(Members of the KZN
Youth Orchestra in the historic town of Bremen with their Artistic Director,
conductor Lykele Temmingh)
Classical Notes by William Charlton-Perkins. (Republished by
permission of The Mercury newspaper)
The KwaZulu-Natal Youth Orchestra (KZNYO) can be heard at
the Jewish Club in Durban tomorrow September 29 at 17h00 after their recent
triumphs while touring abroad.
Having just returned from a tour of northern Germany, the
KZNYO will perform their year-end Gala Concert. The Youth Orchestra’s
chairperson, Sally Frost, reports that the tour involved a week-long musical
collaboration between the KZNYO and the city of Bremen, Germany, with which
Durban is twinned.
This culminated with their performing to an audience of 17,000
at the 25th anniversary of the annual open-air concert, Musik and Licht am Hollersee. The orchestra also toured to other
cities in northern Germany, including Jena, Weimar and Leipzig, and performed
at venues such as the University of Jena, which is the oldest university in
Germany.
“This tour was an opportunity of a lifetime,” said KZNYO
member Sarah Camp (15). “Not only did we have the experience of performing in
fantastic venues, but we were also hosted by members of various German youth
orchestras and so were able to socialise with and learn from our German
counterparts.”
The KZNYO Gala Concert will feature the Youth Orchestra’s
tour programme which includes three original new South African works, as well
as traditional classical music and recognisable African rhythms. Attendance is
free; however, donations in the donation box will be welcome.
The KwaZulu-Natal Youth Orchestra is comprised of the cream
of young musical talent in KZN and is open to all KZN young people between the
ages of 12 and 25. The KZNYO aims to develop and nurture musical ability and
orchestral playing in a supportive environment. They perform under the baton of
maestro Lyk Temmingh, who is the resident conductor with the KZN Philharmonic
Orchestra, with whom the youth orchestra is affiliated.
Temmingh also heads up the KZN Philharmonic’s own annual
National Youth Concerto Festival initiative, to be heard in the Durban City
Hall next Thursday evening as part of the Orchestra’s current Spring Season.
Auditions for the 2014 KZN Youth Orchestra will be held from
October 11 to 12 at St Mary’s School, Kloof. New members are welcome. Members
should have reached a grade three level of playing or above. For more details phone
Beth on 071 948 5763, email finance@kznyo.co.za
or visit the KZNYO website at www.kznyo.co.za
On the choral music front, award-winning music director and
accompanist Juan Burgers has been pursuing a busy schedule in a freelance
capacity, working with choirs the length and breadth of the country, from
Swaziland to Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape. Burgers says he is excited at the
prospect of working with 10 top South African choirs bringing to fruition a
recently instituted project dubbed the Melting Pot Arts Festival. This will see
each choir competing in a festival of Western and African classical music
repertoire.
“Each choir submits its own choice of items,” says Burgers.
“In many cases the repertoire shows highly imaginative and adventurous
programming, embracing thrilling ensemble pieces from works such as Bellini’s
operas, Norma and Beatrice di Tenda, and Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and I Vespri Siciliani.”
The choirs will perform with the National Philharmonic Orchestra
on October 19 from 09h00 in the Big Top Arena at Carnival City in Johannesburg
before an international panel of adjudicators for prize money of a R250,000.
The event will be open to the public. Three KZN choirs - the Clermont Community
Choir, the African Chorus and the SA Singers - will be among the participants.
Burgers says another exciting choral event in the pipeline
is the National Choir Festival to be held at the ICC on December 8 and 9, with the
KZN Philharmonic Orchestra. Watch this space for more about this event which
Burgers says will include wide-ranging cultural interpretations of indigenous
choral music reflecting the folklore of each region represented. Included among
these are far flung regions such as Limpopo and the Northern Cape, where the
music fascinatingly often carries the ancient imprint of Koi San influence.
Meanwhile, The Playhouse Company has announced it is to
stage the original Jerome Robbins production of West Side Story in The Playhouse Opera Theatre from November 20 to December
29 2013, featuring music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Heading the production’s creative team is director Ralph
Lawson, with set and costume design by Sarah Roberts, choreography by Adele
Blank, lighting design by Michael Broderick, sound design by Trevor Peters and
musical direction/repetiteur Andrew Warburton. Casting is yet to be announced.
The production will have live accompaniment by the KZN
Philharmonic under the baton of Lykele Temmingh (alternate conductor Naum Rousine).
Ticket prices range from R100 to R150, with concessions for students and
pensioners. Booking is at Computicket 0861 915 8000.
Finally, a note that Durban Friends of Music’s next recital
at the Jewish Club is on October 8, starting a 19h45. The Sempre Viva Trio will
perform music by Grieg, Arensky, Shostakovich and Faure. The evening’s Prelude
Performer will be the upcoming young pianist Rachel Wedderburn-Maxwell. Book at
Computicket. - William Charlton-Perkins
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