren King, Marion Loudon and Janna Ramos-Violante. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Featuring Darren King, Marion Loudon and Janna Ramos-Violante – dressed appropriately in jeans, wide belts with shiny buckles, boots, checked shirts, a multitude of fringing and stetsons in various shades and fabrics - Kicking it Country comes to the Rhumbelow Theatre after a successful appearance at the Witness Hilton Arts Festival last month.
The audience is launched into the mood right from the start with the engaging threesome presenting toe-tapping numbers such as Let Your Love Flow and Grandma’s Feather Bed. Also expect to hear Oklahoma, My Achey Breaky Heart, You were Always on My Mind, Me and Bobby McGee, Bad Moon Rising, The Guitar Man, You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me Lucille, Stand by Your Man and I Feel like a Woman. There’s not a lot of space on the Rhumbelow stage but the cast made the best use of it with snappy moves and sassy choreography.
No country music compilation would be complete without homage to the inimitable Dolly Parton and this is provided with Nine to Five; Islands in the Stream (an enjoyable number with Janna and Darren performing the distinctive Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers hit), Joelene (a fun presentation from Marion) and I Will Always Love You.
Amidst the wild and fast-paced hoedown fun, the thigh-slapping and the up-tempo interaction, there are well-chosen moments of introspection – mainly from Darren with poignant numbers such as Crazy, Desperado and You Fill Up My Senses.
The show’s beginning is placed so strongly in the mid-West that it comes as a bit of a bounce-back to earth when the narration is presented without an American accent. It moves Kicking it Country out of context and I think I would have preferred mid-West US accents throughout.
The lighting was very effective and made full use of Rhumbelow’s now improved facilities. However, as always, I have a problem with the sound at this venue which seems to follow the thinking that loud is good. Loud is fine in the right context but it’s completely ineffectual if the balance favours the music and not the performers, thereby overriding the lyrics and creating what I call “cottonwool language”. If you don’t know the words, in many cases the performers could be speaking any language under the sun. There are two parts to a song, after all - music and lyrics – and the one needs the other to create the ultimate whole.
There will be one more performance on Sunday (October 25) at 18h30. The venue opens 90 minutes before show for picnic dinner. Tickets R80. Take along food picnic baskets and braais will be available. There is limited secure parking and booking is essential. A cash bar is available (no alcohol may be brought on to the premises). Rhumbelow Theatre is situated in Cunningham Avenue off Bartle Road. Booking is through Computicket or contact Roland on 031 205 7602 (h) or 082 499 8636, email roland@stansell.za.net or visit www.rhumbelow.za.net – Caroline Smart
Friday, October 23, 2009
JOAN’S JOURNEY
Installation by Joan Alkema to run at the KZNSA Gallery from October 27.
As an Afrikaner woman in her sixties, Alkema has lived through various changes in South Africa. It was only in the last five years that she started exploring the history of Afrikaner women. Executing her work by using traditional feminine craft practises and specific motifs, the artist comments on the paucity of information and documentation of Afrikaner women’s history. This exhibition is presented as part of Alkema’s Masters Degree in Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology.
Joan’s Journey will be opened on October 27 at 18h00 with a music performance by Manelis (see article in Music). It will then run until November 15. The KZNSA Gallery is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1703, fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za
As an Afrikaner woman in her sixties, Alkema has lived through various changes in South Africa. It was only in the last five years that she started exploring the history of Afrikaner women. Executing her work by using traditional feminine craft practises and specific motifs, the artist comments on the paucity of information and documentation of Afrikaner women’s history. This exhibition is presented as part of Alkema’s Masters Degree in Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology.
Joan’s Journey will be opened on October 27 at 18h00 with a music performance by Manelis (see article in Music). It will then run until November 15. The KZNSA Gallery is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1703, fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za
THE READING ROOM
(Pic: “Transgressing the Page” - thread, paper, cloth by Cheryl Penn) The Reading Room: Artists’ Books by Cheryl Penn is to run at the KZNSA Gallery from October 27.
Cheryl Penn is interested in artists’ books as a contemporary, interdisciplinary post-modern art form in which to articulate a personal visual language. She makes specific reference to the altered book, an art form currently garnering a large international following. The artist explores the book as a quiet, contemplative space in which to present a personal narrative, using the space of the book as a way to juxtapose reality and the imagination.
Cheryl Penn is a professional artist who specialises in large corporate installations in oils and mixed media and also works as the curator of the new ADvTECH collection in Johannesburg. The Reading Room is an exhibition of artists’ books made during the course of her research for a Masters Degree at the Durban University of Technology.
The Reading Room: Artists’ Books by Cheryl Penn will be opened on October 27 at 18h00 with a music performance by Manelis (see article in Music). It will then run until November 15. The KZNSA Gallery is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1703, fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za
IMPRINT
(Pic: detail from the Wallflower series; Porcelain by Carla da Cruz)New ceramics by Carla da Cruz at KZNSA.
Imprint, an exhibition featuring new ceramics by Carla da Cruz, is to run at the KZNSA Gallery from October 27.
The work of Carla da Cruz addresses the relationships between comfort and discomfort, interior and exterior, and structure and chaos. The ceramic forms are archetypal and evoke a sense of subconscious recognition and familiarity. Influenced by the artist’s fascination with industrial, architectural and natural forms, the clay sculptures explore natural and human-made texture, geometry, repetition and pattern. Increasingly aware of the pressure placed on the environment in the name of development and industry, she creates work that is technically superb, conceptually layered and aesthetically astounding.
Carla da Cruz has a Masters Degree in Fine Art and her work is represented in a number of private collections, the UNISA Art Collection, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Collection and the Tatham Art Gallery.
The exhibition will be opened on October 27 at 18h00 with a music performance by Manelis (see article in Music). It will then run until November 15. The KZNSA Gallery is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1703, fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za
CELEBRATION
Show for festive season settles in at uShaka Marine World from October 21.
A cruise around the various cultures of the world awaits audiences at uShaka Marine World’s Upper Deck supper theatre venue from now right through the festive season.
Celebration features an all-new cast of performers – Brendan Mendez. Rory Booth, Victor Samsonov (current Mr uShaka and finalist in the Mr South Africa Competition), Danielle Mann, Denya Maslen and Londiwe Dhlomo.
Guests are welcomed aboard the Ms Mardi Gras where the entertainment crew takes them on a special round-the-world celebration of cultures and countries from the United Kingdom, Russia and Saudi Arabia to India, the United States and Rio de Janeiro. With a fusion of Spanish, Latin American, Arabian and African rhythms this show is ideal for the festive season. Songs include Jai Ho, Pon de Replay, the Saints Go Marching In, Sweet Home Alabama, Bambaleo and Nlalakatha. The dancers will strut their stuff with everything from a belly dance to a Bollywood scene, included also a number from Riverdance.
Celebration runs at the Upper Deck on the Phantom Ship at uShaka Marine World from October 21 to January 9. Tickets R150 include the show and a three-course meal. Booking is at Computicket. For more information call 031 328 8000.
A cruise around the various cultures of the world awaits audiences at uShaka Marine World’s Upper Deck supper theatre venue from now right through the festive season.
Celebration features an all-new cast of performers – Brendan Mendez. Rory Booth, Victor Samsonov (current Mr uShaka and finalist in the Mr South Africa Competition), Danielle Mann, Denya Maslen and Londiwe Dhlomo.
Guests are welcomed aboard the Ms Mardi Gras where the entertainment crew takes them on a special round-the-world celebration of cultures and countries from the United Kingdom, Russia and Saudi Arabia to India, the United States and Rio de Janeiro. With a fusion of Spanish, Latin American, Arabian and African rhythms this show is ideal for the festive season. Songs include Jai Ho, Pon de Replay, the Saints Go Marching In, Sweet Home Alabama, Bambaleo and Nlalakatha. The dancers will strut their stuff with everything from a belly dance to a Bollywood scene, included also a number from Riverdance.
Celebration runs at the Upper Deck on the Phantom Ship at uShaka Marine World from October 21 to January 9. Tickets R150 include the show and a three-course meal. Booking is at Computicket. For more information call 031 328 8000.
UMKHUMBANE ENSEMBLE IN CONCERT
(Pic: The inimitable Jerry Kunene on alto sax)Umkhumbane Ensemble to play tribute to Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi at Rainbow Restaurant on November 1.
The Umkhumbane Ensemble is playing a tribute to Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi at the Rainbow Restaurant in Pinetown on November 1.
“This concert was booked a long time ago before we got the sad news of the passing of one of the Rainbow's favourite jazz legends, Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi, on October 13,” explains Rainbow co-owner Neil Comfort. “We have spoken to Mankunku's manager, Chris Syren at Making Music, and he has given us the go-ahead to present this concert as a tribute and I have personally asked the band to include some of his classics, including that great anti-apartheid anthem Yakhal'inkhomo.
“When you see the line-up, you will understand why it made perfect sense and why they are the perfect band for such a tribute, Appropriately, there will be a tribute to Mankunku in Cape Town on October 31, the day before our local tribute,” Neil Comfort explains. “The reason why the Umkhumbane Ensemble is the perfect band is that it features a wonderful selection of some of our locally based jazz legends as well as a few upcoming stars. The line-up includes Jerry Kunene and Muntu Dube on alto saxophones; S'thembiso Ntuli and Moses Sefatsa on tenor saxophones; Bheki Luthuli and Eric Duma on trumpets; Theo Bophela on piano; Mdu Mahlobo on guitar; Zithulele Dlamini on drums; KB Maphumulo on bass; Nothando Madondo on trombone and vocals; and Adolph Kunene on vocals.
