Concerto Issue 6

ISSUE 06, 2015

Clear as a Bell The virtuosity of violinist Joshua Bell

Making It Happen

A glimpse into the world of artistic administration

A Lifetime Of Music

Composer Peter Klatzow’s birthday concert

CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

02 03 04 WELCOME

PETER KLATZOW TURNS 70

SIBELIUS, MARIA KLIEGEL & CPO’S FUTURE

05 06 08 OUTREACH & FRIENDS OF MUSIC

Welcome In spite of the bleak economic outlook for the year ahead, we are happy to report that the concert life of Cape Town is alive and kicking! This issue of Concerto again bears testimony to the fact that Cape Town offers quality and diversity to the lovers of classical music. The attendance figures of our concerts show constant growth in spite of the worldwide decline.

With your support, we are confident that we can continue our work. Building a meaningful music tradition, nurturing artistic talent and providing a platform for our artists are the most important elements of our business. Live music performances are so much more exciting than electronically generated mass entertainment, which is always available at the touch of a button.

One of the most exciting concerts on offer is that of the iconic American superstar Joshua Bell, who will be returning to perform in Cape Town in August, his third visit in the past decade. I am happy to announce that this time he will perform in the CPO’s preferred ‘home’, the Cape Town City Hall. Hearing the soaring tone of that

ex-Huberman Stradivarius in a concert hall with the perfect acoustics for symphonic music is something to look forward to.

We have already opened the booking for these two concerts (26 and 27 August) so book early to avoid disappointment.

JOSHUA BELL’S ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER

MAKING A CONCERT WITH BURDUKOV

09 11 12 WINTER SYMPHONY SEASON

SPRING AND SUMMER SYMPHONIES

CENTURY OF SYMPHONY

Details about the Winter and Summer Symphony Seasons are announced in this issue and offer something for all tastes.

There is again a healthy mix of local and international soloists. We are also happy to celebrate the 70th birthday of one of our foremost composers, Peter Klatzow, with a concert dedicated to his music.

Concerto is one of our important tools to promote Cape Town’s classical music scene. Become part of our cherished music family and subscribe to our regular electronic newsletters free of charge.

Go to our website www.cpo.org.za and make sure you stay part of our family!

CHIEF EXECUTIVE CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

PUBLIC & CORPORATE FUNDERS • DONATIONS IN KIND, PARTNERS & MEDIA PARTNERS

EDITORIAL AND CREATIVE TEAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LOUIS HEYNEMAN louis@cpo.org.za MANAGING EDITORS SHIRLEY DE KOCK GUELLER shirley@cpo.org.za JESSICA GLIDDON jess@purepublishing.co.za

CPO ARTISTIC EXECUTIVE SERGEI BURDUKOV sergei@cpo.org.za

DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR DAVE STRAUSS dave@purepublishing.co.za SENIOR DESIGNER TESS GREEN tess@purepublishing.co.za PRODUCTION MANAGER MARIANNE BURKE marianne@purepublishing.co.za JUNIOR DESIGNER ZULPHA MEYERS zulpha@purepublishing.co.za

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DISTRIBUTION Concerto is distributed by the MANAGING CREATIVE DIRECTOR CPO biannually and is available All information was correct ANDREW BURKE on request (email info@cpo.org.za) at the time of going to press, andrew@purepublishing.co.za or online at www.cpo.org.za but subject to change.

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CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

Notes

Peter Klatzow turns 70

Dear Sir,

Having composed more than 500 works, Peter Klatzow has become South Africa’s most distinguished composer not without reason. The CPO is holding a special 70th birthday concert to celebrate some of his best compositions

I was delighted to see the “Do Behave” article in Issue 5 of Concerto. We are ardent classical music lovers and are sorely distressed by a growing disregard for the prestige and dignity that should be accorded the conductor and the musicians.

Any scheduled event with a set starting time should begin punctually. To omit doing so is a gross act of disrespect towards the conductor, the musicians and the paying audience.

Sadly there are patrons who have no regard for the effect on their fellow concertgoers of “conducting” along with the conductor. It is extremely disturbing, and debilitating to concentrate on the music being played, when there is photographing during the performance. Water bottles, wine glasses and sweets are always being taken into the concert hall – empty bottles and glasses put under the seats get knocked over, mostly with a loud noise.

Prominent composer Peter Klatzow will be celebrating his 70th birthday in a unique way – with a concert at the Cape Town City Hall devoted to his music. The Cape Town Philharmonic is delighted to be presenting the composer’s Double Concerto for Marimba, Flute and Strings, played by Liesl Stoltz (flute) and Frank Mallows (marimba) and Three Paintings by Irma Stern, in addition to The Healing Melody, which was a commission for the International Doctors’ Orchestra.

The main work in the programme is Brahms’ Symphony No. 5, which Klatzow arranged from The String Quintet, Op. 111. “This piece,” Klatzow says, “was started by Brahms as a symphony, but his friend, the great violinist Joachim, persuaded him that it would be better as a string quintet. He destroyed the orchestration. I have used Brahms’ original orchestral forces – I didn’t add saxophones or xylophones, as Schoenberg did in his orchestration of a Brahms quartet.”

The piece was first performed in Cape Town by Gerard Korsten, and then in Reno and San Francisco by Theodore Kuchar. It will also be performed in Hannover next year. Kuchar said of the piece: “What most impressed me about this was that the orchestration was done with an expert knowledge and complete respect to how Brahms may have orchestrated the work at this very late stage in his life, had he chosen to do so. Performances were greeted with great respect and enthusiasm.

