Don't miss the second concert of the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra’s World Symphony Series Winter Season, tonight (Thursday June 15, 2023) at the Playhouse Opera Theatre.
Bongani Tembe, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the KZNPO says: “We warmly welcome back our much-loved maestro Yasuo Shinozaki - one of the leading Japanese conductors of the younger generation - who takes his place on the podium for the evening. Sharing the spotlight with our own classical musicians, it is our privilege to host the prize-winning pianist Emanuil Ivanov. The Bulgarian-born virtuoso attracted international attention after receiving first prize at the 2019 Ferruccio Busoni Piano Competition in Italy. This achievement was followed by concert engagements in some of the world’s most prestigious halls including Teatro La Scala in Milan and Herculessaal in Munich.”
Secure your seats via our offices on 031 369 9438 or marketing@kznphil.org.za. Online bookings can be made via Quicket
Each evening's musical offerings are included below for your perusal and you can view our full brochure by clicking on the advert at the top right hand of this page.
CONCERT 2:
June 15, 2023, at 19h00 in the Playhouse
Opera Theatre
Yasuo Shinozaki, conductor
Emanuil Ivanov, piano
Smetana: Vltava (The Moldau) from Má vlast
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of
Paganini, Op. 43
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, Op. 36 in f
minor, “Fate”
The renowned Japanese maestro Yasuo
Shinozaki makes a welcome return to the KZN Philharmonic’s podium for the
second concert of the Winter Season. He opens his programme with one of the
world’s concert warhorses, Vltava from Smetana’s six-piece suite of
symphonic-poems, Má vlast, also known as My Fatherland. The six
pieces, conceived as individual works, are often presented as a single work in
six movements. They premièred separately between 1875 and 1880. Each poem
depicts an aspect of Bohemia’s countryside, history, or legends. Vltava,
the second in the famous set, is one of the world’s most graphically penned
descriptive works, evoking the mighty Moldau River in all its tumultuous energy
and majesty.
The dazzling young Bulgarian virtuoso Emanuil Ivanov, winner of the Busoni Piano Competition, takes centre stage to perform Rachmaninoff’s iconic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini as the evening’s centrepiece. Written in July and August 1934, Rachmaninoff himself played the piano part at the piece’s première on November 7, 1934, at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, Maryland, with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski.
In stark contrast to the dazzling brilliance of the Rhapsody, the programme ends with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in f minor. Following the fall-out of his mismarriage to Antonina Ivanovna Miliukova, he composed the work in 1877. Following is première under the baton of Nikolai Rubenstein, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth became known as his “Fate Symphony”, and the composer himself wrote that he’d sought a parallel with Beethoven’s Fifth during its creation. Indeed, this connotation is evoked for discerning listeners through the similar device of the four-note motif, which opens Beethoven’s Fifth and is heard in the fanfare at the outset of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth.
DON'T MISS THE OTHER CONCERTS IN THE WINTER
SEASON
CONCERT 3:
June 22, 2023, at 19h00. Playhouse Opera
Theatre
Daniel Boico, conductor
Yeon-Min Park, piano
LISZT: Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S.514
LISZT: Piano Concerto No. 1, S .124 in
E-flat Major
DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 8, Op. 88 in G Major
CONCERT 4:
June 29 2023, at 19h00. Playhouse Opera
Theatre
Lykele Temmingh, conductor
Maria du Toit, clarinet
BEETHOVEN: Egmont Overture
TEMMINGH: Concerto for Clarinet
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 1 in g minor,
“Winter Dreams”
The KZN Philharmonic Orchestra is a not-for-profit company and a public benefit organisation with a committed board of directors consisting of prominent business people and community leaders.
The Orchestra is chaired by business luminary, Mr Saki Macozoma, and ably led for the past 25 years by Mr Bongani Tembe, an accomplished Juilliard School trained singer and distinguished arts manager. Mr Tembe’s strong vision fosters high artistic values and a commitment to engaging with the diverse communities of South Africa.
A comprehensive education, development and community engagement programme exposes more than 30,000 urban and township learners per year to music educational concerts, whilst the Orchestra also spends part of the year in the rural areas working with local schools and communities. In addition, the Orchestra presents its flagship World Symphony Series (WSS), which features four seasons of symphony concerts at the Durban City Hall and the Playhouse Opera Theatre.
For more information visit www.kznphil.org.za
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