KZNPO CONCERT: MARCH 17, 2011

Local singers took the stage with great effect in this final concert of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s summer season. (Review by Michael Green)

A 100-voice choir and five solo singers, all of them from Durban, were the stars of the evening, plus a highly personable young conductor from Hungary. The conductor was 28-year-old Tibor Boganyi, who now lives in Finland. This was his only concert with the KZNPO, but he had obviously established a warm relationship with the players and the singers, and they responded admirably to his direction.

The big vocal item on the programme was Bach’s Magnificat in D major, the title taken from the opening chorus, Magnificat anima mea dominum, My soul doth magnify the Lord, written nearly 300 years ago and as splendid and vigorous as it was then. The choral singers came from the Clermont Community Choir, the Durban Symphonic Choir and the Durban Chamber Choir. After a slightly hesitant start they were soon into their stride, and they dominated the proceedings, ending with great waves of sound in the final chorus, Gloria Patri, Glory to the Father.

The soloists, two sopranos, an alto, a tenor and a bass, were Lwazi Ncube, Nozuko Teto, Ntokozo Mhlongo, Mhlonishwa Dlamini and Mthunzi Nokubeka. Understandably perhaps, the vocal quality was somewhat uneven, but it seemed to me that all these singers were well-trained and had a well-developed sense of style in Bach’s glorious music. The performance as a whole was evidence once again of the power of music to bridge all divisions.

The concert opened with the second of the three suites of Handel’s well-known Water Music, with the orchestra reduced to chamber proportions, about 30 players, for this work. It was delightful, like the Bach almost 300 years old and as fresh as a daisy. I wonder how many contemporary composers will give pleasure three centuries from now.

Finally, the full orchestra brought the concert and the season to a close by moving to the late 19th century with a fine account of Brahms’s big Symphony No. 4 in E minor. - Michael Green