If I was to look back at 2022 and
consider who made the most impact on my life, it would certainly be the
excellent conductor Marin Alsop, who led the Mzansi National Philharmonic
through an electrically-challenged performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at
the Playhouse. Maestro, I am in awe of you! (Review by Caroline Smart)
Last night the Playhouse was packed! What a great return to the “pre-Covid days”. Firstly, there was a Sundowner Concert in the foyer and then iHubo, a production in the Playhouse Drama. However, the main audience members were eagerly coming to see the first Durban performance of the Mzansi Philharmonic Orchestra. This is South Africa’s new national orchestra and it is currently on a tour of three cities – Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
Led by acclaimed and multi-award-winning conductor, Marin Alsop, now in her third season as Chief Conductor of the ORT Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the concert featured soloists Zandile Mzazi, Michelle Breedt, Msimelelo Mbali, Sipho Fubesi and exceptional choirs, together with Grammy award winner, flautist Wouter Kellerman.
“In addition to the Mzansi Philharmonic’s inaugural national tour, we are also excited about the organisation’s many other projects and programmes that seek to develop career paths for young musicians; fund and advocate for regional, local and youth orchestras; create access to the Orchestra for wider audiences; contribute to tourism by branding South Africa positively both locally and on the internal stage; and to transform lives through the power of music,” says Bongani Tembe, Chief Executive and Artistic Director.
Tembe also carries the same titles for the KZN Philharmonic and the Johannesburg Philharmonic which puts him in a very powerful position to be able to acknowledge the needs of the various areas.
“Often this idea of transformation can seem ethereal but in the formation of the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra, we have experienced it in a very tangible way. Our story is richly-layered with real life examples of collaboration, of societal leadership, of inclusivity, of care for our fellow citizens, and of seeing people achieve their full potential. Perhaps this element of our work is the most meaningful of all,” Tembe adds.
The programme for the evening was Beethoven’s celebrated 9th Symphony which included a 76-piece orchestra (comprising several KZNPO members) and the massed choir made up of Gauteng Choristers, Ijadu Chorus, Mzansi Chorale and the New Apostolic Church Choir.
If I was to look back at 2022 and consider who made the most impact on my life, it would certainly be the excellent conductor Marin Alsop, who led the Mzansi National Philharmonic through an electrically-challenged performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Playhouse. Maestro, I am in awe of you!
All was going perfectly until the opening moment when loadshedding cut in. Before the generator could get going, we were in total darkness – apart from the battery lights on the musicians’ music stands. Darren Maule, host for the evening, used his humorous skills to guide the audience through at least four blackouts and relighting until it all stayed stable.
However, conductor Marin Alsop took the lead and began the concert in the dark. She proceeded to handle this with expertise through at least two movements until the lighting stabilised. In the beginning, I wondered if half the orchestra could even see her, until an LED light was provided and she was lit for them.
To many, this would have been incredible achievement, but truth to say – and acknowledgement to the Playhouse and the concert organisers for their efficiency - they did see this possibility happening with conflict between loadshedding and the Playhouse generator. So they did a dummy run in the morning. But still, I don’t believe they expected it to last for half the concert!
This was a splendid concert – paying splendid and powerful homage to Beethoven.
If you have fellow music-lovers in Cape Town, do catch the final performance of this tour (December 21, 2022, at 20h00 in the Cape Town City Hall), I would strongly suggest you recommend the concert to them. Or else, better still – take a trip to Cape Town yourself!
Booking is at Quicket. - Caroline Smart
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