(Lykele
Temmingh celebrates 30th years as a KZN Philharmonic conductor. Photo Val
Adamson)
The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra
returns to the Durban City Hall for its four-week late Spring Symphony Season
of sublime world class music from October 19 until November 16.
Special features of the season include
celebrating Lykele Temmingh’s 30th year as a conductor of the KZN Philharmonic,
and the 25th anniversary of regular collaborators, Clermont Community Choir.
This season, the KZN Phil returns to Johannesburg to perform alongside the JPO
in a glorious concert on October 25 and 26 at the Linder Auditorium.
The KZN Phil continues its primary mission
of bringing excellence in music making to the province of KZN. The Late 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. In true World Symphony Season tradition, we are happy to offer you a
stellar mix of international and local talent, both on our podium and on our
roster of soloists. I am proud to say our line-up of soloists this season puts
focus on a slew of acclaimed new-generation stars. These include one of the
best cellists in the world today, Zuill Bailey; the multi-award winning
violinist Rafał Zambrzycki-Payne, the phenomenal Ukrainian-American pianist,
Valentina Lisitsa, whose videos on social media have attracted more than 50
million views; and, by no means least, our own co-principal cellist, Aristide
du Plessis,” says Bongani Tembe CEO and Artistic Director of the KZN
Philharmonic.
The season opens on October 19 with Lykele
Temmingh in the podium in a programme featuring three works much loved by
concert-goers the world over. Emil von Reznícek (1860-1945) remembered for his
Donna Diana Overture will open the programme. Antonín Dvorák’s Cello Concerto
in B minor was his last solo concerto and has become the signature piece of
many of the world’s great cellists. Not least among these was the lamented
Jacqueline du Pre. It will be performed by internationally acclaimed Grammy
Award-winning American cellist Zuill Bailey.
Camille Saint-Saëns wrote his Symphony No.
3 in c minor in 1886, popularly known as the “Organ Symphony” which makes a
welcome return to the KZN Philharmonic’s repertoire. Regrettably the
magnificent City Hall organ is still out of commission, so it will be performed
on a state of the art organ brought down from Pretoria specially, by Allen
Organs.
There is no concert the following week, on
October 26, as the KZN Philharmonic will be performing Johannesburg as part of
their commitment to working with the JPO doing two concerts on 26 and 27.
The second concert will take place the
following Thursday, on November 2, under the baton of German maestro Justus
Frantz. The programme is devoted to those tragically short-lived giants of the
early Viennese school, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and Franz Schubert
(1797-1828). Performing Mozart’s A Major Concerto will be violinist Rafał
Zambrzycki-Payne, winner of numerous prizes including the BBC Young Musician of
the Year Competition.
The third concert is on November 9. On the
menu will be Smetana’s Má Vlast / My Country - a set of six symphonic poems
composed between 1874 and 1879, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor
and Dvorák’s Ninth Symphony. Soloist is you-tube sensation, Ukrainian-American
Valentina Lisitsa.
The Late Spring Season ends on November 16
in a concert celebrating cello and voice, conducted by Daniel Boico. Rossini’s
Semiramide overture opens the programme. One of the two featured pieces is
Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor. It offers a superb solo
platform for the KZN Philharmonic’s Associate Principal Cellist, Aristide du
Plessis.
Haydn’s masterwork and paean to nature, The
Creation, a score infused with a life force that swiftly ensured its honoured
place in the annals of choral singing. It will be performed by a stellar
line-up of vocalists, and the Clermont Community Choir which celebrates its
25th anniversary with the orchestra.
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: For subscriptions
contact 031 3699438.
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 the orchestra each Symphony
Season Thursday at 10h00 in the Durban City Hall. Entrance R30 (R10 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.
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.
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