(South African
tenor Musa Nkuna. Pic by William Charlton-Perkins)
Rossini’s magnificent Stabat Materis is to be performed in the Durban City Hall on October
21. One of the mid-19th century’s great choral masterworks, this is a rare
treat for classical music enthusiasts.
A distinguished quartet of soloists
comprising Estelle Kruger (soprano), Viola Zimmermann (mezzo-soprano), Musa
Nkuna (tenor) and Luis Rodrigues (baritone) will join forces with the touring
University of Fribourg Chamber Choir from Switzerland, the Durban Symphonic
Choir and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Swiss conductor
Pascal Mayer, to perform the great Italian composer’s work, which was composed
partly in 1833 and completed in 1841.
Rossini’s brilliant score is studded with
famous highlights. Not least of these are the thrilling tenor aria, Cujus animam, crowned by a ringing high
D flat, the mezzo soprano’s gravely beautiful solo, Fac ut portem, and the blazing Inflammatus
et accensus for soprano and chorus – splendid dramatic vocal writing that
anticipates Verdi’s renowned Messa da
Requiem.
Adding a fresh element of discovery to the
afternoon’s listening, the programme, presented by South African International
Theatre Productions, will also include a rare performance of Au Passage Du Pré by the noted
contemporary Swiss composer Henri Baeriswyl, whose musical language, keenly
accessible to today’s audiences, “tends towards a harmonic synthesis between
creative freedom and is inspired by the rich palette of emotions endured by the
human soul and mastered consciousness during the creative act” (Musinfo- The
Database of Swiss Music).
Stabat
Materis takes place at 15h00 on October 21. Tickets R100
(R80 pensioners with cards; R65 students with cards and R50 scholars). Block
bookings of 10 or more R70. Booking is through Computicket on 0861 915 8000 or
book online at www.computicket.com
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