Ultimately, I do not have enough praise for this work in its new form.”

Klatzow’s compositions span the tonal/ atonal stratosphere. In his more recent works, he avoids writing confrontational music: the sort of agitprop that was a sign of the apartheid times, such as his Mobile for Pianists. “I was really avant-garde in my younger days,” he says.

Among Klatzow’s major works are a full-length ballet on Hamlet, music for ballets on Drie Diere and Vier Gebede, and concertos for various solo instruments; piano, clarinet, organ, marimba, in addition to a double concerto for flute and marimba.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ABOVE Though retired from UCT, Klatzow still composes every day.

Klatzow’s long and illustrious career has been punctuated by numerous awards He is a great admirer of the marimba, and has written several pieces for recital or with orchestra. His Nyanga for Solo Marimba is often played overseas.

Klatzow knew from the age of four when he first heard a piano that this was the life for him. He won a full scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London, which allowed him to travel to Italy and Paris to work with Nadia Boulanger. But soon composition took over, and during the last six decades he has side-lined the piano in favour of the synthesizer. One of his last public performances was a concert at UCT to mark his retirement, where he taught from 1973 until 2010.

Klatzow still gets up every morning to compose, sometimes for commissions, sometimes for works for himself.

He never quotes the work of other composers, except just once when an Arnold van Wyk song was the perfect accompaniment to a love duet in Hamlet.

He particularly enjoys Britten and Martinu, and admires Arrau, Sokolov, Rubenstein and Richter. He would love to write for his dream pianist, Daniel Trifanov.

Klatzow’s long and illustrious career has been punctuated by numerous awards, such as the prestigious Helgard Steyn Prize, which he won twice, and the Royal Philharmonic Prize. He has written a book on South African composers, and in 1991 served as an interim CEO of the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra.

While Klatzow may be the doyen of South African composers, his legacy is being taken up by newcomers: Yazuo Shinozaki will conduct Laura Stevens’ SAMRO commission, Long Walk, on 4 June, and Perry So will be on the podium for the world premiere on 22 October of Bongani Ndodana Breen’s Three Orchestra Songs on Poems by Ingrid Jonker, with soprano Goitsemang Lehobye. The Klatzow 70th concert will take place on 25 June 2015 at the Cape Town City Hall.

By far the most aggravating and offensive noise and distraction comes from the caterers and their staff, mostly after interval, when they are busy clearing away their equipment.

There is an unacceptable amount of movement in the passages on either side of the hall.

It is obvious that we expect and pay for top-class professionalism from soloists, the conductor and members of the orchestra. They deserve to be treated accordingly by the management and patrons during their performances.

Yours faithfully Arne Pitlo This letter has been abridged.

RESPONSE FROM THE EDITOR Thank you, Mr Pitlo, for your comments. While we can certainly do something about the movement in the passages, the caterers, water bottles and can enforce starting times when we are not affected by such external events such as the State of the Nation address, we can do nothing about the behaviour of the audience when conducting. Photography is sometimes required when we need a record of the night’s performance.

Louis Heyneman

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CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

Behind the music

OUR FUTURE THE CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA HAS A LONG AND REGAL HISTORY THAT HAS FLOURISHED FOR A CENTURY. BUT THE ORCHESTRA NEEDS SUPPORT TO CONTINUE ITS VALUABLE WORK

It wasn’t for nothing that Sibelius said: “Pay no attention to what critics say. No statue has ever been put up to a critic.” Naturally, Sibelius himself has one in Helsinki.

he Cape Town Municipal Orchestra’s inaugural concert in February 1914 at the Cape Town City Hall was a monumentous event that marked the beginning of a classical music tradition.

A century later, the orchestra has become part of the institutional fabric not just of Cape Town, but of the country, too.

This considered path is already reaping dividends with respect to the long-term sustainability of the CPO by ensuring a more diverse orchestra, in addition to a gradual diversification of audiences that attend both weekly concerts, and those that take place in spectacular sites like Kirstenbosch.

In its past 14 years as the CPO, the orchestra’s imperative to remain responsive and cutting-edge has not been limited to maintaining a fine music tradition.

Additionally, it has been necessary to make great strides to forge a vision for a 21st century orchestra that is responsive and attuned to a country on the move.

Despite its role as a catalytic advocate for music education, a promoter of talent and, crucially, as a company that performs on par with the best orchestras in the world, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra remains in a financially parlous position, dependent on the support and goodwill of private donations and limited funding from government.

MARIA’S SOUTH AFRICA

Stewardship of resources, good corporate governance and efficiencies built into every level of the company remain guiding values of the CPO, together with a robust marketing strategy and a constant fundraising programme to ensure the continuation of a 100-year institution that boasts concerts with musical greats like Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, Shlomo Mintz, Olga Kern, John Lill and Julian Lloyd Webber.

The pleasure and privilege of enjoying music by a renowned orchestra cannot be taken for granted, and support for the CPO in big and small ways is crucial to ensure its future. The CPO needs your commitment to ensure that it remains a viable business as it looks to the future and the thousands of young musicians, many from formerly disadvantaged communities, who really want to be part of it.

For more information, please contact zohra@cpo.co.za or 021 410 9809 to see how pledges, legacies, sponsorships or donations can make a difference.