“Is there anything more I can tell you before you are convinced this will be another memorable Sunday afternoon at the Rainbow?,” adds Neil Comfort. “Just like those many Sundays past when Mankunku graced our stage. RIP.”
The Umkhumbane Ensemble will perform on November 1. Doors open at 12h00 with the first set just after 13h00. Tickets R40 presale or R50 at the door. The Rainbow Restaurant is situated at 23 Stanfield Lane, Pinetown. More information or bookings on 031 702 9161 or 083 463 8044 or email: bandwagon@artslink.co.za
MANELIS TO PERFORM AT KZNSA OPENINGS
Veteran rapper and MC to perform at opening of three exhibitions at KZNSA.
Veteran rapper and MC Manelis is to perform at opening of three exhibitions at KZNSA: Imprint: New Ceramics by Carla da Cruz; The Reading Room: Artists’ Books by Cheryl Penn, and Joan’s Journey: an installation by Joan Alkema. These will take place at 18h00 on October 27.
The music of veteran rapper and MC Manelis is a mix of soulful hip hop, streetwise vernacular and socially conscious content. He draws inspiration from the vintage African music of Harare, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Letta Mbulu and fuses it with urban hip hop to create a sound that critics and peers agree is “the way streetwise vernacular rap should be”. At the performance at the KZNSA, he launches his long awaited EP sTshengise as part of the D’Urban Poison Session, and also performs a selection from his album Guidance 2 Talagu.
Manelis started his musical career with South Earthnix, a pioneering band in the 90's. He has shared the stage with an array of local and international artists including Ghetto Prophecy Movement (GPM) and Black Fists of Gavi, Dead Prez, Talib Kwali, Jeru da Damaja, The Coup, Black Thought (of the Roots), MXO, Mr. Selwyn and MUGGS. Some of the platforms he’s performed on include Grahamstown National Arts Festival, Fire on the Mountain and Splashy Fen festivals while he’s contributed to the compilations Sounds 031 and Isinamuva Liyabukwa. Manelis was rated by South African hip hop magazine Hype as one of the top five hip hop artists in the country.
Veteran rapper and MC Manelis is to perform at opening of three exhibitions at KZNSA: Imprint: New Ceramics by Carla da Cruz; The Reading Room: Artists’ Books by Cheryl Penn, and Joan’s Journey: an installation by Joan Alkema. These will take place at 18h00 on October 27.
The music of veteran rapper and MC Manelis is a mix of soulful hip hop, streetwise vernacular and socially conscious content. He draws inspiration from the vintage African music of Harare, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Letta Mbulu and fuses it with urban hip hop to create a sound that critics and peers agree is “the way streetwise vernacular rap should be”. At the performance at the KZNSA, he launches his long awaited EP sTshengise as part of the D’Urban Poison Session, and also performs a selection from his album Guidance 2 Talagu.
Manelis started his musical career with South Earthnix, a pioneering band in the 90's. He has shared the stage with an array of local and international artists including Ghetto Prophecy Movement (GPM) and Black Fists of Gavi, Dead Prez, Talib Kwali, Jeru da Damaja, The Coup, Black Thought (of the Roots), MXO, Mr. Selwyn and MUGGS. Some of the platforms he’s performed on include Grahamstown National Arts Festival, Fire on the Mountain and Splashy Fen festivals while he’s contributed to the compilations Sounds 031 and Isinamuva Liyabukwa. Manelis was rated by South African hip hop magazine Hype as one of the top five hip hop artists in the country.
TRIBUTE TO WINSTON MANKUNKU NGOZI
International jazz artist Darius Brubeck pays tribute to legendary tenor saxophonist.
International jazz artist Darius Brubeck pays tribute on Facebook to Winston Mankunku Ngozi (born June 21, 1943) who died on October 12.
“The legendary South African tenor saxophonist, Winston Mankunku was a father-figure for the many South African musicians who now espouse a Coltrane-influenced and Africanist approach to ja...zz. Playing with him, as I had the privilege of doing in the ‘80s and ‘90s, was emotionally and musically overwhelming. He is celebrated for his passion, inventiveness, intensity and good humour. “ – Darius Brubeck
International jazz artist Darius Brubeck pays tribute on Facebook to Winston Mankunku Ngozi (born June 21, 1943) who died on October 12.
“The legendary South African tenor saxophonist, Winston Mankunku was a father-figure for the many South African musicians who now espouse a Coltrane-influenced and Africanist approach to ja...zz. Playing with him, as I had the privilege of doing in the ‘80s and ‘90s, was emotionally and musically overwhelming. He is celebrated for his passion, inventiveness, intensity and good humour. “ – Darius Brubeck
PETER MEDHURST LECTURE
Elizabethan music brought wonderfully alive by visiting English musician. (Report by Michael Green)
Elizabethan music is a fairly rarefied field of study and entertainment, but a visiting English musician and scholar, Peter Medhurst, brought it wonderfully alive in a recent lecture in Durban. He was speaking (and singing and playing) at a meeting of the Decorative Arts Society, before an audience that must have run to close on 200 people (I attended as a guest of one of the society’s members, Jean Hooper). He has spoken before to this group about music. This time he took the title of his two-hour lecture from a song of the period: Eliza is the Fairest Queen.
The reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) was one of remarkable artistic achievement in England, and the queen herself was a reasonably accomplished singer and performer on the lute and the virginal (an early keyboard instrument). According to Peter Medhurst, she danced six galliards (an energetic type of dance) every morning before breakfast to keep fit.
The flattering contemporary song about “the fairest queen” said her eyes were “crystal bright”. Maybe they were, but her teeth became yellow with age and several of them were missing. She looked as if she had been “surprised by time”, said one of her most distinguished subjects, Francis Bacon, in a memorable phrase.
Peter Medhurst is particularly well qualified to discuss the music of this period. He graduated at the Royal College of Music in London in 1977 and studied later at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He is a professional singer, pianist and harpsichordist, and he has lectured on music and the arts in many parts of the world. Best of all, he has an uninhibited sense of humour and is an expert communicator.
He played several pieces on a splendid harpsichord made in Durban by Chris Brouckaert, quoting at the outset the irrepressible Sir Thomas Beecham, who said that a harpsichord sounded like “two skeletons copulating on a tin roof in a hailstorm”.
Peter Medhurst’s playing didn’t sound in the least like that. He gave us music by John Dowland, William Byrd, Thomas Tallis and the Dutch composer Jan Sweelinck, including several songs in which he displayed a fine baritone voice (in England he sings on the concert platform in oratorio and in recitals of German lieder). And he played recordings of ensemble music of the period, much of it by “the best known composer of the time, Anon”. And, of course, he played Greensleeves.
He illustrated his lecture with on-screen projections of famous paintings depicting Elizabethan musical instruments. And he had his audience in stitches as he danced the pavane, showing how it could progress from simple steps to courtly flourishes.
It was a total pleasure to listen to someone who wears his learning so lightly, and with such grace and humour. – Michael Green
Elizabethan music is a fairly rarefied field of study and entertainment, but a visiting English musician and scholar, Peter Medhurst, brought it wonderfully alive in a recent lecture in Durban. He was speaking (and singing and playing) at a meeting of the Decorative Arts Society, before an audience that must have run to close on 200 people (I attended as a guest of one of the society’s members, Jean Hooper). He has spoken before to this group about music. This time he took the title of his two-hour lecture from a song of the period: Eliza is the Fairest Queen.
The reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) was one of remarkable artistic achievement in England, and the queen herself was a reasonably accomplished singer and performer on the lute and the virginal (an early keyboard instrument). According to Peter Medhurst, she danced six galliards (an energetic type of dance) every morning before breakfast to keep fit.
The flattering contemporary song about “the fairest queen” said her eyes were “crystal bright”. Maybe they were, but her teeth became yellow with age and several of them were missing. She looked as if she had been “surprised by time”, said one of her most distinguished subjects, Francis Bacon, in a memorable phrase.
Peter Medhurst is particularly well qualified to discuss the music of this period. He graduated at the Royal College of Music in London in 1977 and studied later at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He is a professional singer, pianist and harpsichordist, and he has lectured on music and the arts in many parts of the world. Best of all, he has an uninhibited sense of humour and is an expert communicator.
He played several pieces on a splendid harpsichord made in Durban by Chris Brouckaert, quoting at the outset the irrepressible Sir Thomas Beecham, who said that a harpsichord sounded like “two skeletons copulating on a tin roof in a hailstorm”.
Peter Medhurst’s playing didn’t sound in the least like that. He gave us music by John Dowland, William Byrd, Thomas Tallis and the Dutch composer Jan Sweelinck, including several songs in which he displayed a fine baritone voice (in England he sings on the concert platform in oratorio and in recitals of German lieder). And he played recordings of ensemble music of the period, much of it by “the best known composer of the time, Anon”. And, of course, he played Greensleeves.
He illustrated his lecture with on-screen projections of famous paintings depicting Elizabethan musical instruments. And he had his audience in stitches as he danced the pavane, showing how it could progress from simple steps to courtly flourishes.
It was a total pleasure to listen to someone who wears his learning so lightly, and with such grace and humour. – Michael Green
OLD CHURCH AUCTIONS
Next Old Church Auction to take place in Howick on October 26.
The next Old Church Auction will take place in Howick on October 26.
