(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)