A very enjoyable
concert of delightful music, brilliantly performed. (Review by Keith Millar)
The KwaZulu-Natal
Philharmonic Orchestra is widely regarded as Africa’s premier orchestra. It
employs 70 fulltime professional musicians who come from more than 20
countries.
It is from the
ranks of these talented artists that the ensemble which performed the annual
Chamber Concerts at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown was drawn. These
concerts are a wonderful opportunity to expose festival audiences to lesser-known
gems from the classical repertoire.
The works chosen
for this year’s concerts were Johan Nepomuk Hummel’s Piano Septet No. 1 in D
Minor Op. 74, and Francis Poulenc’s Sextet (for Piano and Windquintet), OP 10. Joining
the ensemble for both works was piano maestro Albie van Schalkwyk.
Hummel was
considered to be one of the foremost piano virtuosos of his time. He was also
highly regarded as a composer. His Piano Septet No. 1 was composed in 1816 and
achieved immediate popularity. Until the early 1900’s, it was regularly heard
on concert stages around the world.
It is an
uncomplicated and well-balanced work which was played with verve and colour by
the ensemble. Sabine Baird playing the flute and Alice Thompson on the French
horn featured during this performance while van Schalkwyk was magnificent on
the piano.
French composer
Francis Poulenc’s Sextet is a more modern work having being composed in 1932.
Poulenc was regarded as a musical clown and this vital and rhythmic work is
full of French wit and charm. Once again van Schalkwyk was superb.
The Rhodes Chapel,
where the concerts took place, has an acoustic which is complementary to
classical music. This added the seasoning to a very enjoyable concert of
delightful music, brilliantly performed. – Keith Millar
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