On offer are Rare Books - Signed Mahatma Gandhi letter - Rare Wines - Ivory Netsukes - Early Violin - Collectable Dolls - Militaria including a Boxer Rebellion sword, Boer War medals, and an extremely rare British Naval Service Medal with Trafalgar clasp (the recipient William Pope is listed on the Trafalgar Roll as on the HMS Victory) - Dinky and other toys.
There is also a big collection of Linn Ware and Ceramic Studio ceramics - large Doulton "York Town" dinner service for 18 - Loads of Imari style Coalport and other English ceramics - South African paintings and prints - Lots of jewellery - Gold and diamond tennis bracelet - Rare Scottish gilt metal sewing box - Hand painted gold lined portrait box - Rare Regency chinoiserie games box - 18K gold fusee pocket watch - Glass and Metalware - Furniture - Silver and silverplate - and much more still to be listed.
The live bidding platform has now been launched – visit the website at www.oldchurch.co.za to view the items, watch the auction or bid live.
The Old Church Auction on October 26 takes place from 10h00 at the Green Acres Centre, Howick. Viewings are held all day on Thursday and Friday (Saturday and Sunday from 09h00 to 12h00). Phone 033 330 3848 or email: oldchurchgallery@gmail.com
The next Old Church Auction will take place in Howick on October 26.
On offer are Rare Books - Signed Mahatma Gandhi letter - Rare Wines - Ivory Netsukes - Early Violin - Collectable Dolls - Militaria including a Boxer Rebellion sword, Boer War medals, and an extremely rare British Naval Service Medal with Trafalgar clasp (the recipient William Pope is listed on the Trafalgar Roll as on the HMS Victory) - Dinky and other toys.
There is also a big collection of Linn Ware and Ceramic Studio ceramics - large Doulton "York Town" dinner service for 18 - Loads of Imari style Coalport and other English ceramics - South African paintings and prints - Lots of jewellery - Gold and diamond tennis bracelet - Rare Scottish gilt metal sewing box - Hand painted gold lined portrait box - Rare Regency chinoiserie games box - 18K gold fusee pocket watch - Glass and Metalware - Furniture - Silver and silverplate - and much more still to be listed.
The live bidding platform has now been launched – visit the website at www.oldchurch.co.za to view the items, watch the auction or bid live.
The Old Church Auction on October 26 takes place from 10h00 at the Green Acres Centre, Howick. Viewings are held all day on Thursday and Friday (Saturday and Sunday from 09h00 to 12h00). Phone 033 330 3848 or email: oldchurchgallery@gmail.com
SANCTA DURBAN BRANCH
SA National Community Theatre Association officially launched its second branch on September 30.
The SA National Community Theatre Association officially launched its second branch in Durban on September 30 at The Catalina Theatre, Maydon Wharf, with a good attendance which included representatives from a theatre group in Pietermaritzburg.
The aim is to reach out to the many community theatre groups in and around Durban and in nearby country towns to enable them to obtain exposure through belonging to a national body. Sancta is to run its 30th festival in June 2010 and look forward to entries from KZN.
The branch is under the control of Durban businessman Wesley Hiepner who has performed in Sancta festivals in Johannesburg and Grahamstown for NMCD Productions in 2007. He is contactable on 072 413 6434 or hypnoticevents@vodamail.co.za for any information, documentation etc.
For more information on Sancta, contact Wesley or the National Chair Noel McDonald on 083 3094 3115, or join Sancta on Face Book or visit www.sancta.org.za
The SA National Community Theatre Association officially launched its second branch in Durban on September 30 at The Catalina Theatre, Maydon Wharf, with a good attendance which included representatives from a theatre group in Pietermaritzburg.
The aim is to reach out to the many community theatre groups in and around Durban and in nearby country towns to enable them to obtain exposure through belonging to a national body. Sancta is to run its 30th festival in June 2010 and look forward to entries from KZN.
The branch is under the control of Durban businessman Wesley Hiepner who has performed in Sancta festivals in Johannesburg and Grahamstown for NMCD Productions in 2007. He is contactable on 072 413 6434 or hypnoticevents@vodamail.co.za for any information, documentation etc.
For more information on Sancta, contact Wesley or the National Chair Noel McDonald on 083 3094 3115, or join Sancta on Face Book or visit www.sancta.org.za
THE LAST KICK OF A DYING HORSE
(Pic: Momelezi Ntshiba and Siyabonga Shibe)The Last Kick of a Dying Horse, a gripping three-hander starring Menzi Mzobe, Momelezi Ntshiba and Siyabonga Shibe, rounds off The Playhouse Company’s three-production New Stages Festival in the Drama theatre in October.
Two friends, trapped behind prison bars, contemplate their actions as they face possible life imprisonment – can they justify killing seven people to avenge the death of their friend? Should their actions have been tempered by the fact that the seven dead were refugees? Should they lose faith in the justice system because the killer who sparked off their actions is still at large? Why does society stand by and let individuals threaten the very freedom for which so many sacrificed their lives?
The show opens with Vuyo and Ntshosho in jail on the night after their last court appearance. A flash back takes audiences to the night they lost their innocence. It all started at a party: young people care-free, dancing, flirting, drinking; their heaviest decision being which girls to target. Then their friend Sipho staggers in, bleeding from his stab wounds. As his life drains from him, the last word on his lips is the name of his killer.
In their jail cells, Vuyo and Ntshosho share their feelings of horror, anger and despair as they failed to save their friend’s life; their quest for justice that would bring a measure of peace, although it would never bring their friend back. We see their futile discussions with the law-enforcement officers to try to get the culprit arrested. Their reflections are punctuated by visits from the prison warden which provide some comic relief. The action evolves through a series of flashbacks leading up to the sentencing in the final scene as Vuyo and Ntshosho examine their consciences.
The Last Kick of a Dying Horse has been performed to critical acclaim twice at the National Arts Festival, and its Durban season in the Playhouse Company’s New Stages festival is keenly anticipated.
There are two performances only on October 28 and 30 at 19h30. Tickets R40 booked through Computicket on 083 915 8000 o 031-369 9540 / 031-369 9596.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
APOLOGIES
There appears to be a problem with loading photographs at the moment. These will be incorporated into the articles as soon as the problem is sorted out.
My apologies! Caroline Smart (Editor: artSMart)
My apologies! Caroline Smart (Editor: artSMart)
ZULULAND ARTISTS IN HILLCREST
(Pic: “Lioness at Dusk” by Cary Lang)Hluhluwe based artists to exhibit at Design FX in Hillcrest.
Design FX @ Longmynd in Hillcrest, one of South Africa’s prime décor and design houses, will host an exciting exhibition of paintings on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2009.
Offering fine art enthusiasts the opportunity to view a wealth of new talent, the exhibition by the Hluhluwe-based Zululand Artists will feature the work of 15 dedicated artists. The group has been working for the past year or more with their mentor, the Kloof-based painter, Anne Cleveland. Some of Cleveland’s work will also be exhibited. All the paintings, rendered in oils, acrylic or watercolours, will be for sale.
Snacks and drinks will be served during the exhibition. Visitors will also be able to browse through Design FX’s exclusively imported décor and design items, newly arrived at Longmynd.
Visiting hours are October 31 (09h30 to 16h30) and on November 1 (10h00 to 14h00). Design FX @ Longmynd is situated at 24 Old Main Road, Hillcrest. Enquiries by email to gcleveland@telkomsa.net or call 031 764 2394 or 084 365 7222.
RAT PACK LIVE AT THE SNEDDON
(Pic: Matthew Stewardson, Patrick Tobin and Dantanio Goodman appear in The Rat Pack)Frank, Dean and Sammy will be swinging their way in late October 2009, when The Rat Pack promises the coolest party to town at the Sneddon Theatre, campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
The epitome of style and suaveness, the Rat Pack – that is Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior and others – took the world by storm in the 1960s. The glitzy city of Las Vegas will come to Durban as these hip, cool, wisecracking cats swagger onto stage.
Unfortunately, it won’t be the slick trio themselves but the next best thing: a crack South African cast of singers, featuring American impersonator Patrick Tobin as Ol’ Blue Eyes, Dantanio Goodman as Sammy, and Matthew Stewardson – one of South Africa’s most accomplished Rat Pack performers – as “Dino”.
Audiences can look forward to an entertaining evening with these whisky-swigging legends, who will recreate the era of swing, jazz and rock ’n roll, complete with a nine-piece big band. Expect to hear favourites such as Fly me to the Moon, That’s Amore, Mack the Knife, I Only Have Eyes for You and My Way. The production is staged by Colin Law with choreography by Trish Mckenna.
The Rat Pack concept originated in the 1950s anchored around Humphrey Bogart. However, by the ’60s the group included Frank, Dean and Sammy, as well as Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. Along with their music, they have become immortal - no less with the recent remake of the Ocean’s 11 movie and its sequels, as well as artists such as Robbie Williams and Michael Bublé helping to re-popularise the genre among younger generations.
The Rat Pack runs from October 27 to November 14. Tickets from R95 to R150 available through www.computicket.com
MUSIC AT JACKIE HORNER PUB
Little Fish perform on October 23 with Rowan Stuart on October 25.
It’s music time at Jackie Horner Pub and Grill in Davenport Road this weekend. From 19h00 to 21h00 on October 23, catch band Little Fish in action. On October 25, popular soloist Rowan Stuart is in the hot seat from 1pm to 3pm.
Entrance is free. Bookings on 031 209 9192.
It’s music time at Jackie Horner Pub and Grill in Davenport Road this weekend. From 19h00 to 21h00 on October 23, catch band Little Fish in action. On October 25, popular soloist Rowan Stuart is in the hot seat from 1pm to 3pm.
