Weeks two and three: Durban City Hall: 6 and 13 June
Yasuo Shinozaki, the acclaimed Japanese maestro, returns to the podium for the second and third concert programmes of the KZNPO Winter season taking place every Thursday in the Durban City Hall.
Repertoire to be enjoyed on 6 June includes: Weber’s atmospherically charged overture to his iconic songspiel, Der Freischütz Overture, a work of enormous importance in the annals of early German romanticism; Elgar’s Cello Concerto. He wrote his Cello Concerto in the aftermath of the First World War. For the most part contemplative and elegiac, it became a classic hit when it was recorded by Jacqueline du Pre. It will be performed by the noted new-generation soloist, Russian-born Alexander Ramm.
The programme rounds off with Jean Sibelius’s stirring Symphony No 1. Gratefully offering opportunities for orchestral players to shine, the symphony is characterised by its distinctive use of string and woodwind solos.
Maestro Shinozaki’s programme on 13 June features two supreme masterpieces by Mozart. The concert opens grandly with Mozart’s Idomeneo Overture. The brilliance of its orchestration testifies to the fine orchestral forces Mozart had at his disposal when writing the piece. Likewise, the glories of Mozart’s great A Major Piano Concerto K 488, is considered a pantheon work of supreme accomplishment. It will be played by Sodi Braide, a noted young British born pianist of Nigerian parentage.
Tchaikovsky’s richly rewarding Symphony No. 1 in G minor, ‘Winter Daydreams’, rounds off the evening. It stands as the composer’s earliest notable work.
The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (KZNPO) performs its four-concert 2019 Winter Season which runs in the Durban City Hall every Thursday from 30 May to 20 June, each concert starting at 19h30. The season upholds the stellar tradition of international calibre music-making, carried out through the Orchestra’s World Symphony Series (WSS), which launched in Durban 24 years ago.
“We have a fine array of talent gracing our guest roster this season, and our richly curated programmes include a judicious mix of concert staples, presented alongside some alluring if less familiar masterworks,” says KZN Philharmonic’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Bongani Tembe.
Season tickets for the KZN Philharmonic’s World Symphony Series 2019 Winter Season are available through Computicket. Call 0861 915 8000 or book online at www.computicket.com. For more information visit http://kznphil.org.za/, email bookings@kznphil.org.za or call 031-369 9438 (office hours).
The final rehearsals for the Winter Symphony Season concerts are open to the public and provide a glimpse into the preparation needed for a symphony concert. Join us each Symphony Season Thursday at 10am. Entrance for adults is R35 / R15 for scholars, which includes a cup of tea. The final rehearsal is the perfect opportunity to introduce scholars to symphony concerts and also provides great outings for community groups and retirement homes. Contact bookings@kznphil.org.za or call the bookings office on 031 369 9438.
Come and join us for another amazing season of glorious music!
KZNPO Winter Season Line-Up
