Concerto Issue 8 by Pure Creative Agency

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

02 03 04 WELCOME

NOTES: LEN VAN ZYL/ DONORS

BEHIND THE MUSIC: GALA CONCERTS

05 06 08 BEHIND THE MUSIC: CITY HALL

FEATURE: BEETHOVEN’S 9TH SYMPHONY

COMMUNITY: YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Welcome Building partnerships with civil society is one of our major strategies in ensuring the orchestra’s future. Making the orchestra an indispensable part of a meaningful existence is also important. Happily, four gala concerts in the second half of 2016 are bolstering our partnership with the people of Cape Town. We start our season of special concerts with the celebrated South African tenor Johan Botha in August. Three young opera singers from Cape Town, Goitsemang Lehobye, Bongiwe Nakani and Thato Machona will be given their first chance to share the stage with him. In November the CPO will be hosting a further three special galas to celebrate and cement our cultural role in Cape Town: our annual fundraising gala in collaboration with the Friends of Orchestral Music, followed by a special gala in honour of youth development. A gala in collaboration with the South African Society of Psychiatrists will round off our season of special concerts. This year the soloist for the Friends’ gala is the celebrated pianist Howard Shelley, conducting and playing an all-Mozart programme from the piano.

For the fundraising gala in November, the self-confessed “most famous white woman in South Africa”, Evita Bezuidenhout, is joined by a family friend, the Italian-born celebrity conductor Carlo Ponti. (And yes, in case you are wondering, he’s the son of Carlo Ponti and Sophia Loren). It will be an evening of surprises and serious fun, but it will also be an important investment in our young musicians.

09 11 12 CALENDAR: WINTER SEASON

CALENDAR: SPRING SEASON

BOOKINGS AND CITY HALL MAP

Our two Beethoven galas will coincide with the World Psychiatric Association’s Annual Congress in Cape Town. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony brings a message of triumph over adversity. We all need hope in these troubled times: for conference attendees from all over the world, this great work of art also reflects on the main theme of the conference: Psychiatry: Integrative Care for the Community. Come and join hands with the CPO. We do want to be your partner.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

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DISTRIBUTION Concerto is distributed by the CPO biannually and is available on request (email info@cpo.org.za) or online at www.cpo.org.za

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CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

Notes

Donors, partnerships our lifeline Through loyal support and heartfelt donations, the CPO has carried forth Cape Town’s musical heritage for more than a century

CONDUCTORS OF THE FUTURE The highly acclaimed Len van Zyl Conductors’ Competition has cultivated great talents in South Africa. Concerto takes a moment to reflect on the post-competition journey The Len van Zyl Conductors’ Competition is a great stepping-stone for a career in conducting. Brandon Phillips (winner in 2010) is making a name for himself as a resident conductor of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) and music director of the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (CPYO). So is Xavier Cloete (2013), guest conductor of the CPO and other orchestras. Chad Hendricks was adjudged the winner of the third Len van Zyl Conductors’ Competition in February, and his prize included a month with the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra and two months of intensive study with Victor Yampolsky at Northwestern University in Chicago. Phillips and Cloete were awarded the same opportunities. The other finalists say that they benefitted hugely from competing. One is Hanrich Claassen, a finalist in 2010, and now conductor and music director of the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra. “The feedback I received challenged me to find the confidence to keep working and honing my craft as a young conductor,” said Claassen. Wesley Lewis, also a finalist that year, became music director of the Cape Welsh Choir and is now a teacher at Rhodes High School in Mowbray, facilitating the move of the CPO Music Academy there. He is also the Director of Music at the Church of The Good Shepherd in Kensington, being organist and director of the choristers. Johan Grobler, a finalist in 2013, is teaching at Epworth Girls High School in

