(Apologies for the late publication of this review - Editor)( Kelebogile Boikanyo in rehearsal – pic by Suzy Bernstein)
Gifted young violinist with solo and choral singing of high quality for penultimate concert of winter season. (Review by Michael Green)
The music of Mozart, a big choir, a gifted young violinist and an accomplished conductor were the conspicuous features when the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra gave the penultimate concert of its winter season in the Durban City Hall.
Avigail Bushakevitz, who grew up in South Africa and is now studying in the United States, was the soloist in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, and she confirmed the very good impression she had made two days earlier in a recital for the Friends of Music.
She played the highly ornamented rapid passages with confidence and skill, and showed a lovely pure tone in the Andante, a typically Mozartian flow of melody. The conductor, Arjan Tien from the Netherlands, contributed to the success of the performance by drawing sympathetic and admirably controlled playing from the orchestra.
The concert opened with one of Mozart’s lesser known overtures, La Clemenza di Tito, written for an opera about the Roman emperor Titus; a brief, lively and strong piece.
The main work of the evening was Mozart’s beautiful Requiem, written shortly before his death in 1791 (some of it may have been written by somebody else). The choral part was sung by a choir of about 130 people, made up of singers from the Sounds of Joy, the Durban Symphonic Choir and the Clermont Community Choir.
The four soloists were Kelebogile Boikanyo (soprano); Veramarie Meyer (mezzo-soprano); Lionel Mkhwanazi (tenor), and Melusi Kubheka (baritone). The solo singing was of high quality, especially that of the soprano Kelebogile Boikanyo, and the four showed a good sense of ensemble when they sang together.
The choir was splendid. Tonal balance was good, the entries were accurately timed, and every big crescendo was executed with power. The conductor, Arjan Tien, had apparently spent a good deal of rehearsal time concentrating on the choir, and his efforts produced excellent results. - Michael Green
(Kelebogile Boikanyo is the 2012 Standard Bank Young Artist for Music who will celebrate her award recital at the National Arts Festival on June 29 in Grahamstown. Click on the NAF banner at the head of this page for further information)
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