(Bongani Tembe: Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the KZNPO)The KZN Philharmonic’s World Symphony Series Winter Season commences on May 19 and runs until June 16. Concerts take place every Thursday at 19h30 at the Durban City Hall, with the exception of the first concert.
“Over the next few months the orchestra will be undertaking six tours around Southern Africa and it is our hope that you will join us at some of these events - be it in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Grahamstown or Maputo,” said Bongani Tembe, Chief Executive & Artistic Director,
The season opens with a non-subscription Gala Concert at the Playhouse Opera Theatre. This change of venue is due to the municipal elections on May 18 at the Durban City Hall. Opening the season is London Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Roman Simovic, performing Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. The programme concludes with the wild ride of Mazeppa, adapted from Liszt’s Transcendental Etude. Leading the evening’s programme is maestro Omri Hadari who has been conducting in South Africa since 1985.
Concerts return to their normal venue, the Durban City Hall, on May 26 with maestro Hadari on the podium for a second week. 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of Gustav Mahler’s death and in celebration of his legacy the orchestra will perform his fifth symphony, previously conducted in Durban by Omri Hadari. Russian cellist Dimitri Kouzov will also perform Bloch’s Schelomo: Hebraic Rhapsody for Violincello and Orchestra.
With a concert theme of “Music Sacred and Profane” on June 2, cellist Nicolas Alstaedt (a champion of new music) will perform Schumann’s extraordinary Cello Concerto. Featured in the programme is Wagner’s Tannhäuser: Overture as well as Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7. Leading the orchestra is conductor Thomas Sanderling who is no stranger to the Durban City Hall stage.
Maestro Sanderling returns for a second week in the penultimate concert of the season featuring Durban born pianist Jonathan Oshry performing Mozart’s celebrated Piano Concerto No. 21. The evening’s programme includes Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 and Brahms’ Variations.
The final concert on June 16 features rising star Ashu who will join the orchestra to perform music for saxophone and orchestra which includes music that has been adapted from the 2002 Spielberg film Catch Me If You Can. Ashu will also perform two of his own arrangements. The season concludes with a performance from Bochabela strings together with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra performing Holst’s enduring suite of planetary tone-poems. The programme will be directed by the KZN Philharmonics resident conductor Lykele Temmingh.
Subscription bookings and renewals are available from the KZNPO offices with single ticket and subscription bookings also available at Computicket from April 18. Subscribers receive a 25% discount on their subscription and a subscription starts from just R240, while pensioners enjoy an additional 5% discount.
Furthermore, patrons have access to safe and subsidised parking which is available at the Royal Hotel and once again extra security guards have been contracted by the KZN Philharmonic and will be placed in the surrounding areas of the Durban City Hall for the security and safety of our patrons.
For more information click on the advert at the top of this page to take you to the orchestra’s website or call 031 369 9438.
Posts