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The CPO’s tribute concert on 29 October, conducted by Perry So, will feature the Russian violinist Maria Solozobova in the Sibelius Violin Concerto.

Other works are Finlandia and the Second Symphony.

ABOVE Joan de Villiers, Shirley de Kock Gueller, Nelson Mandela and Maria Kliegel.

Performer, teacher and the founder of a new international cello competition, German cellist Maria Kliegel has a close relationship with South Africa.

On a visit some years ago, she performed in a concert to celebrate the involvement of Govan Mbeki as patron of the CTPO; the following day she played part of a piece she commissioned in homage to the great Nelson Mandela. Two subscribers to the October-November concert season, which includes her concert in November, will get the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to Kliegel’s Cape Town Concert Series gala recital on 14 November, partnered by Albie van Schalkwyk.

SIBELIUS IMAGE CREDIT: WWW.CLASSICFM.COM

To this end, the CPO made the decision 11 years ago to deepen its commitment to broadening access to music through an Outreach and Education Programme, spanning two youth orchestras and two junior ensembles, a Music Academy and the Masidlale Grassroots Project. They were created to confront the apartheid lexicon that excluded large swathes of people from access to learning and teaching classical music, or simply enjoying it as recreational activity.

Romantic in composition and by nature, Jean Sibelius lived much of his life at his home Ainola, outside Helsinki, which he named after his wife Aino. This was where he raised his family, composed his pieces, and spent the last 30 years of his life until his death in 1957, in silence. After completion of Tapiola in 1925, Sibelius never published another piece. Rumours abounded of an eighth or even a ninth symphony, but neither was ever discovered, and the reason for his silence remains a mystery.

His country – and the world – is today venerating this most distinguished of composers. The Violin Concerto, which was premiered in 1904 with Sibelius conducting, was revised and given its Berlin premiere with Richard Strauss on the podium, but did not enter mainstream repertoire until 1991 when it was recorded for the first time.

By ZOHRA DAWOOD, fundraising and business development executive of the CPO

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SIBELIUS’ SILENCE

CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

“Truly there would be reason to go mad were it not for music.”

– Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

UPWARD AND ONWARD

OUR YOUTH PROGRAMMES ARE SHOWING REAL RESULTS. FLOURISHING CPYO GRADUATES ARE MOVING UP A decade after the CPYO and CPWE were founded to transform the lives of youth in the classical music world, things are beginning to happen.

The CPO has made use of several of the CPYO ‘graduates’ as ad hoc orchestra members; many who started as players are now teachers; and the Masidlale string players are beginning to come on board at the CPO Music Academy in Mowbray.

Our upwardly mobile players:

CPYO musicians teaching at the Academy: • Cellist Lynne Donson • Oboeist Andrea Esau

Cellist Dane Coetzee, conducts the junior strings and plays ad hoc in the CPO and in the CPYO.

Flautist Gareth Cedares teaches flute and theory at the Academy and plays ad hoc with the CPO and occasionally in the wind ensemble.

Nolovuyo Nteta, a Masidlale teacher who plays in the CPYO, is starting a Masidlale satellite in Kayamandi.

Bassoonist Charl van der Merwe conducts the junior winds and plays in the CPO and CPYO.

Stephan Galvin plays percussion in the CPO, teaches percussion and often plays in the CPYO. CPYO trumpeter Gregory Pieterson and CPYO timpanist and percussionist Ilan Brooks are interns with the CPO in the office, learning arts management skills. Both are playing as extra musicians with the CPO.

Madre Loubser plays piccolo in the CPYO, is its orchestra manager, and has been appointed manager and administrator of the University of Stellenbosch symphony orchestra and brass ensemble.

Trombonist Jesse Williams is in the CPYO, CPYWE and teaches at the music academy.

He is now a teacher at Muizenberg School.

• Flautist Ruan van der Vyver • Strings player and school learner Zoe Adonis plays ad hoc with the CPO in gigs like Freshlyground.

With assured funding, the CPO could increase its forces and many of these young musicians, especially strings players, could audition successfully for new positions. In the meantime, teaching at the Academy helps the young musicians pay for their ongoing studies and upkeep.

Masidlale learners and the youth orchestras are having increasing performance opportunities.

FOM ARE FRIENDS INDEED

THE CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC’S FRIENDS OF ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

Every orchestra has its friends, but few orchestras can boast a group as hardworking and dedicated as the Friends of Orchestral Music (FOM). Not only do they bring enthusiasm to their collaboration with CPO, but, for the last 40 years, funding too.

Last year’s gala concert resulted in a gift of R100 000, this on top of the money paid per season to sponsor conductors and soloists.

This year’s gala will again be a special event. It will be held on 19 November at Cape Town City Hall and conducted by Bernhard Gueller, whose relationship with FOM goes back 20 years. Chaired by Derek Auret, who brings decades of diplomatic skills and contacts to the Friends, FOM has committee members who organise galas, soirées, open dress rehearsals and an annual mid-year quiz show. The gala’s trust,

FOM AND PROCAPERICCIO

ABOVE Gregory and Ilan, members of the CPYO and interns in the CPO office.

ProCAPEriccio is the initiative of retired German dentist Dr Axel Horvath, who has established a charitable society in Germany in partnership with FOM for people to donate to the CPO and gain tax benefits in Germany. Dr Horvath

funded by the Friends, sponsors musicians mainly from disadvantaged communities, and this year has already granted scholarships to four CPYO musicians to further their studies at university.

