Meander into music and art by William
Charlton-Perkins. (Republished courtesy of The Mercury newspaper)
Christopher Duigan’s Music Revival
spearheads two exciting classical music events in the KZN Midlands in the week
ahead.
Here’s an opportunity to enjoy a leisure
excursion combining music, history and art in the heart of the Midlands Meander
this weekend. Pianist Christopher Duigan teams up on Sunday (March 3) with
acclaimed Inanda born baritone, Njabulo Madlala, now based in London, in an
engaging programme of song entitled Playing
With Mandela. Their recital, which starts at 11h30, is at The Shed Theatre
on the historic Mandela Capture Site, situated on Old Main Road R103, Lions
River (take the Howick North/Tweedie exit from the N3).
Madlala is quickly developing a major name
in the UK as a top operatic singer. The recipient of the prestigious Kathleen
Ferrier Award, he is a Britten Pears Young Artist having completed his
post-graduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
With Duigan as his accompanist, he will
perform songs by English composers, Roger Quilter and Ralph Vaughan Williams,
operatic arias by Mozart and Puccini, selections from popular musicals, and
items from The African Song Book, a
unique trademark of his performances. Tickets are R120 and a cash bar will be
available. Booking is through Music Revival on 033 3423051 or by booking@musicrevival.co.za. For
more information about The Mandela Capture Site and to book for lunch at the
adjacent Truth Café, call Brendan on 083 2272376.
Another major music event on this week’s
KZN classical music calendar is the annual Last
Night of the Maritzburg Proms, presented by Parklane Superspar in
association with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra and Christopher
Duigan’s Music Revival. This gala event on Saturday March 9 at 19h00 in the
Pietermaritzburg City Hall draws inspiration from annual Last of Night of The Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Conductor Richard Cock, synonymous with the
promotion of Proms concerts in South Africa, will be at the helm of the KZNPO,
hosting a roster of soloists that includes soprano Hanli Stapela, baritone
Madlala, gifted young tenor Wayne Mkhize, and Duigan at the keyboard. The
repertoire for the singers includes opera arias by Puccini, Mozart, Bizet and
Lehar. These are coupled with the beguiling Meditation
for solo violin from Massenet’s Thaïs,
played by the newly-appointed concertmaster of the KZNPO, Joanna Frankel.
The orchestra are highlighted in two items
celebrating this year’s bicentenaries marking the births of Verdi and Wagner,
both of whom were born in 1813. To this end, the audience will be treated to
rousing performances of typical Proms fare - Verdi’s Grand March from Aida and Wagner’s Ride of the Walküre. Duigan plays the Scherzo by Henry Litolff, a
dazzling concert showpiece much loved by pianists and audiences alike. Booking
for the Maritzburg Proms concert is
on 033 342 3487. Tickets range from R100 to R160 including discounted seats for
students and pensioners.
Heralding the Verdi and Wagner
bicentenaries mentioned above, the internet has been awash for months with
forecasts and reports of a veritable bonanza of recordings, performances,
exhibitions, symposia and broadcasts being held this year to honour the 19th
century’s two operatic giants. The impact of each composer on posterity was
enormous, reaching far beyond musical circles. Get Googling. There’s a wealth
of information out there, food for thought to stimulate hours of debate with
fellow classical music enthusiasts. - William Charlton-Perkins
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