(Nozuko Teto)
No need of tinsel
or glitter to add sparkle to this occasion. (Review by Keith Millar)
Now, that’s how to
celebrate the festive season. A concert of uplifting music performed with
consummate skill in the tranquil setting of the Marianhill Church of the
Monastery. There was no need of tinsel or glitter to add sparkle to this
occasion.
The undoubted star
of the Baroque 2000 programme was the impressive soprano Nozuko Teto. Born in
the Eastern Cape, Teto studied music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the
University of Cape Town. In 2011, she moved to Italy to perfect her performance
skills and has since then developed a considerable international reputation as
an opera singer.
Teto has a gorgeous
voice. It is powerful and pure and has an almost bell-like quality. She sings
with apparent effortless ease, and with perfect articulation. This speaks not
only of her considerable talent, but also of many, many hours of practice. The
power she generates from her petite frame is quite remarkable.
Her contribution to
the concert was three arias from George Fredric Handel. The first two, I Know My Redeemer Liveth and He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd
from Messiah were sung with exquisite
beauty. However Teto saved her best for last with a breathtaking rendition of the
popular aria Let the bright Seraphim from
the opera Samson. It was a stunning
performance which led to an extended and much deserved ovation.
The programme also
included a veritable feast of other baroque gems from Antonio Vivaldi, Giuseppe
Torelli, Giovanni Henrico Albicastro and Arcangelo Corelli, which kept the
audience thoroughly entertained.
Vivaldi’s Concerto Grosso
Concha in B Major RV 163 was
particularly pleasant. It is a short piece which is lively and turbulent. The
“Concha” refers to the conch shell which was used by sailors as a foghorn and,
supposedly, to ward off impending storms. The sound of the conch shells along
with that of a the storm are clearly heard in within concerto.
Also of note was
Corelli’s well-known Christmas Concerto – Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 8 in G
Minor (Fatto per la Notto di Natale).
The concerto has six short movements and these alternate in tempo and mood between
lively and slow. The final movement is a serene Pastorale which suggests the nativity scene.
The other two works
on the programme were the Concerto a Quattro in forma di Pastorale, per il
Santo Natale by Torelli and IL giardino armonico sacro-profano - Concert Grosso
Op. 3 No. 12 by Albicastro. Both offered glorious and triumphant Christmas
music.
The Baroque 2000 ensemble,
led by concertmaster Ralitza Matcheva, were in fine form and played with
effervesce and finesse. Their performance was the epitome of the joy and
celebration one associates with this time of year.
This fine concert
brought down the curtain on this year’s Baroque 2000 concert series. I, for one,
can’t wait for their return in March 2015. - Keith Millar
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