BECOME A MEMBER OF FOM: • R eceive an additional 10 per cent discount on CPO subscriptions.

• Enjoy a complimentary drink at after-concert receptions.

• Receive a 10 per cent discount on tickets for elegant soirées and galas.

• Help bolster the trust which sponsors young musicians in their careers.

For more information, visit: www.fomct.com

believes very strongly in the future of the CPO and its outreach initiatives and knows there are like-minded people in Germany.

Those interested should contact Dr Horvath via procapericcio@t-online.de Telephone +49 (0)931 804 7828 or write to Postfach 58 07, 97008 Würzburg.

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Clear as a Bell Joshua Bell is internationally renowned as one of the most talented violinists of his generation. Now he’s returning to Cape Town

CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

Feature

Bell is one of those rare musicians who is devoted to his craft, extraordinarily talented & genuinely personable

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THE LOST VIOLIN Bell performs on one of the most legendary violins of all time, the 1713 ex-Huberman Stradivarius violin, an instrument he rescued from obscurity

In 1930s New York, a journeyman violinist by the name of Julian Altman scratched out a living on a blackened old fiddle. Upon his death in the 1980s, it was discovered that this worn out fiddle was in fact a rare Stradivarius violin that had been stolen from Carnegie Hall in the 1930s from Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman.

Stradivarius violins are among the most precious in the world. The Italian artisan crafted 1 116 string instruments from 1646 to 1737; of those, 540 violins, 50 cellos and 12 violas survive today.

These instruments are renowned for producing a tone unlike any other, impossible to reproduce.

he Boston Herald once declared Joshua Bell to be “the greatest American violinist alive today”. This is no small endorsement for any violinist, but especially for a musician from a small city in Indiana.

Bell is a true child prodigy, excelling at the violin since he took it up at the age of four. He displayed an insatiable technical drive early on by playing computer games and tennis to accompany his classical pursuits. By the age of 14, he was already an accomplished violinist making his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Once the instrument was discovered, it was painstakingly restored and sold on to acclaimed English violinist Norbert Brainin. In the summer of 2001, Bell learnt that Brainin was about to sell the violin to a wealthy German as a museum piece.

Bell was quoted as saying of the possible sale:

Today, the 47-year-old Bell has more than 40 awardwinning CDs to his name, one of his most well known being the soundtrack to the film The Red Violin, which won the Oscar for best original soundtrack in 2001.

His latest release is Bach, in 2014, a recording with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in London, where he became music director in 2011.

“It made me nauseous, the thought of that...

I said, ‘You cannot take this violin.’” He paid nearly US$4 million for the instrument that is today his eternal companion.

Bell is one of those rare and wonderful musicians who is truly devoted to his craft, extraordinarily talented from a young age, and is, by all accounts, genuinely personable. He has an earnest, impassioned playing style; it’s impossible not to be captivated by the way he savours every stroke of the bow.

IMAGES: 360B/SHUTTERSTOCK, JOSHUA BELL FAMILY

Bernhard Gueller, who collaborated with Bell and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra several years ago, confirms this impression of the musician’s honest passion: “He’s a consummate musician with integrity that shines in every note. Nothing matters but the music; ego never gets in the way of the pure and always exciting performance; the audience feels that every note is for each of them. It’s so personal.”

Perfectly balancing technical skill and passion, Bell has become a classical world celebrity by sheer talent.

He effortlessly skips between rich, dark sounds and light flutters, making his incredible skill look far too easy to achieve. Louise Howlett, general manager of the Cape Town Concert Series, who presented Bell on his last tour, comments: “He has a unique energy – you never quite know where he will take the music next, but it always seems to get better... and that’s what keeps people coming time and again to hear him.”

Theodor Kuchar, who conducted Bell’s last CPO performance, agrees that Bell’s performances have a unique effect: “The great novelty and appeal in his presentation is that what one views so defies the stereotypical concert violinist. Ultimately, he is an

ABOVE Four-year-old Joshua Bell playing the violin; a passionate Bell in performance.

artist of the utmost integrity, who presents and preserves the greatest violinistic traditions and professional integrity of the past century.”

In 2001, Richard Cock conducted Bell on a South African national tour. “I was lucky enough to conduct him in all the centres where he played the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto,” says the conductor.

“He has such great charisma on stage.” Bell is performing for a third time in South Africa this August, playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with Gueller on the podum on 26 and 27 August at the Cape Town City Hall. It will be a performance not to be missed. Also on the programme are Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3 and Symphony No. 4, “Italian” by Mendelssohn.

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CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

Profile

Recipe for success

A look at what goes into putting on a concert with Sergei Burdukov, the CPO’s artistic executive, who sees to every detail to make sure productions come off perfectly

F

or Sergei Burdukov, artistic executive of the CPO, arriving at the City Hall on concert night is an ending; for the rest of us, it’s the beginning of an enjoyable evening. Not that Burdukov can relax – as principal oboe, his other role at the CPO, he is often in the spotlight.

Burdukov started with experience in budgeting and management gained from the Cape Town Sinfonietta chamber orchestra and, with the closure of the CTPO in 2000, he decided to go the artistic route – but was offered the principal oboe position at the same time.

“I tried out both positions,” Burdukov says. “Fortunately, it worked. I had to learn a lot of discipline to ensure that neither job suffered.”