Entrance is free. Bookings on 031 209 9192.
LUIS MAGALHAES & NINA SCHUMANN CD
“Two Pianists” CD features first-rate duo playing in an interesting programme. (Review by Michael Green)
There is a big repertory of music for two pianists playing at one keyboard or two. It dates back to the days before television and radio, when you had to make your own entertainments instead of pressing a button.
Considering the size and quality of this repertory, I find it surprising that music for piano duo is not performed more often professionally. As a humble amateur pianist with the good fortune to have as a friend a highly skilled professional, Lara Jones (who is now living in Germany), I have explored this field quite extensively, playing Schubert, Bach, Brahms, Saint-Saens, Faure and a host of arrangements, from symphonies to opera.
It is therefore with particular pleasure that I write about an excellent CD made by South African duo pianists Luis Magalhaes and Nina Schumann. They are a husband and wife team and they both teach music at Stellenbosch University. He was born in Portugal, she in South Africa. They met and married ten years ago while they were studying at the University of North Texas in the United States.
With 35 concertos in her repertoire, Nina has given more than 140 concerto performances in South Africa, Europe and the US. Luis has given recital, concerto and chamber music performances in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.
They gave a duo recital recently in Durban. I could not attend because it clashed with a symphony concert, but I now have their CD called simply Two Pianists. It contains 66 minutes of first-rate duo playing in an interesting programme. The main item is an arrangement for two pianos of the two books of Brahms’s well-known Variations on a theme by Paganini, Op. 35. I had never before heard this version of Brahms’s massive work. The arrangement is by the twentieth century Romanian conductor and composer Constantin Silvestri. It captures all the fiery brilliance of the original, enhanced at times by the extra power generated by two pianos.
In striking contrast is a much more terse set of variations on the same Paganini theme by the Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski, who died in 1994. This is music in the modern manner, dissonant, strongly rhythmical, wayward and commanding. You won’t doze off listening to this. The theme, from one of Paganini’s caprices for violin, is very famous. It seems to have had an irresistible appeal for composers who wanted to write variations. Apart from the two on this CD, Schumann, Liszt, Rachmaninov and many others have turned their hands to this chirpy tune.
Two suites by the Russian Anton Arensky (1861-1906) follow on the CD. The waltz of the first suite is well known, and the second set includes a delightfully delicate piece called The Coquette, arched eyebrows in music. Perhaps in a future CD they will include the two other suites by Arensky which contain, inter alia, a wonderful Nocturne and a remarkable piece called La Reve, The Dream.
Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhaes complete their CD with a brilliant arrangement by Leonard Bernstein of Aaron Copland’s El Salon Mexico, giving another opportunity for virtuoso playing by two highly accomplished pianists. The recording includes an extensive programme note that is far better than the brief and inadequate comments that are often provided with CDs. - Michael Green
There is a big repertory of music for two pianists playing at one keyboard or two. It dates back to the days before television and radio, when you had to make your own entertainments instead of pressing a button.
Considering the size and quality of this repertory, I find it surprising that music for piano duo is not performed more often professionally. As a humble amateur pianist with the good fortune to have as a friend a highly skilled professional, Lara Jones (who is now living in Germany), I have explored this field quite extensively, playing Schubert, Bach, Brahms, Saint-Saens, Faure and a host of arrangements, from symphonies to opera.
It is therefore with particular pleasure that I write about an excellent CD made by South African duo pianists Luis Magalhaes and Nina Schumann. They are a husband and wife team and they both teach music at Stellenbosch University. He was born in Portugal, she in South Africa. They met and married ten years ago while they were studying at the University of North Texas in the United States.
With 35 concertos in her repertoire, Nina has given more than 140 concerto performances in South Africa, Europe and the US. Luis has given recital, concerto and chamber music performances in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.
They gave a duo recital recently in Durban. I could not attend because it clashed with a symphony concert, but I now have their CD called simply Two Pianists. It contains 66 minutes of first-rate duo playing in an interesting programme. The main item is an arrangement for two pianos of the two books of Brahms’s well-known Variations on a theme by Paganini, Op. 35. I had never before heard this version of Brahms’s massive work. The arrangement is by the twentieth century Romanian conductor and composer Constantin Silvestri. It captures all the fiery brilliance of the original, enhanced at times by the extra power generated by two pianos.
In striking contrast is a much more terse set of variations on the same Paganini theme by the Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski, who died in 1994. This is music in the modern manner, dissonant, strongly rhythmical, wayward and commanding. You won’t doze off listening to this. The theme, from one of Paganini’s caprices for violin, is very famous. It seems to have had an irresistible appeal for composers who wanted to write variations. Apart from the two on this CD, Schumann, Liszt, Rachmaninov and many others have turned their hands to this chirpy tune.
Two suites by the Russian Anton Arensky (1861-1906) follow on the CD. The waltz of the first suite is well known, and the second set includes a delightfully delicate piece called The Coquette, arched eyebrows in music. Perhaps in a future CD they will include the two other suites by Arensky which contain, inter alia, a wonderful Nocturne and a remarkable piece called La Reve, The Dream.
Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhaes complete their CD with a brilliant arrangement by Leonard Bernstein of Aaron Copland’s El Salon Mexico, giving another opportunity for virtuoso playing by two highly accomplished pianists. The recording includes an extensive programme note that is far better than the brief and inadequate comments that are often provided with CDs. - Michael Green
DORITAS BE HEARD FOR DURBAN
Global music search continues at UKZN Westville on October 22.
Bloemfontein bands turned out in their numbers to enter the Doritos Be Heard global music search recently where hopefuls flocked to University of the Free State to perform their original music compositions and be filmed by the Doritos crew. Their entries will be uploaded to www.doritosbeheard.co.za where users can log on and rate the various music videos.
Talent scouts are hitting the road to unearth more fresh raw talent and will visit other campuses around the country. The next event takes place on the University of KwaZulu-Natal Westville campus in Durban on October 22. Hot young music wannabes can head to the lower cafeteria on the Westville campus between 09h00 and 12h00 noon.
The winning artist or band will walk off with the R200,000 first prize, the runner-up with R100,000, and those who rate and vote for the videos can also win great cash prizes and iPhones.
Prospective entrants can also head to one of a number of clubs around the country this month to have their performances professionally recorded and uploaded, or can film themselves and enter online. Performances must be of original material and should be accompanied by a short introduction, making use of a pack of Doritos.
The KZN clubs where you can perform and enter the Doritos Be Heard competition are as follows: Springboks in Durban (October 22); Boogies Rock ’n Roll in Umhlanga (October 23) and Cape 2 Cairo in Durban (October 24). Each event starts at 18h00 and ends at 02h00.
Visit www.clubmedia.co.za for a full list of the participating clubs. Log onto www.doritosbeheard.co.za or www.beheard.mobi for competition details and to view and rate the uploaded entries.
Bloemfontein bands turned out in their numbers to enter the Doritos Be Heard global music search recently where hopefuls flocked to University of the Free State to perform their original music compositions and be filmed by the Doritos crew. Their entries will be uploaded to www.doritosbeheard.co.za where users can log on and rate the various music videos.
Talent scouts are hitting the road to unearth more fresh raw talent and will visit other campuses around the country. The next event takes place on the University of KwaZulu-Natal Westville campus in Durban on October 22. Hot young music wannabes can head to the lower cafeteria on the Westville campus between 09h00 and 12h00 noon.
The winning artist or band will walk off with the R200,000 first prize, the runner-up with R100,000, and those who rate and vote for the videos can also win great cash prizes and iPhones.
Prospective entrants can also head to one of a number of clubs around the country this month to have their performances professionally recorded and uploaded, or can film themselves and enter online. Performances must be of original material and should be accompanied by a short introduction, making use of a pack of Doritos.
The KZN clubs where you can perform and enter the Doritos Be Heard competition are as follows: Springboks in Durban (October 22); Boogies Rock ’n Roll in Umhlanga (October 23) and Cape 2 Cairo in Durban (October 24). Each event starts at 18h00 and ends at 02h00.
Visit www.clubmedia.co.za for a full list of the participating clubs. Log onto www.doritosbeheard.co.za or www.beheard.mobi for competition details and to view and rate the uploaded entries.
MUSIC REVIVAL’S SUMMER SEASON
Christopher Duigan plays selection of classical piano works to open new concert season in Pietermaritzburg.
Classical Piano is the title of a concert to be presented by Christopher Duigan and his Pietermaritzburg-based Music Revival organisation to open the new summer season of concerts.
Christopher Duigan will play a selection of classical piano works including Beethoven's Sonata in E flat op 27 no 1, companion to the more famous Moonlight Sonata. Also on the programme are Debussy's Arabesque No 1 and La Plus que lente, a beguiling café waltz; Chopin’s popular Waltz in E-flat and Liszt's Les Jeux d'Eaux à la Villa d'Este (The Fountains of the Villa d'Este).
Full of popular appeal and easy going charm, this programme will be presented later this month at The Franschhoek La Motte Classic Music Festival of which Christopher Duigan is the Musical Director.
There are two performances of Classical Piano: October 23 at 19h30 and October 25 at 15h30 at 35 MONTGOMERY DRIVE, Athlone, Pietermaritzburg. Tickets R80 includes wine and coffee. Booking is essential through Music Revival on e-mail: booking@musicrevival.co.za or 033 342 3051. For more information visit www.musicrevival.co.za
Classical Piano is the title of a concert to be presented by Christopher Duigan and his Pietermaritzburg-based Music Revival organisation to open the new summer season of concerts.
