(The
Drakensberg Boys Choir)
Absolute proof that the public will support
events that present the music they want to hear. (Review by Keith Millar)
Put together Durban’s superb Baroque 2000
orchestra, the renowned Drakensberg Boys Choir and the music of Handel and
Vivaldi and what do you get?
Well, if last Sunday’s concert at the
Mariannhill Church of the Monastery is anything to go by, you get something
very special indeed.
Durban music lovers, aware that something
out of the ordinary was on offer at this concert, turned up in their hundreds.
The church was filled to beyond capacity with people sitting in the aisles, on
the stairs and even amongst the organ pipes in the choir loft. Absolute proof
that the public will support events that present the music they want to hear.
And what they wanted to hear for starters
was the inspirational Hallelujah Chorus
from George Frideric Handel’s Messiah.
Arguably one of the greatest and most loved pieces of music ever written, it
was sung with joy and flair by the Drakensberg Boys Choir.
The choir, now under the leadership of
Bernard Kruger, who took the Kearsney School Choir to several Choir Olympics
Gold Medals during his tenure there, seems to be back to the standard it
enjoyed in its glory days under the late Bunny Ashley-Botha.
The support by the Baroque 2000 orchestra
was supreme and together they filled the historical Monastery Church with
glorious sounds.
Two more pieces from Handel’s Messiah, And He Shall Purify and Oh
Thou That Tellest Good Tidings, were also performed and, while not as
dramatic as the Hallelujah Chorus,
they were certainly performed with considerable élan by Choir and orchestra
alike.
The main choral work on the programme was
Antonio Vivaldi’s magnificent Gloria
in D major RV 589.
Vivaldi composed this work 1715 in Venice
for the choir and orchestra of the Ospedale della Pietá. Ostentatiously an
orphanage, it was in fact a home for the illegitimate daughters of Venetian
nobleman. The institution prided itself in its musical education, and Vivaldi
spent most of his career at the school as a music teacher, priest. And virtuoso
violinist.
The Gloria
is a bright and cheerful work, with many distinctive melodies and rhythms –
perfect for the youthful exuberance of the Drakensberg Boys Choir - who
performed it with aplomb, superbly backed, once again, by the excellent Baroque
2000 ensemble.
Conductors for the choral works were
Bernard Kruger and Kenny Kebak from the Choir School.
The programme unfortunately did not mention
the names of the soloists. However, they were all outstanding and sang their
parts with confidence and talent.
In addition to the choral works on the
programme, the Baroque 2000 ensemble also performed two orchestral masterpieces
from George Frideric Handel. The first was his lively and gorgeous Alcina Overture. Then later in the
programme they played the Concerto Grosso Op 3 No 4 HWV in F Major.
They performed well in both instances and
contributed to the overall festive and jubilant mood of the concert.
The director of Baroque 2000, Michel
Schneuwly, shared the good news that the ensemble’s generous sponsorship from
Die Rupert Musiekstigting had been approved and planning had begun for a series
of eight concerts in 2018.
The final concert for 2017 will take place
on December 17 at 11h30 and will feature a Christmas Celebration Programme.
For more information and bookings contact
Michel on 031 312 5539 or 082 303 5241 or sursouth@iafrica.com
– Keith Millar
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