(Kyoko
Takezawa. Pic by Tetsuro-Takai)
The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra
returns to the Durban City Hall for its four-week Early Spring Symphony Season
of sublime world class music from August 24 to September 14.
Special features of the season include
visits by glorious violinist Kyoko Takezawa, South African pianist and Steinway
Artist Ben Schoeman, Fidelio Trio from Ireland and the
National Youth Concerto Festival which will showcase some talented young South
African musicians.
The KZN Phil continues its primary mission
of bringing excellence in music making to the province of KZN. The Early Spring
Season features top South African and international musicians in an eclectic
programme of amazing music. “We are committed to bringing the highest quality
symphony concerts to Durban thereby enriching the city and province through
music,” says Bongani Tembe CEO and Artistic Director of the KZN Philharmonic.
The season opens on August 24 at the Durban
City Hall under the baton of German maestro Wolfram Christ who makes a welcome
return to the podium with a programme showcasing three of the symphonic
repertoire’s best loved composers: Mendelssohn; Tchaikovsky and Dvořák. The
featured piece of the evening is one of the most technically exacting works in
the violin repertoire, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op 35
performed by Japanese born Kyoko Takezawa. Also on the programme is Mendelssohn’s
brilliant Ruy Blas, Op 95: Overture and the concert ends with a perennial
crowd-pleaser - Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op 60.
The second concert on August 31 sees
Wolfram Christ offer the audience a rare encounter with Carl Maria von Weber’s Turandot Overture. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor is
considered one of the most revolutionary of his entire oeuvre. It will be
performed by South African pianist and Steinway Artist, Ben Schoeman. The
evening closes with Schumann Symphony No 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97, “Rhenische”.
The third concert on September 7 is an
all-Beethoven programme and will be conducted by Associate Guest Conductor
Daniel Boico. The KZN Philharmonic are delighted to perform with Fidelio Trio,
who are on an extensive nation-wide tour courtesy of Culture Ireland. Fidelio
Trio are Darragh Morgan, violin, Mary Dullea, piano, both of whom are no
strangers to the KZN Philharmonic, and Adi Tal, cello. They have been
shortlisted for the 2016 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards, and Fidelio
Trio are enthusiastic champions of the piano trio genre, performing the widest
possible range of repertoire on concert stages across the world. They will
perform Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C major, Op.
56. Also on the programme is Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture and Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
While in Durban, Fidelio Trio will perform
a different programme with the Friends of Music on September 5 at the Durban
Jewish Centre.
The Early Spring Season ends on a high note
with the National Youth Concerto Festival on September 14, which will be
conducted by Resident Conductor Lykele Temmingh. Fostering upcoming new talent
on the local musical landscape has always been a central part of the KZN
Philharmonic Orchestra’s mandate, and in this regard, the annual National Youth
Concerto remains a fixture of the Orchestra’s Early Spring Season. Among the
programme items will be: Vivaldi’s Concerto for 2 oboes in d minor: Mvts 1, 2
and 3; Mozart’s La Clemenza Di Tito,
K.621: “S’altro che lagrime”; Mozart
Piano Concerto No 20 in d minor: Mvt 1; Hüe
Fantasie; Stephenson Introduction and Allegro: Mvt 1; Verdi Macbeth: “Come Dal Ciel Precipita”;
Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto in A flat: Mvt 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Piano
Concerto No 2 in c minor, Op, 18: Mvt 3.
Refreshments and light snacks may be
purchased in the foyer before the concert and during interval. Single tickets
are available from www.computicket.com,
0861 915 8000, or from Shoprite Checkers Money Market counters. It is cheaper
to subscribe: Subscribers can save up to 30%. For subscriptions contact 031 369
9438.
The morning rehearsals for the early Spring
Symphony Season concerts are open to the public and provide a glimpse into the
preparation needed for a symphony concert. Join us each Symphony Season
Thursday at 10h00 in the Durban City Hall. Entrance for adults is R30 / R10 for
scholars, which includes a cup of tea or coffee during the interval. The final
rehearsal is the perfect opportunity to introduce scholars to symphony concerts
and also provides great outings for community groups and retirement homes.
Please contact the KZN Philharmonic to enquire about special rates and to make
arrangements for groups. Contact bookings@kznphil.org.za or call the bookings
office on 031 369 9438.
Audiences can gain a deeper understanding
of the music they are about to hear by attending the Friends of Music’s
Pre-Concert Lecture in the Alhambra Room at the Playhouse starting at 18h00
each Thursday and entry is R10.
Listings:
AUGUST
24: Conductor: Wolfram Christ; Soloist: Kyoko Takezawa,
violin. Programme: Mendelssohn’s Ruy Blas, Op. 95: Overture; Tchaikovsky ‘s Violin
Concerto in D major, Op. 35; Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60.
Pre-concert
Lecture: Dr Teddy Pillay
AUGUST
31: Conductor: Wolfram Christ; Soloist: Ben
Schoeman, piano. Programme: Weber’s Turandot: Overture and March; Mozart’s Piano
Concerto No. 20 in d minor (K466); Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major,
Op. 97, “Rhenische”
Pre-concert
Lecture: Dr Teddy Pillay
SEPTEMBER
7: Conductor:Daniel Boico; Soloists: Fidelio Trio:
violin, cello and piano. Programme Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, Triple
Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C major, Op. 56 and Symphony No. 2 in D
major, Op. 36
Pre-concert
Lecture: Dr Teddy Pillay
SEPTEMBER
14: NATIONAL YOUTH CONCERTO FESTIVAL
Conductor: Lykele Temmingh; Soloists: various Young South African Performers.
Programme: Vivaldi Concerto for 2 oboes in d minor: Mvts 1, 2 and 3; Mozart’s La
Clemenza Di Tito, K.621: “S’altro che lagrime” and Piano Concerto No. 20 in d
minor: Mvt 1; Hüe’s Fantasie; Stephenson’s Introduction and Allegro: Mvt 1; Verdi
Macbeth: “Come Dal Ciel Precipita”; Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto in A flat:
Mvt 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in c minor, Op, 18: Mvt 3
Pre-concert
Lecture: Dr Teddy Pillay
(To
link direct to the KZN Philharmonic’s website click on the orchestra’s banner
advert on the top right hand of the page)
Posts
