Another
triumph for Durban’s Baroque 2000 (Review by Keith Millar)
The
concert at the Church of the Monastery at Mariannhill last Sunday was a
delight. With the Baroque 2000 orchestra joining forces with the Durban Girl’s
College Senior Choir in a performance of Vivaldi’s magnificent Gloria it proved to be an occasion which
was both inspirational and memorable.
Antonio
Vivaldi composed his Gloria in D Major
early in the 1700’s while he was working at Ospedale della Pietà orphanage for
girls in Venice (although this orphanage was more probably more of a home for
the illegitimate daughters of noblemen).
Regarded
as his most famous choral piece, the
Gloria in D Major has all the joyous, melodic, rhythmic and sunny qualities
that characterise Vivaldi’s work. It was originally composed for a girls’ choir
and while performances in recent times usually include male voices, it was
totally appropriate that it was sung by the Durban Girl’s College Choir.
The
Baroque 2000 ensemble was enhanced for this performance with oboe, bassoon, trumpet
and organ. They played, as one come to expect, with aplomb and marvellous
musicality.
The
Durban Girl’s College Senior Choir sang like angels and showed why they are
regarded as one of the very best school choirs around. They are a credit to
their school and their choir mistress, Ronel Perks, who was also the conductor
for this performance.
Also
featured were three soloists. Soprano’s Theresa Mbatha and Vanessa Tait Jones
are young woman with lovely and pure voices. They sang their parts with beauty
and skill.
Possibly
the biggest surprise of the performance was the contralto, Samantha Ash. She is
a grade 11 pupil at the school and is a petite young girl. However, her voice
in contrast to her age and size is strong, rich and mature. She is something
special and one hopes that her talent is nurtured for the future.
Also on
the programme at Sunday’s concert were three short compositions which added a
nice touch of variety to the proceedings.
Concerto Grosso Op. 3 No 11 by Francescco Mafedini is a
bright and cheerful work, while by contrast Biagio Marini’s Passacaglia a 3 e 4 is melancholic and
dirge like. The third work was Concert
Grosso No 12 “La Follia” by Francesco Geminiani. It is a dramatic and
intense work which allowed violinist Ralitza Matcheva and cellist Ralitsa
Pechoux opportunities to show their virtuosity.
This
concert was another triumph for Durban’s Baroque 2000 who continue
to provide quality entertainment at the Mariannhill Monastery Church on a
regular basis.
There
will be no concert in July as the members will be busy with commitments to the
KZN Philharmonic. The date for the August concert will be made known soon. –
Keith Millar
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