The planning of a concert is a long process, starting more than a year in advance, when Burdukov starts working, looking to the needs of the opera, ballet and musicals. This year, the orchestra is playing for Mikado, Carmen, Merry Widow of Malagawi, Spartacus, Swan Lake for the St Petersburg Ballet, Giselle/Symphony Dances, Four: Thirty Operas, West Side Story and many more. Only after signing these can he fit 16 or 20 additional symphony concerts into the calendar.

Next, the venue for each concert is booked. The City Hall’s warmer acoustic is the venue of choice for most symphonies, although the ageing grand old lady has many issues, such as broken seats and floorboards.

After this, the creative process begins.

The CPO is fortunate to have a long list of good conductors, with mainly international ones. Once the conductor is in place, Burdukov looks at which soloists are available, careful to balance exciting newcomers with beloved established musicians, sprinkling some of the best of South African instrumentalists in between.

He recruits with agents like Schalk Visser, then adds special concerts with musicians such as Joshua Bell, brought by Charl van Heynigen. He often uses his connections with the big international concert managements to which he add his own shows – the Beatles, Sarah Chang, Shlomo Mintz – and sometimes sells them on to the KZNPO to share expenses.

Burdokov then moves on to programme building.

The soloist will supply a list of personal repertoire, which could include 40-plus concerto options, or

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ABOVE The CPO playing at Mechanics Hall near Boston, one of the most famous concert halls in the US.

a soloist about to record a work could offer just one concerto, using the CPO performance as a type of dress rehearsal.

Once the concerto is in place, the conductor is asked to enter the programme design process and offer suggestions for the symphony and first work. The CPO’s repertoire list is constantly updated to ensure pieces are not repeated too soon. “Of course, the tried and trusted composers come back time and again, but we need to educate our audiences and challenge our musicians,” explains Burdukov. “We need to mix the lesser-known or brand new works with those we know people will love. For example, a Scriabin, that brilliant Russian impressionist, is paired with Mozart.”

The planning of a concert is a long process, starting more than a year in advance One of the most important aspects is cost; extra musicians, or works still in copyright are dear. Even if the CPO owns the parts, it has to pay performance fees, so expensive works are teamed with works out of copyright in the orchestra library. Burdukov is also known for his negotiating skills, bringing some of the world’s best artists at prices the CPO can afford.

Burdukov works very closely with CPO CEO Louis Heyneman in determining quality and costs. Once all is agreed to, he arranges everything. The rest of the CPO works alongside him, helping in terms of sponsorship for concerts, marketing, press releases and programmes, receptions, flowers for artists, ground transport and more, ensuring every artist’s experience is great and will see them wanting to return to Cape Town.

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS Sergei Burdukov always wanted to be a saxophonist.

“Saxophones meant jazz, and jazz was seen as a bad influence, as the saying goes in Russia: “Today you play jazz, tomorrow you sell your motherland.” So he was told he would play an instrument similar to a clarinet: the oboe.

At the age of six, Burdukov entered the children’s music school in Leningrad. He excelled there for eight years, went on to college for four years and then on to the Music Academy in Moscow for five years. There he met his match in fellow oboeist Olga, who became his wife in 1974.

While studying, he won an audition as principal oboe in the state radio orchestra.

By studying and playing, Burdukov was able to avoid the Soviet Army for two years and, on graduation in 1977, did one year of military service in the army band in Moscow.

While there, he was invited to audition for the Bolshoi Theatre, whose artistic team had watched his progress on radio and television. Now principal oboe, he was soon elected union leader of the entire 4 500 strong Bolshoi Company, and became one of an important triumvirate.

By 1991, Gorbachev was easing restrictions and Burdukov accepted a position as principal oboe with the SABC Orchestra in Johannesburg. Ensuring that papers for his family and their dog Perry were in place, he took the Bolshoi ensemble and his family on tour, then to a dog show in Duisburg, having boarded Aeroflot with Perry sitting in the aisle. Tickets, including one for daughter Polina’s cello, and visas, were waiting in Frankfurt and his future was settled; well almost. Perry’s papers were valid only from Russia to Germany, so a bottle of good vodka at customs was needed for entry into the country!

Soon, the CAPAB orchestra was looking for oboists and the family came to Cape Town, leading to Burdukov’s role today at CPO. After he arrived in South Africa, Burdukov was recognised by Borish Yeltsin with the Russian President’s Cultural Honoured Artist award.

CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

The details were correct at the time of going to print. The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra reserves the right to alter programmes and replace conductors and/or soloists as may become necessary, but will endeavour to give notice of such changes in the media.

Calendar

CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

WINTER 2015

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JUN 2015 THURSDAY 8 PM, CITY HALL

CONDUCTOR: YASUO SHINOZAKI SOLOIST: AWADAGIN PRATT (PIANO) LAURA STEVENS LONG WALK (SAMRO COMMISSION / WORLD PREMIERE) BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN C, OP. 15 TCHAIKOVSKY SYMPHONY NO. 4 IN F MINOR, OP. 36

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After winning the Second International Sibelius Conducting Competition in Finland, YASUO SHINOZAKI quickly rose to international prominence.

He has an emotionally direct style of music-making which he takes regularly to Finnish orchestras. He was the artistic director of Kymi Sinfonietta from 2007 – 2014 and assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for three years. He has conducted widely in Europe with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Nuremberg Symphony. Born in Japan, he studied in Vienna, Siena and the United States with Leopold Hager, Myung-Whun Chung, Seiji Ozawa and Bernard Haitink.