Christopher Duigan will play a selection of classical piano works including Beethoven's Sonata in E flat op 27 no 1, companion to the more famous Moonlight Sonata. Also on the programme are Debussy's Arabesque No 1 and La Plus que lente, a beguiling café waltz; Chopin’s popular Waltz in E-flat and Liszt's Les Jeux d'Eaux à la Villa d'Este (The Fountains of the Villa d'Este).
Full of popular appeal and easy going charm, this programme will be presented later this month at The Franschhoek La Motte Classic Music Festival of which Christopher Duigan is the Musical Director.
There are two performances of Classical Piano: October 23 at 19h30 and October 25 at 15h30 at 35 MONTGOMERY DRIVE, Athlone, Pietermaritzburg. Tickets R80 includes wine and coffee. Booking is essential through Music Revival on e-mail: booking@musicrevival.co.za or 033 342 3051. For more information visit www.musicrevival.co.za
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
(Pic by Val Adamson: Darren King and Loyiso Macdonald)Clare Mortimer directs award-winning play by Manuel Puig.
Directed by Clare Mortimer and starring Darren King and Loyiso Macdonald, Kiss of The Spider Woman - the award winning play by the much-decorated Argentine Manuel Puig – comes to the Catalina Theatre from October 29 until 15 November.
Kiss of The Spider Woman has had great success as a straight play, a musical and later and most famously as a multi-award winning screenplay, the film of which earned William Hurt an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1986 for his portrayal of the tragic and flamboyant Luis Molina. His screen partner for this production was the late, great Raul Julia as leftist political prisoner, Valentin Arregui.
They share a Brazilian prison cell. Molina passes the time by telling Arregui stories based on the plot of one of his favourite films, a wartime romantic Nazi thriller which he embellishes with additional characters. An unlikely friendship develops between the two vastly different men - the dreamer and the political activist find common ground.
Puig's great interest, a theme in all his work, is the development and mutation of relationships beneath the culture in which they exist - in this case, a prison cell. It is a beautiful work of truth and cruelty. The Sunday Times has said: "It comes as near to being about pure undiluted love as any play I have ever seen" And the Daily Telegraph: "The film may be more lavish, but it could never reach the spirit of the work as truthfully as the stage play."
Durban audiences may remember the seminal NAPAC Loft Company staging with an impressive performance by Stephen Gurney as Molina, with Gary D’Alessandro as Arregui in a production directed by Murray McGibbon.
Kiss of The Spider Woman runs at the Catalina Theatre from October 29 until November 15, with a special gala performance on October 27 to honour Rainbow's BASA award, acknowledging their contribution to the arts in KZN. Tickets R65, and bookings can be made at the Catalina, Strictly Tickets, or Going Places. To book call 031 305 6889 or email tsibisi@mweb.co.za
Catalina Theatre Tickets are now available online at www.strictlytickets.co.za or at www.catalinatheatre.co.za or at www.goingplacesSA.co.za / www.goingplacesSA.com.
The Catalina Theatre is still functioning thanks to the generosity and support from Rainbow Chicken, National Arts Council and Ethekwini Municipality.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
WILDLANDS RAISE MORE THAN R200,000
(Pic: Mike and Alice Barber, proud owners of “Global Warming”)Annual auction, exhibition and gala dinner sponsored by Bonitas.
An auction, exhibition and gala dinner held at Sibaya Casino this weekend raised more than R200,000 for the conservation projects of local NGO, the Wildlands Conservation Trust. A variety of artists were represented in a colourful exhibition of 200 original artworks representing Africa’s people, wildlife and landscapes. The auction, hosted by Brandon Leer, fetched R95,500 alone with the highest bid of R19,000 going in for Ian Van Zyl’s Global Warming. Among the 400 guests, corporate Durban was well represented with Unilever, The Elan Group, Smith & Nephew, Tongaat Hulett Developments, ABI and others. Guests of honour were Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Patron of the Trust, and Durban’s Deputy Mayor, Mr Logie Naidoo.
Van Zyl’s Global Warming is a poignant, bold piece which buyers Mike and Alice Barber, long-time supporters of Wildlands, say will take “pride of place” in their son’s restaurant in Rivonia. Some of the other pieces on auction were Pemba Beach II by Philip Briel for R9000 and Maureen Edgecumbe’s Reed Harvesters, Kosi Bay which went for R8,500. Anne Cleveland’s Bearded Vulture, which she painted to highlight the plight of the endangered bird, sold for R3,000. There were also holidays on auction which went for a steal including package holidays at Phinda Private Game Lodge, Karkloof Spa and Thonga Beach Lodge for R8,500, R7,000 and R6,500 respectively.
Some artists donated as much as 50% of the sale price to Wildlands. The exhibition housed sculptures by Llewellyn Davies, Sarah Richards and others, a variety of paintings (from landscapes to portraits), ceramics from Ardmore and Trayci Tompkins and leather rugs and ottomans by Klaus Manock.
Curator Lindsay Sommer said she has been privileged to be part of the event for the past three years. “Wildlands is involved in essential well-managed projects and that is why many artists give so generously. Over the years, fully donated works have come from top South African artists like Dylan Lewis, Keith Joubert, Luke Vink and Walter Voigt. At the end of the day, the art produced by the artists and the work done by the Wildlands Conservation Trust all contributes to the richness of our South African heritage.”
A highlight of the evening, and a new addition to the event, was a production by theatre legend Ellis Pearson and partner S’Dumo Mtshali. The physical theatre production entitled Little Tree had guests ducking from flying peppers, losing their serviettes to a ‘gusting wind’ and clapping along to the finale, a symbolic tree planting. Sponsored by the eThekwini Municipality’s Environmental Management Department, the production is aimed at highlighting the need to find balance between development and taking care of the natural environment. It now goes on to be performed in schools and communities to spread the message.
Bonitas Medical Fund, South Africa’s second largest medical aid company, sponsored the celebratory black tie dinner, an annual affair for Wildlands. This year, the theme was “Go Wild” with the banquet hall decorated in tasteful animal print and complimented by stunning bold flower and table arrangements in rich African browns, oranges and yellows. A few guests dabbled with the theme, some with elegant prints, others adding tails, ears and masks to add to the fun! The delicious four-course plated dinner, complimentary Moreson wines and handcrafted gifts for the ladies rounded off a wonderful evening for an important and very worthy cause.
Funds raised from the event will go towards the conservation initiatives of the Wildlands Conservation Trust such as the Indigenous Trees for Life project and critical conservation research initiatives including leopard, wild dog and elephant monitoring projects.
For more information visit www.wildlands.co.za
LLEWELLYN DAVIES & JOCELYN BOYLEY
(Pic: Bronze by Llewellyn Davies)Large format works in bronze and oil paintings at Anton Benzon @ Crouse Gallery.
An exhibition of dramatic large format works in bronze by well-known sculptor Llewellyn Davies and oil paintings by Jocelyn Boyley is on display in the Anton Benzon @ Crouse Art Gallery in Morningside.
Owen Llewellyn Davies was born in Zimbabwe in 1950 and grew up on a cattle ranch, spending his young creative energy and free time shaping figures out of clay. This is where his love for sculpting developed, mastering the proportions of his muse to make them appear extremely lifelike. His remarkable attention to detail was obvious in his earlier days of discovering his passion. Finishing school, he followed in the footsteps of his family’s livelihood with farming and studied agriculture, landing a job in South Africa where he managed a farm for five years. The love for creativity was too strong to ignore and he returned to his great passion, sculpting.
This versatile sculptor is a quiet achiever whose work is displayed around the world in large companies and also the discerning private collectors. Davies’ talent for conveying motion, power and movement, gives his work a depth which affords lasting pleasure. This Hilton-based sculptor often travels far distances so he can have personal contact with his subjects. His subject matter is extremely varied and includes life sized equestrian work, birdlife, polo pieces, wildlife and studies of Africans and other human forms. For the past few years Llewellyn Davies’ focus has been on major commissions and limited edition pieces which have kept him extremely busy. His subject matter is varied and includes life-sized equestrian work, birdlife, polo pieces, children, wildlife and animals. He is also well known for his international once-off commissions and limited edition pieces.
Pietermaritzburg-based Jocelyn Boyley – who was married to SA living treasure well-known artist Errol Boyley – works in oils and is known for her evocative landscapes, floral images and seascapes. She was inspired by her husband during their 30 years of marriage. Errol Boyley and Llewellyn Davies exhibited together in the 1990’s.
Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1932, Jocelyn Boyley came to South Africa as a war evacuee in 1941 with her parents and maternal grandmother. Her father was a professional artist and cartoonist, as well as specialising in portraiture and etchings and he was her very early influence. She was educated at Roedean school, Johannesburg, where she excelled in art under the guidance of Erica Berry. As a young woman she studied with Walter Battiss in Pretoria and later with Cecily Sash in Johannesburg.
She returned to painting in 1976 after her marriage to Errol Boyley, who has been her constant guide for 30 years. She has sold her work since 1978 and her paintings hang in many private collections in South Africa and elsewhere. She works in water-based medium, often acrylic and gouache and gesso painting using conté and pastel for special effects, and the last few years in oils. Jocelyn Boyley paints landscapes, figure studies and flowers but specialises more on flowers in interior settings.
