Conductor Naum Rousine)Concert proves that KZN youth have an abundance of talent. (Review by Keith Millar)
After experiencing this concert at the Durban City Hall, two things were very apparent - the youth of KZN love to sing and make music and our young people have an abundance of talent.
Celebrating Youth Day, the concert featured the KZN Youth Wind Band, the Amanzimtoti Primary School Choir and the JG Zuma High School Choir, followed by the provincial winners of the South African Choral Eisteddfod.
First up was Werner Dannewitz’s KZN Youth Wind Band which played several light music items. The highlights of these were Mango Grove’s Special Star and Toto’s Africa. They played with enthusiasm and verve and were very well received by the small audience.
The Amanzimtoti Primary School Choir followed, performing three items and charming the audience with their lively singing and choreography.
The JG Zuma High School Choir has continuously excelled, and won many awards at local, circuit, provincial and national levels. They performed several items throughout the concert. With particularly strong male singers and a diminutive solo soprano with a beautiful and powerful voice, they showed exactly why they are multi-award winners.
Approximately 37 schools entered the competition and six winners were chosen to represent their school s at the National Competition taking place early in July. In keeping with the theme of helping to develop up and coming talent, and to assist in preparations for the finals, the KZNPO offered these young musicians the opportunity of performing with the orchestra on Youth Day.
The standard of performances delivered by these youngsters was astonishing. The soprano from Sukuma High School has a lovely voice and an excellent range, giving a confident and faultless performance. The tenor, from Ekwazini High School, performed very well and will improve as his voice matures with age. King Bhekuzulu High School produced a mezzo- soprano of quite outstanding ability and her performance was one of the highlights of the concert. The baritone from Khula High School kept up the high standard with a very accomplished performance. The other highlight was the duet from Umqhawe High School. The tenor, a diminutive young man, has a rich and powerful voice that blended beautifully with his baritone partner. The final item was by a sextet from Edendale Tech who did not disappoint and rounded of the concert with a fine performance.
Under the baton of Naum Rousine, the KZNPO produced a very competent and sympathetic performance which complimented the young performers perfectly.
The only disappointment was the size of the audience. Only the bottom section of the City Hall was open and those that attended seemed to consist mainly of friends and family. It is a pity that a concert of this standard was not more widely advertised so as to attract more music lovers.
That aside, this concert truly served its purpose - to celebrate Youth Day, one of the most important dates in our country’s history. – Keith Millar
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