A Yamaha artist and winner of the Naumberg International Piano Competition in 1992, AWADAGIN PRATT is acclaimed for his musical insight and intense performances.

The American-born musician began studying piano at the age of six, followed soon by the violin and then conducting. Over the last 20 years, he has performed widely in America and Japan, in addition to many other international destinations. He was named one of the 50 Leaders of Tomorrow

JUN

THURSDAY 8 PM CITY HALL

CONDUCTOR: YASUO SHINOZAKI SOLOISTS: BEN SCHOEMAN (PIANO); ANZÉL GERBER (CELLO) DVOŘÁK Hussite Overture, Op. 67 TCHAIKOVSKY Pezzo Capriccioso, Op. 62 GROVÉ Bushman Prayers for Piano, Cello, Narrator and Orchestra SAINT-SAËNS Africa, for piano and orchestra, Op. 89 SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39

in Ebony magazine’s special 50th anniversary issue and has performed twice at the White House for Presidents Clinton and Obama. His recordings include Live From South Africa and the Brahms Sonatas for Cello and Piano with Zuill Bailey.

Steinway artist BEN SCHOEMAN is regarded as one of South Africa’s foremost pianists, with many prizes to his name, such as the 11th UNISA International Piano Competition and the Contemporary Music Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition. He has given solo, chamber music and concerto performances throughout Europe, Canada, the USA and South Africa from the Wigmore and Queen Elizabeth Halls in London to Carnegie Hall in New York.

Praised for her ability to capture the audience through her mature artistic approach, extraordinary musicality and technique, ANZÉL GERBER is increasingly performing in the international arena. She began playing at the age of four, and has had master classes with many prominent musicians. With Ben Schoeman, she won the Baronessa Constanza Arezzo Giampiccolo di Donnafugata IBLA Award in 2012, and the duo made its Carnegie Hall debut last year. A CD of the Rachmaninov and Rubinstein sonatas at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria is being released this year.

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CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

Calendar

18

JUN

25

THURSDAY 8 PM CITY HALL

CONDUCTOR: VICTOR YAMPOLSKY SOLOISTS: OLIVIER CHARLIER (VIOLIN) ELIZABETH FRANDSEN (MEZZO) ESEWU NOBELA (TENOR) NEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH CHOIR GLINKA OVERTURE to A Life for the Tsar MOZART Violin Concerto No. 3 in G, K. 216, “Strasbourg” SCRIABIN Symphony No. 1 in E, Op. 26

After studying violin with the legendary David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatory and conducting with Nicolai Rabinovich at the Leningrad Conservatory, VICTOR YAMPOLSKY joined the violin section of the Boston Symphony.

In 1977, he became music director of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and he is now a professor in music performance at the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music; music director of the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin; and music director Emeritus of the Omaha Symphony. Yampolsky has conducted nearly 90 professional orchestras throughout the world.

As an exceptionally dedicated and gifted performer, OLIVIER CHARLIER conquers the public with the natural grace of pure playing. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 10, where he worked with Nadia Boulanger, Yehudi Menuhin and Henryk Szeryng before winning several important international competitions in Indianapolis, Munich and Montreal, as well as the Sibelius and Jacques Thibaud.

JUN

PETER KLATZOW 70!

Today, his brilliant career has seen him perform with orchestras such as the National de France, De Paris, London Philharmonic, BBC Orchestras, Tonhalle, Tokyo NHK and Philharmonic and Montreal Symphony. His recordings range from Dutilleux and Lili Boulanger to Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Grieg.

Since 1991, ELIZABETH FRANDSEN has performed as a soloist in opera, oratorio, lieder, musical theatre and choral works in South Africa and abroad. Her roles include the leads in Die Zauberflöte, La Boheme, La Traviata, La Scala di Seta and Jake Heggie’s opera Dead Man Walking, as well as Hendryk Hofmeyr’s Ek maak ‘n hek oop in my hart and Braam du Toit’s Poskantoor. She studied at the International Opera Studio in Zurich and has toured with Cape Town Opera to Nuremberg and Oslo and has performed under the baton of Thomas Sanderling and Sebastian Lang-Lessing. She has been chorus master with Cape Town Opera, and in 2015 she will be in The Medium by Gian-Carlo Menotti in the lead role of Baba (Madame Flora).

With a BMus in music performance from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and first prize in an Italian first year’s competition under his belt, tenor ESEWU NOBELA has appeared in several major roles such as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Tony in West Side Story, Rudolfo in La Bohème, and Cetswayo in Ziyankomo by Phelelani Mnomiya. In 2013, he studied for his performer’s diploma in music at UCT. He has had major roles in operas such as Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, Romeo and Juliet, Postcard from Morocco, Porgy and Bess and Il Viaggio a Reims.

The NEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH CHOIR performs frequently with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed in many concerts such as the Pentecost Festive Music Hour and the World Aids Day Gala Concert.

Bookings for the winter season are open for two weeks for renewals from 20 April and new subscriptions and single seats from May 11. Two subscribers can win a pair of seats to the Cape Town Concert Series’ recital on 24 October with pianists Lavrova and Primakov.

