Concert 1: Playhouse Opera Thurs June 19
Concert 2: Playhouse Opera Thurs June 26
The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra’s two-concert 2025
Winter Symphony Season runs in The Playhouse Opera on Thursday 19 and 26 June,
starting at 19h00.
“A warm welcome to our music lovers in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and beyond. Our World Symphony Series has been an emblem of musical excellence for more than 30 years. This year’s two-concert Winter Season will continue to carry the flag high,” says Bongani Tembe, KZN Philharmonic’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director.
“Our guest stars join hands with our orchestral musicians – and our audience – in the felicitous act of celebrating live music together. The season slots in with our commitments to year-round school visits, community engagement and skills transfer among new-generation artists.”
(Above: A recent photo of members of the KZNPO with resident conductor Chad Hendricks, taken during one of their many school concerts. Pic Shelley Kjonstad)
Podium luminary Daniel Boico opens the season with a rare performance of the Heritage Overture by Qinisela Sibisi, famed for his Zulu Mass. Rachmaninoff's prodigious Piano Concerto No 1, created for his own performances as a 17-year-old student in Moscow, is sure to make waves in the hands of star Russian pianist Andrey Gugnin, renowned as ‘a passionately virtuosic performer’ (Gramophone Magazine). Czech composer Dvořák’s Symphony No 7, infused with the dances of Bohemian folk culture, was the breakthrough work that brought him international fame in 1885. Long since one of the great crowd-pleasers of the concert stage, it is sure to cast its spell on this season’s music lovers in Durban.
The concert on June 26 opens with a curtain-raiser appearance by the KZN Youth Orchestra before South African-born conductor Conrad van Alphen appears to essay masterworks by Lalo and Beethoven. Acclaimed Russian virtuoso Andrey Baranov takes on the challenges of Lalo’s exotic Symphonie Espagnole. Famously evoking the sights and sounds of Spain, the work invariably sets the audience’s communal pulses racing.
After the interval, the KZN Philharmonic returns to the stage for another much-loved classic. Beethoven openly described his Sixth Symphony as a celebration of the countryside. He nicknamed the work Pastoral. One of music’s great paeons to nature, the sunny work promises to be a memorable climax to the season.
(Autumn is rapidly becoming winter – with beautiful crisp light, and cool mornings – ideal weather to enjoy the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2025 World Winter Symphony Season.
It is also a glorious time of year to enjoy the changing colours of nature – a leisurely drive through the Valley of 1000 Hills is perfect to enjoy the post-autumnal hues and magnificent views.
Pictured is Associate Concert
Master, violinist Petya Koleva. Pic Shelley Kjonstad)
KZN Philharmonic tickets are available at Quicket outlets.
For more information, call 031-369 9438, email bookings@kznphil.org.za or visit www.kznphil.org.za
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