(Bulgarian maestro Rossen Milanov conducts this evening’s
opening concert of the KZN Philharmonic’s Spring Season)
Classical Notes by William Charlton-Perkins. (Republished courtesy
of The Mercury newspaper)
After a sell-out concert with standing ovations in Cape
Town, world superstar Shlomo Mintz is in Durban to perform Mendelssohn’s Violin
Concerto in E minor this evening (Thursday August 28) for the opening of the
KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s Spring Season at the City Hall.
The violinist is delighted at being back in the South Africa
after 16 years, and has indicated he is keen to do more work in the country in
the future, not least holding master classes for upcoming musicians.
Renowned for his commanding technique, impeccable
musicianship and versatility which has enabled him to shine in repertoire
ranging from the Baroque to 20th century masterworks, Russian born Mintz is one
of a royal line of violinists to have been nurtured from a young age by the
legendary Isaac Stern. He was taught by a succession of great violin
pedagogues, among them the famed Dorothy Delay at the Juilliard School in New
York.
Mintz’s discography boasts a string of award winning
recordings. These include his famous Grand Prix du Disc-winning debut on
Deutsche Gramophon, coupling the Mendelssohn E minor (a signature work) with
Bruch’s G Minor Concerto. Other must-haves include his celebrated recordings on
the same label of Paganini’s Solo Violin Caprices, Cesar Frank’s Violin
Sonatas, and the Prokofiev Violin Concertos. Mintz’s magnificent sound can also
be relished on Youtube in a performance of the Mendelssohn Concerto with the
Israel Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta, filmed during the Huberman
Festival in 1982.
Preceding this evening’s concerto, which starts at 19h30,
the KZN Philharmonic performs Mendelssohn’s magical Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture. Conducted by Bulgarian maestro
Rossen Milanov, the programme concludes with Brahms’s Symphony No 4.
Next Thursday (September 4) sees conductor Theodore Kuchar
returning to the KZN Philharmonic podium for performances of Dvořák’s Noon Witch, Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto
No 5 ‘Egyptian’ (with Ben Schoeman
the soloist), and the Symphony No 6 by Shostakovich.
On Durban’s chamber music front, Friends of Music presents
an imaginative programme at the Jewish Centre on Tuesday (September 2).
Featured works include three items from Bach’s The Art of Fugue BWV 1060,
arranged for string quartet, Haydn’s String Quartet in B flat Opus 64 no 3, and
Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, after Pulcinella (arranged by Samuel Dushkin). After
interval, the audience will be treated to a performance of Schubert’s Piano
Trio No 1 in B flat. The evening’s players include violinists Gèza Kayser and
Jitske Brien, violist Claire Hamilton, cellist Nigel Fish and pianist David
Smith. Upcoming pianist Rachel Wedderburn-Maxwell is the evening’s prelude
performer. The recital starts at 19h45.
Despite the untold wealth of talent in our region, the
wonderful world of opera remains conspicuously absent from the Playhouse
Company’s annual main-stage agenda. Local enthusiasts, however, are promised a
degree of compensation for this disregard of the grandest genre of the
performing arts. The Societa Dante Alighieri presents a bumper programme of
operatic highlights at the Italian Club, 82 Northway in Durban North on September
12 at 19h00.
Durban’s master pianist Andrew Warburton will accompany
three of South Africa’s most celebrated voices, those of sopranos Loveline
Madumo and Bongiwe Madlala, and mezzo soprano Violina Anguelov, in Italian
opera highlights from Rossini’s L’Italiana
in Algeri, Bellini’s Norma,
Catalani’s La Wally, Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana, Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly and Le
Villi, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro
and Verdi’s Otello. Other pieces
include a Neapolitan medley and piano works by Schubert and Albeniz.
Pre-bookings at R100 pp can be made by email at ladante@dantedurban.com,
or call Valeria on 031 360 7013. Tickets at the door cost R120 each. Snacks
included.
This programme will be reprised the following evening, September
13, in Pietermaritzburg at the Dante Hall, 21 Alice Grange Road, Scottsville.
Tickets are priced as above, but email pre- bookings should be made to ladante@dantepietermartizburg.com,
or via sms to Tony on 072 499 3084.
A reminder that superstar violinist Pinchas Zukerman can be
heard with Canadian cellist Amanda Forsythe and pianist Angela Cheng performing
Beethoven’s Archduke Trio and Dvořák’s Dumky Trio in the Pietermaritzburg City
Hall on Saturday (August 30), starting at 19h30. Booking is on 033 342 3487.
Tickets from R200 to R250 include refreshments and secure parking is provided
in the City Hall precinct.
Finally, note that the next edition of this column, on
September 11, will carry a run-down of Music Revival’s Concert Series at the
Hilton Arts Festival (September 19 to 21). - William Charlton-Perkins
Posts