Bookings for the spring season are open for two weeks renewals from 14 July and new subscriptions and single seats from 4 August. Two subscribers can win a pair of seats to the Cape Town Concert Series’ recital on 14 November with cellist Maria Kliegel.

Subscriptions attract a 20 percent discount; 30 percent for members of FOM.

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THURSDAY 8 PM CITY HALL

CONDUCTOR: VICTOR YAMPOLSKY SOLOISTS: LIESL STOLTZ (FLUTE), FRANK MALLOWS (MARIMBA) KLATZOW Three Paintings by Irma Stern KLATZOW Double Concerto for Flute and Marimba KLATZOW The Healing Melody BRAHMS/KLATZOW Symphony No.5 of String Quintet, Op. 111

LIESL STOLTZ studied flute with Eva Tamassy at the University of Stellenbosch and on scholarship with Shigenori Kudo at the Ecole Normale de Musique: Alfred Cortot in Paris. She also studied with Pierre-Yves Artaud and Chantal Debushy, and with Peter-Lukas Graf at the Accademia Internazionale Superiore di Musica: Lorenso Perosi in Italy. Stoltz has won major competitions for woodwind instruments in South Africa, as well as international competitions. She appears as soloist with the major South African orchestras and teaches at the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town.

FRANK MALLOWS studied with Americans Robert van Sice (marimba) and vibraphone virtuoso, Ed Saindon, at the Berklee College of Music. He has been a soloist at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, and performs with the major South African orchestras today.

He commissioned Peter Klatzow to compose a double concerto for vibraphone, marimba and strings in memory of his late artist mother, which he and marimbist, Magda de Vries, premiered in 2013, and has performed Klatzow’s Concerto for Flute, Marimba and Strings together with Liesl Stoltz at the Klein Karoo Klassique Festival in Oudtshoorn.

26/27 AUG

8 PM CITY HALL

JOSHUA BELL’S TCHAIKOVSKY CONDUCTOR: BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOIST: JOSHUA BELL (VIOLIN)

BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90, “Italian” TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35

Classical superstar JOSHUA BELL is a soloist, chamber musician and recording artist and is the music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

He performs constantly around the world with the world’s leading orchestras and foremost conductors. Bell has more than 40 award-winning CDs and film scores to his name. At the age of 14, he came to national attention in America after his debut with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. This is his third tour to South Africa.

CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

Calendar

Spring Symphonies

22

OCT

NOV

THURSDAY 8 PM CITY HALL

NDODANA BREEN Three Orchestra Songs on Poems by Ingrid Jonker (World Premiere) RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131

One of the inaugural Gustavo Dudamel Conducting Fellows of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, PERRY SO received the First and Special Prizes at the 2008 International Prokofiev Conducting Competition in St Petersburg. He now conducts the Cleveland Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, Residentie Orkest in Holland and London Philharmonic and makes frequent return visits to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His first CD of the Violin Concertos of Barber and Korngold with Alexander Gilman and the CPO received the prestigious Diapason D’Or.

OCT

HAYDN Symphony No. 83 in G minor, “La Poule” SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 35 RESPIGHI Fontana di Roma, Pini di Roma After some years singing major roles with The Black Tie Ensemble, GOITSEMANG LEHOBYE enrolled at the SA College of Music at UCT in 2011. She was also a soloist in the Cape Town Opera Johan Botha Gala Concert. In 2013, she performed the role of Donna Elvira in CTO/UCT’s Don Giovanni to critical acclaim, and won first prize in the Mimi Coertse as well as Schock Singing competitions. Last year she performed in CTO’s Postcard from Morocco.

Known for her artistic versatility, PALLAVI MAHIDHARA has appeared in solo and orchestral concerts with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and was a major prizewinner at several competitions, including the 2014 Geneva International Piano and the VI International Prokofiev Competition in St Petersburg, Russia.

She made her orchestral debut at the age of 10, performing at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, followed at 14 with an appearance with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. Mahidhara is passionate about bridging the gap between the Eastern and Western classical music worlds.

THURSDAY 8 PM CITY HALL

HOMAGE TO SIBELIUS 150 CONDUCTOR: PERRY SO SOLOIST: MARIA SOLOZOBOVA (VIOLIN) SIBELIUS Finlandia, Op. 28 SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43

THURSDAY 8 PM CITY HALL

CONDUCTOR: BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOIST: NATALIA LAVROVA (PIANO)

CONDUCTOR: PERRY SO SOLOISTS: GOITSEMANG LEHOBYE (SOPRANO) PALLAVI MAHIDHARA (PIANO)

29

05

MARIA SOLOZOBOVA remains one of the foremost violinists of her generation.

Her dazzling career has already taken her to some of the world’s finest orchestras in concert halls from Berlin to Moscow. Russian-born and based now in Switzerland, she is a frequent soloist and chamber musician at the most prestigious festivals in the world. Concert tours have taken her from Russia to Japan, as well as many countries in Europe, and also South Africa.

For the last 20 years, BERNHARD GUELLER has been exciting audiences in Cape Town with his profound interpretations. He is acknowledged internationally for the passion, mastery and the drama he brings with his musical purity phrasing, which add excitement and tension to all his performances. He is currently music director of Symphony Nova Scotia and principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, both in Canada.

He was also chief conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony.

