The excellent turnout at the concerts
recently, and the enthusiastic response to the performances, suggests that
Durban music lovers consider a professional orchestra to be an essential asset
to the city. (Review by Barbara Trofimczyk)
The first concert in the KZNPO Summer Season took place on March 2, 2023, in the Playhouse Opera and featured the following programme:
Sibelius: Pelleas et Melisande Suite
Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No 1
Beethoven Symphony No 1
Conductor: Hossein Pishkar
Piano Soloist: Danae Dörken
The concert opened with the Sibelius Suite,
incidental music to Maeterlink's drama Pelleas et Melisande, nine short
movements each with a title relating to the story of the drama. There was much
musical interest in these descriptive pieces, their delicate scoring exploiting
varied interesting orchestral colours including some expressive woodwind solos
(in particular the warm-sounding Cor Anglais).
Beautiful music well-presented by conductor Hossein Pishkar and the orchestra, but the slow pensive mood and the mostly low-scored pitching (dying away at the end of the suite) left one wondering if this was a suitable opening item for the concert.
ln stark contrast, the Mendelssohn concerto had one sitting bolt upright in the chair from the first entry of the piano! The popularity of this concerto arises from its emphasis on virtuosity, an opportunity for the soloist to impress and audiences to enjoy amazing pianistic skills! The challenge for the soloist, however, is not just a display of flashy finger work, but to create in the virtuoso passages fluid, musically-shaped dynamics, and Ms Dörken achieved that with aplomb! There was a tendency for excessive speed in the finale, but overall, an impressive performance much enjoyed by all. Her encore took the meaning of virtuosity to another level. The audience loved it.
Although distinctly classical, in the first symphony Beethoven introduced some of the familiar elements of his later symphonic works such as consistency in rhythmic and melodic ideas, and changing the normally graceful Minuet to a lively 'Scherzo'. To capture effectively the light-hearted character of the work would depend on the choice of tempi, and in this respect conductor, Hossein Pishkar, erred somewhat by taking all the movements too fast. The slow movement lost its gentle, lilting flow, and the finale was so fast as to become uncomfortably pressurised.
Bongani Tembe, in his address at the beginning of the concert, mentioned that 2023 is the 40th year since the KZNPO was established. The excellent turnout at the concerts recently, and the enthusiastic response to the performances, suggests that Durban music lovers consider a professional orchestra to be an essential asset to the city. - Barbara Trofimczyk
The next concert in the summer season
takes place on Thursday (March 9, 2023) at 19h30 in the Playhouse Opera. For
more information click on the KZNPO advert on the top right-hand side of this
article or visit www.kznphil.org.za
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