Pietermaritzburg. He says he gained great confidence through working with the CPO. Grobler says: “Even if you don’t win, the Len van Zyl Conductors’ Competition is a brilliant opportunity to hone your conducting abilities.” The other finalist, Nicholas Nicolaides, says the competition impacted on his life in quite a dramatic way. “I was invited to conduct the Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra, based at the Brooklyn Theatre in Pretoria, for much of its 2014 season,” he says, “and last year I conducted the Chanticleer Singers and Johannesburg Festival Orchestra.” Jaco van Staden, a finalist in the most recent competition, was impressed by the commitment of the founders, stating: “It played a role in my success at the competition.” The other finalist, Schalk van der Merwe, said of his experience: “Seeing so many young conductors on the podium during the competition made me realise how difficult this career truly is. I learned a lot about the psychology of the professional orchestra, how they respond to certain gestures and phrases.” For Len van Zyl, the competition is a mission in process. “It is so gratifying to see that many of the competitors over the last three competitions are doing so well, with most fulfilling their dreams of conducting. One day, South Africa’s conductors will be taking the international music scene by storm.”

For 102 years, the CPO has beaten the odds. The lean years may have enforced changes, but the show has always gone on. This resilience and dedication to ensuring a full-time orchestra, the oldest in Africa, is testimony of a music-loving public who have dug deep regularly to keep the music playing in the city of Cape Town. As costs rise and the rand falls, the CPO remains indebted to its donors. These include the many individuals, foundations and corporates who are steadfast in their support, ensuring that the orchestra not only survives, but thrives, and leaves a musical legacy for future generations, especially in the form of youth development and education programmes. These are the various mechanisms for donations to/ sponsorship of the CPO:

INDIVIDUAL GIVING Monthly stop orders, annual grants or once-off payments, see pledge form link: http://www.cpo.org.za/new/wp-content/ uploads/2015/08/pledge_form.pdf. Donations are also tax deductible in Germany, through ProCAPEriccio, a charitable society registered in Würzburg. Details from procapericcio@t-online.de/ Postfach 58 07 97008 Würzburg/ Tel: +49 (0)931 804 7828.

LEGACY & BEQUEST PROGRAMME A legacy gift can leave an indelible mark on this enduring institution as well as on classical music more broadly.

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP • • •

Exclusive and co-sponsorship Family and corporate foundations Support education

As the CPO is registered as a Public Benefit Organisation in South Africa and also in the UK by the UK Charities Commission,

targeted support for CPO’s education work qualifies donors for a tax deductible donation and an 18A receipt. • • • • • •

Scholarships for emerging musicians Purchase/sponsor/donate instruments In kind sponsorships Performances for special events Matching funding Adopt-a-musician

PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES The CPO uses many media tools, including concert programmes, concert calendars, Concerto, digital media, an annual report and other published materials. Promotional examples of sponsorship branding and advertising include: • • •

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Advertising on local radio as well as in print media. Branding in two newsletters a month sent to a database of nearly 9 000. Featuring in the Concerto publication – 6 000 copies are printed and distributed widely at concerts and other events. Branding in digital flyers sent to the CPO database, including the Artscape database of 10 000. Branding on posters, advertising concerts and CPO events. Branding in competitions arranged through media such as What’s On In Cape Town and Fine Music Radio. Sponsorship advertised widely through the CPO’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. Use of concert series as a branding opportunity to reach the public/sponsor clientele and other networks. Grants to enhance the CPO’s Youth Development and Education Programme, and enjoy branding and marketing opportunities as these arise.

For more information please contact Business Development and Fundraising Executive Zohra Dawood zohra@cpo.org.za or call +27 (0)21 4109809. 03

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

Behind the music

GALAS IN CAPE TOWN THE CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA IS PUTTING ON A SERIES OF STUNNING GALA CONCERTS

The CPO’s fundraisers, like the centenary gala presented by the Friends of Orchestral Music (FOM) and the Joshua Bell concerts, are part of the social fabric of Cape Town’s concert scene. They attract not only our regular concert goers, but also those who join us on special occasions. The CPO is delighted to welcome a number of international names to the stage for the benefit of continuing Cape Town’s rich classical music scene.