12

NOV

THURSDAY 8 PM CITY HALL

CONDUCTOR: BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOIST: MARIA KLIEGEL (CELLO) DVOŘÁK Midday Witch, Op. 108 BLOCH Schelomo Hebraic Rhapsody BRUCH Kol Nidrei, Op. 47 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 in A, Op.92 CPYO CURTAIN RAISER CONDUCTOR BRANDON PHILLIPS

The grand prize winner of the Concours Rostropovich Paris in 1981, MARIA KLIEGEL was engaged by Mstislav Rostropovich to perform with the Orchestre National de France, as well as his National Symphony Orchestra in Washington. She is in demand throughout the world, and has sold more than one million CDs. Alfred Schnittke declared

her recording of his first Cello Concerto his reference work! In 2013, she established the first Concorso la Cellissima competition, and plays a cello made by Carlo Tononi in Venice, ca. 1730.

NATALIA LAVROVA has won the hearts of audiences around the world and enjoys a diverse international career.

Solo and orchestral performances have taken her throughout her native Russia to Canada, France, Hungary, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States.

She has won many top prizes, and is also a chamber musician with her duo partner, the pianist, Vassily Primakov.

Lavrova studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and is the founder and president of the Music School of New York City and, together with Primakov, founded LP Classics.

19 NOV

BRANDON PHILLIPS graduated with a diploma in orchestral studies from the SA College of Music at UCT in 2003, and obtained his BMus Honours in 2004.

He is the winner of the inaugural CPO Len van Zyl Conductors’ Competition, and, since winning in 2010, has gone on to do an internship at the Philadelphia Orchestra and study at Northwestern University in Chicago. He was appointed artistic director and conductor of the CPYO in 2012, and won the Western Cape Arts and Culture award for “outstanding achievements by the youth”.

THURSDAY 8 PM, CITY HALL

The Friends of Orchestral Music are proud to announce their 2015 gala concert, conducted by BERNHARD GUELLER. Find details in FOM or CPO newsletters or contact Derek Auret derek@auret.co.za.

11

CONCERTO, ISSUE 06, 2015

More magic

A Century of Symphony Our book about the celebrated history of Cape Town’s orchestra has been met with warm acclaim Documenting the history of orchestras in Cape Town from 1914 to now, A Century of Symphony is a valuable addition to the history of the city. It includes reminiscences from many of the major players like David Bloomberg, Kenneth Marcus and Ton Vosloo along with a host of performers. The orchestra serves as a thread that weaves through the book, linking together all of the performing arts and a vital part of the city of Cape Town.

Here is what others have to say about the publication: “It is brightly written and full of anecdotes… Highly recommended.”

– Vivien Horler, Cape Argus “It is a coffee table book of exceptional quality with a wide selection of photographs. The compilers are to be congratulated on their initiative in producing this very fine edition.”

– Peter Soal, Book Choice; Fine Music Radio “Congratulations on putting it together – a most important part of the cultural history of Cape Town – it absolutely had to be done... months of research, hours of writing, editing,

organising, following up, checking...”

– Aviva Pelham “I have now just finished reading the book from cover to cover as well as listening to the CD. I must really congratulate you on an absolutely amazing achievement in capturing so much information, material and fascinating anecdotes from so many different sources and personalities about Cape Town’s orchestra over the last century.”

– Alastair Cockburn, former production manager, Artscape “It is not too often that such a detailed and fascinating archival book is released about an orchestra in South Africa, and the Cape Town Philharmonic needs to be congratulated on producing such an elegant and comprehensive document. The editors have brought together documents, photographs and detailed descriptions from some of Cape Town’s leading and legendary music personalities.

Each chapter is a treasure trove of memories told without mawkish indulgence, but with affection and pride. The historical photographs are fascinating. A must for every music lover’s coffee table.”

– Rodney Trudgeon

A Century of Symphony: The Story of Cape Town’s Orchestra, compiled and edited by Louis Heyneman and Shirley de Kock Gueller (Jonathan Ball). Copies are available from the orchestra office at 021 410 9809 at R400; from Peter Kramer’s Dynamite Music at concerts at the City Hall and Artscape; from Sjoerd Alkema on 021 981 5551; or at leading bookstores.

CELEBRATING OUR CITY The CPO and the City of Cape Town formed a partnership to present the highly successful ninth International Classical Music Festival earlier this year. This is the start of a three-year collaboration which will also see support for the CPO’s

HOW TO BOOK Bookings for the winter season are open for two weeks for renewals from 20 April and new subscriptions and single seats from 11 May. Bookings for the spring season are open for two weeks renewals from 14 July and new subscriptions and single seats from 4 August.

Artscape Dial-A-Seat: Artscape and City Hall only on (021) 421 7695 – Credit card bookings.

Advance bookings: through Computicket Mon–Fri, 9 am–5 pm/Sat 9 am–12.30 pm.

For telephonic credit card bookings: call Computicket on 0861 915 8000 [Toll free]

COMPUTICKET BOOKINGS CAN BE MADE AT SELECTED COMPUTICKET OUTLETS OR ONLINE AT WWW.COMPUTICKET.CO.ZA For more details, visit www.cpo.org.za

JOIN OUR DATABASE

To receive regular newsletters and event information, simply email a request with your details to info@cpo.org.za or visit our website www.cpo.org.za to read the online edition of Concerto. Also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Masidlale project, whereby youngsters from the townships are taught to play string instruments. There are also Masidlale projects in Atlantis and one for woodwinds in Mamre.

The third element will feature a free open-air concert towards the end of 2015.