The gallery offers art of South Africa’s best artists like Anton Benzon, Diane Erasmus, Errol Boyley, Kobus Kotze and the Kotze family, Este Mostert, Lienkie Lombard, Marie Vermeulen Breedt, Bea, Luther Marais, Father Frans Claerhout, Cornelius Bosch, Andre De Beer, Christian Nice, Johan Smit, Chris Tugwell, Portchie, Ina van Schalkwyk and many more. Michelle Dodds (who also runs the gallery) is co-owner with Chris and Suzette Crouse.
Anton Benzon @ Crouse Art Gallery is situated at 254 Lillian Ngoyi / Windermere Road alongside Sutton Park. For more information to phone Michelle on 083 385 0654 or visit www.artdealers.co.za
SIMPLE INGENUITY
Garth Anderson to narrate Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” with KZNPO.
Yasuo Shinozaki will conduct the next concert in the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra’s World Symphony Season Series on October 22.
Soloist Christoph Bielefeld (harp) will perform Handel’s Concerto for Harp in B-flat Major, Op. 4 No. 6. Another Handel work on the programme will be Solomon: Entrance of the Queen of Sheba.
Long time friend of the KZN Philharmonic, Garth Anderson, teams up once again with the orchestra to narrate Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. The work was commissioned just ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbour, and was part of a group of three works forming a “musical portrait gallery of great Americans." This musical portrait of Abraham Lincoln includes evocative passages from his speeches on the moral and political challenges to American democracy posed by fascism and slavery.
Completing the programme will be Debussy’s Danses Sacrée et Profane and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade Op. 35.
The concert takes place in the Durban City Hall at 19h30 on October 22. There will be a pre-concert lecture hosted by the Friends of Music at 18h15. Single tickets available from R60 through Computicket. Up to 25% discount on KZNPO subscriptions available on 031 369 9404 or email: Bookings@kznpo.co.za
Yasuo Shinozaki will conduct the next concert in the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra’s World Symphony Season Series on October 22.
Soloist Christoph Bielefeld (harp) will perform Handel’s Concerto for Harp in B-flat Major, Op. 4 No. 6. Another Handel work on the programme will be Solomon: Entrance of the Queen of Sheba.
Long time friend of the KZN Philharmonic, Garth Anderson, teams up once again with the orchestra to narrate Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. The work was commissioned just ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbour, and was part of a group of three works forming a “musical portrait gallery of great Americans." This musical portrait of Abraham Lincoln includes evocative passages from his speeches on the moral and political challenges to American democracy posed by fascism and slavery.
Completing the programme will be Debussy’s Danses Sacrée et Profane and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade Op. 35.
The concert takes place in the Durban City Hall at 19h30 on October 22. There will be a pre-concert lecture hosted by the Friends of Music at 18h15. Single tickets available from R60 through Computicket. Up to 25% discount on KZNPO subscriptions available on 031 369 9404 or email: Bookings@kznpo.co.za
LION KING AUDITIONS
Males and females from 18 to 35 from all cultural backgrounds invited to audition.
Male and female strong dynamic singers and dancers between 18 and 35 from all cultural backgrounds are invited to attend auditions for all roles in The Lion King. Successful candidates will be employed by Disney World to join one of Disney’s The Lion King Musical Production families worldwide as performers
Auditions in Durban will take place from October 23 to 27 at the Playhouse Mayville Studios on October 23 (open audition), October 24 (open audition/dance calls) and from October 26 to 27 (callbacks)
Auditions in Cape Town take place from October 1 to 22 at the SABC Auditorium and in Johannesburg at Bassline (Newtown) from October 28 to November 3.
Disney creatives from around the world will be present at these auditions and will also run workshops. More information from Aretha Moagi at Word of Mouth Productions on 011 714 6452 or email: aretha@muvhango.co.za
Male and female strong dynamic singers and dancers between 18 and 35 from all cultural backgrounds are invited to attend auditions for all roles in The Lion King. Successful candidates will be employed by Disney World to join one of Disney’s The Lion King Musical Production families worldwide as performers
Auditions in Durban will take place from October 23 to 27 at the Playhouse Mayville Studios on October 23 (open audition), October 24 (open audition/dance calls) and from October 26 to 27 (callbacks)
Auditions in Cape Town take place from October 1 to 22 at the SABC Auditorium and in Johannesburg at Bassline (Newtown) from October 28 to November 3.
Disney creatives from around the world will be present at these auditions and will also run workshops. More information from Aretha Moagi at Word of Mouth Productions on 011 714 6452 or email: aretha@muvhango.co.za
LIFE LONG LEARNING PROGRAMME
Interesting talks in store for UKZN programme.
Well-known calligrapher Ingrid Lotter Smith will give an overview of calligraphy for the Life Long Learning programme on October 21 from 18h00 to 20h00 in MTB Building on the Howard College campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. A further talk, More Calligraphy will be given on October 28). Entrance R70 (R300 on October 28) booked www.LLLkzn.net or pre-pay at Adams (Campus HC or Musgrave)
Entrance is free for students who pre-notify info@LLLkzn.net
Other interesting talks will be How to write Radio Plays by Patrick Coyne (October 24 from 10h00 to 12h00 - R70) and Opera – exotic and irrational by David Smith for four Wednesdays from November 4 - R240.
African Traditional Music -making and playing the instruments by Sazi Dlamini will take place over four Saturdays from 14h00 to 17h00 starting November 7 - R240.
Well-known calligrapher Ingrid Lotter Smith will give an overview of calligraphy for the Life Long Learning programme on October 21 from 18h00 to 20h00 in MTB Building on the Howard College campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. A further talk, More Calligraphy will be given on October 28). Entrance R70 (R300 on October 28) booked www.LLLkzn.net or pre-pay at Adams (Campus HC or Musgrave)
Entrance is free for students who pre-notify info@LLLkzn.net
Other interesting talks will be How to write Radio Plays by Patrick Coyne (October 24 from 10h00 to 12h00 - R70) and Opera – exotic and irrational by David Smith for four Wednesdays from November 4 - R240.
African Traditional Music -making and playing the instruments by Sazi Dlamini will take place over four Saturdays from 14h00 to 17h00 starting November 7 - R240.
MATRIC DRAMA SHOWCASE
The Drama Department and The Theatre-St Anne’s College present annual event.
The Matric Drama Showcase is an exciting annual event on the production calendar of St Anne’s College. Its primary purpose is to showcase the best of the practical examination work that was presented for assessment to the IEB examiner at the end of last term. The programme consists of a selection of pieces from each of the six practical exam groups. Selections have been made to demonstrate the type of work required for the final practical examination, and to give the girls an opportunity to exhibit their work on a public platform.
The showcase will include selected monologues, scenes from plays, and group pieces that will entertain audiences with insightful and often satirical comment on the world around us. The showcase is always an exciting programme as it fuses together the best of the range of work prepared for the exam, and provides an opportunity for the matric girls to show their skills in performance, and the confidence generated in their three years of studying Dramatic Arts.
The Matric Drama Showcase takes place on October 21 at 15h30 at The Theatre - St Anne’s College at Hilton. There is no charge and all are welcome. Tea will be served on the front lawn from 15h00.
The Matric Drama Showcase is an exciting annual event on the production calendar of St Anne’s College. Its primary purpose is to showcase the best of the practical examination work that was presented for assessment to the IEB examiner at the end of last term. The programme consists of a selection of pieces from each of the six practical exam groups. Selections have been made to demonstrate the type of work required for the final practical examination, and to give the girls an opportunity to exhibit their work on a public platform.
The showcase will include selected monologues, scenes from plays, and group pieces that will entertain audiences with insightful and often satirical comment on the world around us. The showcase is always an exciting programme as it fuses together the best of the range of work prepared for the exam, and provides an opportunity for the matric girls to show their skills in performance, and the confidence generated in their three years of studying Dramatic Arts.
The Matric Drama Showcase takes place on October 21 at 15h30 at The Theatre - St Anne’s College at Hilton. There is no charge and all are welcome. Tea will be served on the front lawn from 15h00.
SINDERELLA FOR THE HEX!
The adult pantomime kicks off in Pietermaritzburg!
The KZN tradition of adult panto began in 1996 in The Cellar with Sinderella which ran for close on six months. This year’s festive frolic is a return of this all-time favourite. It stars Anthony Stonier (who has starred in every adult panto) and Rowan Bartlett (who appears in his eighth annual panto) and features Thomie Holtzhausen and Jaz Cassimjee (who have both been in one previous panto) as well as Daisy Spencer and Rikki Hastings, both newcomers to the genre.
“Forget the economic woes of the world,” promises the publicity material. “Put reality aside and come and laugh at this song-filled piece of froth and fun. Huge talent! Zero intellectual content! Magnificent costumes! Fab music!”
Patrick Hyland, the author of Sinderella has this to say: “You must understand that this is a Museum Piece…a classic collection of some the most venerable knob jokes in the English language (some pre-dating Chaucer by several hundred years…the last remnants of the Great Plagiarism that ravished … sorry … RAVAGED the medieval panto world ). As such, many of the more fragile entendres are in a somewhat fragile condition and may not withstand the unsubtle handling of your usual cast of cured meats (well, there are a LOT of hams and generally a sizeable salami hidden somewhere)."
Sinderella kicks off this year at the Hexagon Theatre in Pietermaritzburg with performances on October 29 and 30 at 20h00. Tickets R80 booked through 033 260 5537 or email: hexagon@ukzn.ac.za
The KZN tradition of adult panto began in 1996 in The Cellar with Sinderella which ran for close on six months. This year’s festive frolic is a return of this all-time favourite. It stars Anthony Stonier (who has starred in every adult panto) and Rowan Bartlett (who appears in his eighth annual panto) and features Thomie Holtzhausen and Jaz Cassimjee (who have both been in one previous panto) as well as Daisy Spencer and Rikki Hastings, both newcomers to the genre.
