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Wednesday, September 7, 2016

PALLAVI MAHIDHARA FOR KZNPO



(Pallavi Mahidhara)

The third concert of the KZN Philharmonic Spring Season features Dutch conductor Arjan Tien leading the orchestra in a programme of music from France, with famed Indian pianist Pallavi Mahindhara as the soloist for the evening. This will take place tomorrow (September 8) in the Durban City Hall.

“In this season, we introduce the ‘Passport Series’ as the orchestra takes audiences on a global tour from Russia to Europe to Scandinavia and to South Africa,” says Bongani Tembe: CEO and Artistic Director of the KZN Philharmonic. “The season includes concerts acknowledging Heritage Month and the National Youth Concerto Festival.”

Dutch conductor Arjan Tien leads the KZN Philharmonic through a different perspective of French repertoire. The evening begins with the Symphony in D major by the little-known composer Joseph Boulogne.

The soloist for the evening is Pallavi Mahidhara. Known for her artistic versatility, she combines mature musical insight, an astounding technique and a charismatic stage presence. She has appeared in solo and orchestral concerts across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

The French evening continues as Pallavi Mahidhara returns to Durban to perform Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. The work is a mix between the French impressionism of Debussy and Ravel and jazz textures that Ravel encountered when he travelled through the United States of America in 1928 on invitation from George Gershwin.

A genre of music that is often neglected in modern concert halls is French Baroque. This is partly due to the fact that composers of the period such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marin Marais and Jean-Philippe Rameau were focused on composing operas for the courts.

The concert closes with one of Joseph Haydn’s Paris symphonies – Symphony No. 83 in G minor, which has been given the nickname La Poule or The Hen due to the apparent sound of clucking in the first movement.

The Durban City Hall will be alive with glorious music when the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra launches the Spring Season of its World Symphony Series taking place every Thursday until October 13.

The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra continues its primary mission of bringing excellence in music-making to the city of Durban. The Winter Season features top South African and international musicians in an eclectic and carefully created programme of amazing music. “We are committed to bringing the highest quality concerts to Durban thereby enriching the city and province through music,” says Tembe.

The Spring Season concerts take place every Thursday until October 13 at 19h30 in the Durban City Hall. Subscribe to the Spring Season on 031 3699 438 or buy single tickets through Computicket.

(To link direct to the KZN Philharmonic’s website click on the orchestra’s banner advert on the top right hand of the page)