KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s
2025 Spring Season
Playhouse Opera: Thurs 6 & 13 November at 7pm
The KZN Philharmonic’s two concert 2025 World Symphony Spring Season runs in The Playhouse Opera on Thursday, 6 and 13 November, starting at 19h00.
‘We extend a welcoming hand to the music lovers of Durban, and across KwaZulu-Natal as we announce our 2025 Spring Season. The repertoire which will be performed has been hand-picked to delight our loyal KZNPO family of music lovers,’ says Bongani Tembe, KZN Philharmonic’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director. ‘We’re delighted to welcome the season’s guest artists, who’ll collaborate with our KZNPO musicians. And as always, the season dovetails with our commitments to school visits, community engagement, and skills transfer among new-generation artists.’
Conductor Daniel Boico makes a popular return to open the season on 6 November with masterworks by Mozart, Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saëns and Beethoven. Mozart’s Don Giovanni Overture opens in the stormy key of D minor, its booming chords forecasting the dramatic pivotal moments of the opera’s famous finale. As a curtain raiser on the concert platform, its impact is riveting – in stark contrast to the sublime piece that follows in its wake. Vaughan Williams’ ethereal The Lark Ascending, with its sweet-toned solo violin, evokes the lark’s soaring song, offset by the orchestra’s portrayal of the English countryside and its people. The programme then showcases the internationally acclaimed virtuoso violinist Jack Liebeck as he essays the formidable challenges of Saint-Saëns’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. And so to the magnum opus of the evening, Ludwig van Beethoven’s mighty Eroica Symphony, which ends the evening on a note of fiery triumph.
Grammy Award-winning conductor Michael Repper makes his KZN Philharmonic debut on 13 November with a programme of English, Austrian and German classics spanning the late 18th and 19th centuries – curated to afford the audience an evening of contrasting musical adventures. Maestro Repper opens with Elgar’s idyllic Serenade for Strings. Haydn’s joyous D major Cello Concerto heralds the debut appearance of the acclaimed Norwegian cellist Sandra Lied Haga. Her interpretation is eagerly awaited as she puts her stamp on its wealth of melodies and bravura passages. The evening climaxes in high spirits with the youthful vigour and optimism of the teenage Felix ebullient Mendelssohn’s First Symphony.
There are park and bus options for patron who would prefer not to self-drive to the concerts. There are routes from Upper Highway, St Agnes (depart 17h50); North Coast, Grace Family Church (depart 18h10); Westville Senior Primary (depart 18h10) and Berea Caister Lodge (depart 18h20). Book through the KZN Phil offices before 4pm Monday before each concert.
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
KZNPO Spring Season 2025 Programme Announced