“Forget the economic woes of the world,” promises the publicity material. “Put reality aside and come and laugh at this song-filled piece of froth and fun. Huge talent! Zero intellectual content! Magnificent costumes! Fab music!”
Patrick Hyland, the author of Sinderella has this to say: “You must understand that this is a Museum Piece…a classic collection of some the most venerable knob jokes in the English language (some pre-dating Chaucer by several hundred years…the last remnants of the Great Plagiarism that ravished … sorry … RAVAGED the medieval panto world ). As such, many of the more fragile entendres are in a somewhat fragile condition and may not withstand the unsubtle handling of your usual cast of cured meats (well, there are a LOT of hams and generally a sizeable salami hidden somewhere)."
Sinderella kicks off this year at the Hexagon Theatre in Pietermaritzburg with performances on October 29 and 30 at 20h00. Tickets R80 booked through 033 260 5537 or email: hexagon@ukzn.ac.za
DANCE AUDITIONS FOR 2010
Flatfoot Dance Company looking for dancers on full-time work contract.
Flatfoot Dance Company, a professional contemporary dance company working out of its home at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is auditioning dancers for 2010. This is a full-time work contract for a professional dancer and/or dancers who have completed some form of initial training and are wanting a job with a professional contemporary dance company.
Requirements are a high level of contemporary dance training and/or skill; some proof of a performance history (even if this is with a training programme); the ability to teach and work in a dance education environment and a strong ability to work as part of a team. Also required are English and/or Zulu writing and speaking skills. A driver’s license would be an added advantage.
Those interested in being part of this dynamic dance company are invited to take part in the audition which will take the form of a contemporary class with some improvisation exercises. This will be held on November 9 from 14h00 to 16h00 at the Dance Studio on the Howard College campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Auditionees need to bring a short two-page CV that lists their training, dance experience and skills, and that includes contact details, and the name and contact details of two referees.
After the dance auditions, those who are short-listed will be asked to an interview with Lliane Loots (artistic director). The salary scales range from R3,000 to R4,200/R4,500 per month depending on skill and expertise, and at what level successful applicants may be asked to join the company.
Positions available include a full-time female dancer and dance educator with a high level of performance skill and evidence of dance teaching skills. Also required are two full-time male or female trainees who will work and learn alongside the company in a full-time capacity (evidence of contemporary dance performance skill and training and some ability to teach dance). Some measure of outside part-time study/work is negotiable with these contracts.
Dancers who audition should be available to start work on January 11, 2010. Flatfoot Dance Company also reserves the right not to fill these positions should no suitable candidates be found.
To book a place at the audition and for any queries contact 082 875 6065.
Flatfoot Dance Company, a professional contemporary dance company working out of its home at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is auditioning dancers for 2010. This is a full-time work contract for a professional dancer and/or dancers who have completed some form of initial training and are wanting a job with a professional contemporary dance company.
Requirements are a high level of contemporary dance training and/or skill; some proof of a performance history (even if this is with a training programme); the ability to teach and work in a dance education environment and a strong ability to work as part of a team. Also required are English and/or Zulu writing and speaking skills. A driver’s license would be an added advantage.
Those interested in being part of this dynamic dance company are invited to take part in the audition which will take the form of a contemporary class with some improvisation exercises. This will be held on November 9 from 14h00 to 16h00 at the Dance Studio on the Howard College campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Auditionees need to bring a short two-page CV that lists their training, dance experience and skills, and that includes contact details, and the name and contact details of two referees.
After the dance auditions, those who are short-listed will be asked to an interview with Lliane Loots (artistic director). The salary scales range from R3,000 to R4,200/R4,500 per month depending on skill and expertise, and at what level successful applicants may be asked to join the company.
Positions available include a full-time female dancer and dance educator with a high level of performance skill and evidence of dance teaching skills. Also required are two full-time male or female trainees who will work and learn alongside the company in a full-time capacity (evidence of contemporary dance performance skill and training and some ability to teach dance). Some measure of outside part-time study/work is negotiable with these contracts.
Dancers who audition should be available to start work on January 11, 2010. Flatfoot Dance Company also reserves the right not to fill these positions should no suitable candidates be found.
To book a place at the audition and for any queries contact 082 875 6065.
AN AFRICAN CHRISTMAS CLOTH
Reviva Schermbrucker embroiders advent calendar for children in story form.
Artist/writer Reviva Schermbrucker has created what must be a first in the history of publishing - an embroidered advent calendar for children in story form. An African Christmas Cloth represents two and a half years of inspired, meticulous 'stitching', a stellar reproduction and imagery with a South African flavour. This original book hearkens back to a bygone world where things were not judged merely by their usefulness, but by their charm, wit, quality and integrity.
The illustrations have a three-dimensional effect. With thread on textile, the shapes are raised and have a toy-like, vital and expressive quality. The electric way in which, for instance, Reviva's Christmas tree grows by the stitch, is pure magic. It is the 'folk history' connected to the craft that comes alive. Each thread becomes real: a tangible link with the picture. And each picture is pulled out from the world of images, and becomes an object where the viewer is part of the physical process of its making. Yet An African Christmas Cloth is also irreverent and contemporary.
Reviva Schermbrucker qualified as a high school art teacher, and she writes and illustrates children's books, among which is Charlie's House (illustrated by Niki Daly). She worked for many years as a materials developer at the Early Learning Resource Unit, producing multilingual posters, games, books and tapes for children. She has also written a novella for newly literate adults, a book on children and gardening, and a number of readers and picture books. Her first full-length novel, Lucky Fish! was published to great acclaim in 2003 by Jacana Media.
An African Christmas is published in paperback by Jacana. Recommended Retail Price R95. EAN/ISBN-13: 978-1-77009-151-3
Artist/writer Reviva Schermbrucker has created what must be a first in the history of publishing - an embroidered advent calendar for children in story form. An African Christmas Cloth represents two and a half years of inspired, meticulous 'stitching', a stellar reproduction and imagery with a South African flavour. This original book hearkens back to a bygone world where things were not judged merely by their usefulness, but by their charm, wit, quality and integrity.
The illustrations have a three-dimensional effect. With thread on textile, the shapes are raised and have a toy-like, vital and expressive quality. The electric way in which, for instance, Reviva's Christmas tree grows by the stitch, is pure magic. It is the 'folk history' connected to the craft that comes alive. Each thread becomes real: a tangible link with the picture. And each picture is pulled out from the world of images, and becomes an object where the viewer is part of the physical process of its making. Yet An African Christmas Cloth is also irreverent and contemporary.
Reviva Schermbrucker qualified as a high school art teacher, and she writes and illustrates children's books, among which is Charlie's House (illustrated by Niki Daly). She worked for many years as a materials developer at the Early Learning Resource Unit, producing multilingual posters, games, books and tapes for children. She has also written a novella for newly literate adults, a book on children and gardening, and a number of readers and picture books. Her first full-length novel, Lucky Fish! was published to great acclaim in 2003 by Jacana Media.
An African Christmas is published in paperback by Jacana. Recommended Retail Price R95. EAN/ISBN-13: 978-1-77009-151-3
Monday, October 19, 2009
DEATH OF GARTH STEAD
(Pic: Garth Stead’s photograph on his website)Award-winning photographer dies in Cape Town.
Award-winning photographer Garth Stead died in Cape Town on October 19, after having been found dead in his Woodstock home.
Formerly of Durban, Garth achieved a BA degree from the (then) University of Natal – Durban, now UKZN, before moving to Cape Town where he joined the photographic department of the Cape Times in 1996.
Photo editor at Foto24 and previously Die Burger's photo editor as well as a winner of the prestigious Fuji Press award, he is the brother of well-known Durban director Steven Stead and dancer Rory Stead who is now based in Germany.
Specialising in stills for features, Garth worked on international and local movies including the BBC TV series Coral Island. The film work brought him into close contact with international stars such as Nicholas Cage, Peter Fonda; Roy Scheider, Jean Claude van Damme, Angus McFayden, Peter Weller, Bryan Brown; Christopher Lambert; Dennis Hopper; Luke Goss, Patrick Swayze and Amand Asante.
The founder of the Icon Image School of Photography, Garth Stead was deeply committed to training young photographers.
His website at www.garthstead.co.za details a preview of his work in each of the respective fields he specialised in, which included corporate, entertainment, features, movie stills, sports, news and politics. There are also images from published work such as Animuse choreographed by David Krugel and a powerful black and white image for the cover of a Jazzart Dance Theatre publication. He also did the impressive images on the Jazzart Anniversary Calendar.
His home page features the words: “I also want to take this opportunity to thank all those I have worked with for allowing me to capture these truly personal and intimate pictures.”
Garth Stead is survived by his two sons and his ex-wife.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
BODY OF EVIDENCE
Wide-reaching and thought-provoking dance piece arguably Jay Pather’s most challenging work to date. (Review by Caroline Smart)The term “body of evidence” has become part of today’s phraseology dealing with anything that represents an extensive and wide-ranging research into subjects such as medical, political, legal or social issues. Browsing the net, it seems that this term is used more often in the health field and this may be why Jay Pather chose to call his new work for Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre Body of Evidence.
