See what the KZNPO has in store for Durban’s music lovers
|||Latoya Newman
THE KZN Philharmonic Orchestra (KZNPO) will start its 2016 World Symphony Series Summer Season on Thursday.
The concerts will see some of the best international acts on stage.
Some of the highlights on the programme include maestro Wolfram Christ, Pieter Schoeman, Olga Kern, a collaboration with the acclaimed Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and much more.
Artistic director and chief executive at the KZNPO, Bongani Tembe, explained their ability to host the best: “It’s the relationships we’ve developed over the years. For example, this Season will be opened by Pieter Schoeman. He is the concert master of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and is considered one of the most successful South African violinists. He is charging us a very reasonable fee because, obviously, South Africa is close to his heart.
“Wolfram Christ from the Berlin Philharmonic as well as Olga Kern – we have been friends with Olga for some time. And again, it’s easier to make deals because of those personal relationships.”
Commenting on having the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on the programme, he said: “In 2013, The Royal Concertgebouw visited South Africa as they celebrated 125 years. We helped organise their tour, but we just didn’t want to organise that tour, we also wanted to ensure that there is a continuous benefit from this relationship, particularly for orchestra development and with underprivileged South Africans.
“We are glad that they have followed up and in November we signed a five-year agreement with Royal Concertgebouw which specifically targets the development of young orchestral musicians in South Africa.
“So they come once or twice a year to coach in South Africa. Then every two years, talented South Africans will be chosen to go for more intensive training in Amsterdam. So it has yielded very good results.”
On March 3, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra principal oboist, Alexei Ogrintchouk, will perform a rare concert of classical and chamber repertoire.
And just to jazz things up a bit, the penultimate concert for the Summer Season will see US maestro, James Ross, lead a programme with a twist.
A press release said this concert will feature an array of international and local artists, the music of George Gershwin blended with the quirky music of modern Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu, Christopher Duigan and Spanish saxophonist, David Salleras.
“David plays both classical and jazz and other very interesting stuff. He came last year and was a hit at the Durban City Hall. So that allowed us to bring him back again.”
Tembe said that the Seasons go beyond bringing music to entertain audiences: “Whilst the KZNPO brings down international artists, a lot of them leave something behind. They do workshops that benefit the wider community. Just about every week the orchestra goes to a school in a township. So while we do these Seasons, we are committed to community engagement and our educational programmes.”
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BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…
The six symphony concerts of the KZNPO’s Summer Season begin on Thursday and so do the popular pre-concert lectures.
With two exceptions, the concerts and the lectures will be given in the Durban City Hall. On the evenings of March 3 and 31, they will be given in the Playhouse, Anton Lembede Street.
The concerts are held at 7.30pm and the lectures at 6pm. After each lecture drinks and snacks will be available until the start of the concert.
The lecturers for the coming Season are: Michael Green (Thursday and February 25); David Smith (March 3 and March 10); Teddy Pillay (March 17 and March 31).
The lectures are designed to enhance the enjoyment of those attending the concerts that follow. They are informative, entertaining and humorous.
The entry charge for each lecture is R10.