(Conductor Richard Cock)
KZN Philharmonic’s performance
of the fabulous music was most exhilarating and enjoyable. (Review by Keith
Millar)
The celebrated
KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra was a most welcome participant in the
activities at the Hilton Arts Festival this year. They performed two concerts under
the baton of the ebullient Richard Cock. A children’s concert was held in the
Hilton College Chapel where the orchestra performed Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf or, as Cock calls it,
Pieter and the Horrible Hyena.
The other KZNPO
concert took place in the well-appointed Hilton College Theatre and was
entitled Frank Sinatra and Friends.
I don’t usually
enjoy orchestral light music concerts. I feel that if one goes to the trouble
of getting an orchestra together then let them play some substantial classical
music or, at very least, light classics. However, the music played at this
concert was so engaging and Richard Cock so entertaining that it proved to be a
very enjoyable experience.
Singing the Frank
Sinatra standards included in the show was Johannesburg performer Nicholas Nicolaidis.
Nicolaidis has a light lyric tenor voice and while he does not sound much like
Sinatra, he does a nice job translating the music. Among the songs he performed
were Fly Me to The Moon (which,
according to Richard Cock, was sung on the moon by Buzz Aldren), I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Night and Day, Unforgettable, My Way and, as
an encore, New York, New York.
The orchestral works
on the programme were all played with effortless ease by the accomplished KZN Philharmonic.
Their performance of the fabulous music was most exhilarating and enjoyable.
Many of the tunes were arranged by South African arrangers and included Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Jazz Legato,
Moon River, The Golden Years and Jazz
Pizzicato.
The inimitable
Richard Cock was as entertaining as ever. He is amiable, amusing and
informative and the audience loved him.
The only problem I
had was that the speakers in this theatre are rather far forward from the
stage. That, and too much echo on the voice, led to a rather odd balance
between singer and orchestra. That aside, the concert was perfect festival fare
and was thoroughly enjoyed by the full house audience who gave an extended
standing ovation at the end. – Keith Millar
For more information
on the annual Hilton Arts Festival visit https://www.hiltonfestival.co.za
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