Originally commissioned by FNB Dance Umbrella, Body of Evidence appeared at this year’s National Arts Festival and it is arguably Jay Pather’s most challenging and thought-provoking work to date. It’s a splendidly visual work with Storm Janse van Rensburg’s set and videography and Vaughn Sadie’s lighting which had its last Durban performance tonight as part of the Playhouse’s current New Stages Festival.
The production deals with the notion that the body remembers more than the head - responding to words, actions, light or touch. “To quote the programme notes: “But the body instead stores relentlessly, file upon file, bottomless cabinets of memory, individual and collective.” The question is asked “What does the body do with this ebb and flow of knowledge? What does a collective nation’s memory do with history?”
With James Webb’s evocative original music score, Body of Evidence explores this theme, perhaps too extensively for one single work as the audience is presented with an often overwhelming flow of fascinating imagery and new ideas.
We are bewitched by light and sound, learn about the origins of geraniums, enjoy rural masculinity boosted by feminine wiles, witness a traditional versus contemporary “boxing” match, observe a moving scene where a body rises from the grave and relate to strong comment on the government’s lack of attention to suitable housing. We get to see a gumboot dance performed by dancers with buckets on their heads and watch the dancers stride around in flippers, the kind that divers use. I predict that it won’t be long before flippers will appears as a new form of percussive dance! The dark side uncovers horrors revealed at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Lest we forget.
Pivotal figures are Siwela Sonke stalwarts Ntombi Gaza and Neliswa Rushualang. Ntombi is seen in the role of a care-giver – a supportive figure, offering guidance to a young man through the complex trials of life. Beautifully made-up à la Marie Antoinette, Neliswa is impressive as an imperious figure of colonial domination dressed in a crinoline skirt with a majestic hairdo, sweeping all those who go before her.
It’s a very fine cast, with a standout performance from Siyanda Duma as a doddery acolyte to the regal colonial figure. Also extremely notable were Mxolisi Nkomonde, Siyabonga Mhlongo and John Cartwright. Strong support is provided by Nhlakanipho Cele, Sibusiso Gantsa, Nkhanyiso Kunene, Sandile Mkhize, Mxolisi Nkomonde and Chuma Sopotela.
Storm Janse van Rensburg’s evocative videography starts off with images of abandoned hospitals before moving on to projections of drawings from Henry Gray’s classic 1918 publication Gray’s Anatomy, often allowing these projections to be played out on the stage floor – in one particular sequence, the reflected image of a spine was used as a pathway.
Look out for Body of Evidence if it ever comes to a performance venue near you. – Caroline Smart
THE BIRTH OF THE BLUES
Enjoyable evening of music exploring the origins of the blues. (Review by Caroline Smart)
The Birth of the Blues, part of the Blues Fest that ran at Wilson’s Wharf in September, has continued as a stand-alone production in the Catalina Theatre where it can be seen until October 25.
Even if you’re not familiar with blues music, this production offers a great evening’s entertainment as it explores the origins of this musical style from its acappella form in the early days of slave labour and prison gangs in the United States to its claim as the forerunner of rock ‘n roll – as stated in the number The Blues had a Baby ( … “and they called it rock ‘n roll”).
Hosted by the amiable and loose-limbed Bandile Hlophe, one of the success stories of the Unilever Young Performers' Project who also impressed me in the project’s Fiddler on the Roof, The Birth of the Blues invites audiences to discover the origins of the ‘blues’ and their influence on world music. In presenting an amusing and informative narrative as well as handling some of the numbers, Hlophe is a relaxed and professional personality on stage and the audience warms to him immediately.
His fellow vocalist is the enigmatic throaty-voiced Thulile Zama (sharing the role with Tammy Saville) who gave some beautiful and poignant renditions of numbers such as Another Man Done Gone, Black Coffee, Red Beans, I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues and her fine interpretation of St Gabriel.
From its finger clicking start with Pick a Bale o’ Cotton to the rousing final number When Love Comes to Town, the show passed all too quickly. It was also notable as having one of the best sound balances seen in a long time at any live theatrical music venue – the Heritage and the Barnyard should take note – thanks to the presence of the inimitable Steve Fataar on the sound desk.
The blues classics are sultry, languorous and sexy and musical director Melvin Peters keeps his band tight, pumping and respectful to the style. Great to see KZN jazz legends Brian Thusi on trumpet – giving a show-stopping performance of Georgia - and Jerry Kunene on sax. We don’t see enough of them!
Performing numbers such as On a Monday and Crossroads, Rob Warren plays a mean lead guitar (using three different instruments throughout). Strong back-up is provided by Bruce Baker on drums and Brad Thompson on bass guitar.
An arrangement of classic blues numbers such as St Louis Blues takes the style into a more contemporary mode with Don’t Start Me Talking and then on to rock with That’s Alright Mama with Bandile Hlophe’s upbeat version of Hound Dog following Thulila Zama’s bluesy introduction. Enjoy numbers such as Midnight Special, Taint Nobody’s Business if I Do, Go my Mojo Working and more!
The Birth of the Blues is devised and directed by Themi Venturas with the assistance of Charon Williams- Ross and runs until October 25. Tickets R74 available at the Catalina Theatre on 031 305 7612 or online booking through Strictlytickets on www.strictlytickets.com – Caroline Smart
The Birth of the Blues, part of the Blues Fest that ran at Wilson’s Wharf in September, has continued as a stand-alone production in the Catalina Theatre where it can be seen until October 25.
Even if you’re not familiar with blues music, this production offers a great evening’s entertainment as it explores the origins of this musical style from its acappella form in the early days of slave labour and prison gangs in the United States to its claim as the forerunner of rock ‘n roll – as stated in the number The Blues had a Baby ( … “and they called it rock ‘n roll”).
Hosted by the amiable and loose-limbed Bandile Hlophe, one of the success stories of the Unilever Young Performers' Project who also impressed me in the project’s Fiddler on the Roof, The Birth of the Blues invites audiences to discover the origins of the ‘blues’ and their influence on world music. In presenting an amusing and informative narrative as well as handling some of the numbers, Hlophe is a relaxed and professional personality on stage and the audience warms to him immediately.
His fellow vocalist is the enigmatic throaty-voiced Thulile Zama (sharing the role with Tammy Saville) who gave some beautiful and poignant renditions of numbers such as Another Man Done Gone, Black Coffee, Red Beans, I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues and her fine interpretation of St Gabriel.
From its finger clicking start with Pick a Bale o’ Cotton to the rousing final number When Love Comes to Town, the show passed all too quickly. It was also notable as having one of the best sound balances seen in a long time at any live theatrical music venue – the Heritage and the Barnyard should take note – thanks to the presence of the inimitable Steve Fataar on the sound desk.
The blues classics are sultry, languorous and sexy and musical director Melvin Peters keeps his band tight, pumping and respectful to the style. Great to see KZN jazz legends Brian Thusi on trumpet – giving a show-stopping performance of Georgia - and Jerry Kunene on sax. We don’t see enough of them!
Performing numbers such as On a Monday and Crossroads, Rob Warren plays a mean lead guitar (using three different instruments throughout). Strong back-up is provided by Bruce Baker on drums and Brad Thompson on bass guitar.
An arrangement of classic blues numbers such as St Louis Blues takes the style into a more contemporary mode with Don’t Start Me Talking and then on to rock with That’s Alright Mama with Bandile Hlophe’s upbeat version of Hound Dog following Thulila Zama’s bluesy introduction. Enjoy numbers such as Midnight Special, Taint Nobody’s Business if I Do, Go my Mojo Working and more!
The Birth of the Blues is devised and directed by Themi Venturas with the assistance of Charon Williams- Ross and runs until October 25. Tickets R74 available at the Catalina Theatre on 031 305 7612 or online booking through Strictlytickets on www.strictlytickets.com – Caroline Smart
KZNPO CONCERT: OCTOBER 15, 2009
(Pic: Stanko Madic)Brilliant performance of celebrated 20th century violin concerto by Stanko Madic. (Review by Michael Green)
A brilliant performance of a celebrated twentieth century violin concerto was the highlight of this KZN Philharmonic Orchestra concert in the Durban City Hall. The violinist was 25-year-old Stanko Madic from Serbia, the orchestra was conducted by Russian-born Naum Rousine (changing roles from his usual task as a violinist in the orchestra), and the composition was the Violin Concerto by the Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.
Khachaturian was born in 1903 and died in 1978, and he spent much of his time trying to meet the wayward cultural demands of the Soviet regime. In this respect he was mainly successful, being a winner of both the Lenin Prize and the Stalin Prize. As a composer he is picturesque rather than profound; many of his works are strongly influenced by the melodies and rhythms of Armenian folk music. His violin concerto, composed in 1940, is typical but rather more substantial than much of his output. It requires a masterful technique from the soloist and Stanko Madic was entirely capable of delivering the goods. Two days earlier he had created a great impression at a Friends of Music concert in music of a very different kind, by Bach, Schumann and Brahms. This time he conveyed brilliantly the vitality and lyricism of Khachaturian’s concerto, handling the technical problems with aplomb and producing a big, unforced tone that carried into the far reaches of the City Hall.
A memorable performance that brought him a prolonged ovation at the end.
The first half of the programme was occupied by Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor, the “Scottish”, dedicated to Queen Victoria and first performed in 1842. This is a fine work which we do not hear very often. Naum Rousine and the orchestra gave a highly effective rendition, with good balance among the various instruments and some splendid playing from the woodwind in particular.
The concert ended with another composer from eastern Europe, the Romanian Georges Enesco (1881-1955), represented here by his melodious and skilfully scored Romanian Rhapsody No 1 in A major. - Michael Green
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