FRIENDS OF ORCHESTRAL MUSIC FUNDRAISING GALA CONCERT THURSDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2016 8PM CAPE TOWN CITY HALL ALL-MOZART PROGRAMME WITH CONDUCTOR & SOLOIST HOWARD SHELLEY (PIANO) YMPHONY NO. 35 IN D, S K. 385, “HAFFNER” PIANO CONCERTO NO. 18 IN B-FLAT, K. 456, “PARADIS” IANO CONCERTO NO. 20 P IN D MINOR, K. 466

CPO CELEBRATES JOHAN BOTHA SATURDAY, 13 AUGUST 2016 8PM ARTSCAPE OPERA CONDUCTOR: BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOISTS: JOHAN BOTHA (TENOR), GOITSEMANG LEHOBYE (SOPRANO), BONGIWE NAKANI (MEZZO), THATO MACHONA (BASS) South Africa is proud to boast many opera singers who are well established on the international stage. Sopranos Emma Renzi and Marita Napier were renowned at the New York Metropolitan Opera in particular; more recently Pretty Yende and Elza van den Heever appeared there. Baritone Jacques Imbrailo and soprano Pumeza Matshikiza have graced the stage at London’s Covent Garden… and that’s to name but a few of our most famous voices. One of our most prominent singers today is tenor Johan Botha. Like Mimi Coertse before him, Botha has been a Kammersänger since 2004, a coveted title awarded to only the best in Austria. That Botha is one of the most important singers of our time is indisputable. The vocalist studied in South Africa, made his debut in Roodepoort and then in 1990 moved to Europe. Name any leading opera house, and he has sung there – Vienna and New York. Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Paris, Sydney, Salzburg and Chicago. He also sings at concerts around the world, under the batons of conductors like Barenboim, Bychkov, Dohnanyi, Gatti, Gergiev, Janssons, Levine, Maazel, Pappano, Petrenko, Welser-Möst, Thielemann, Young and many others. The concert will feature a wide variety of arias and other works. Johan Botha, Goitsemang Lehobye, Bongiwe Nakani and Thato Machona.

Booking opens on 5 May at Computicket/Artscape Dial-a-seat on 021 421 7695.

Howard Shelley has become a household name around the world, thanks in large part to a highly acclaimed discography of over 150 CDs. As a pianist, conductor and recording artist, Shelley has enjoyed an illustrious career since his highly acclaimed London debut in 1971. Now, the musical legend will be appearing at the annual FOM Gala at the Cape Town City Hall. Shelley is not only a concert pianist, but also conducts from the keyboard. “I was fortunate that I was asked to direct a Mozart piano concerto from the keyboard in a concert with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall,” he says. “That gave me the opportunity to develop as both a conductor and soloist. It is now the way of performing that gives me the greatest

PONTI MEETS EVITA SUNDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2016 6PM CAPE TOWN CITY HALL

pleasure, and, although I play and record a very wide repertoire directing from the keyboard, the Mozart piano concertos are perhaps the most perfect works to perform in this way.” Shelley has a special relationship with Mozart’s works. “In his short life, Mozart wrote more than 20 concertos, of which 12 of the greatest were composed in just three years in Vienna,” he continues. “The two that we feature in this concert come from this period; one was written for the blind pianist, Maria Theresia von Paradis, and the other was one of Beethoven’s favourites.” FOM is excited to be welcoming the pianist. “Howard Shelley is not only recognised as a consummate musician, but he has done much to revive the very many almost forgotten romantic piano concertos of Moscheles, Herz, Hiller, Kalkbrenner and many others,” says Derek Auret, chairman of the FOM. “Without his active promotion of nearforgotten works, the classical music repertoire would have been much poorer.” Only members of FOM will be invited to the post-concert reception. Contact the chairman, Derek Auret, at derek@auret.co.za or 082 557 6566 for more details. Booking opens on 20 August at Computicket/Artscape Dial-a-seat on 021 421 7695.

CONDUCTOR: CARLO PONTI NARRATOR: EVITA BEZUIDENHOUT PROKOFIEV: PETER AND THE WOLF BRITTEN: THE YOUNG PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA This joint concert with the CPO and CPYO celebrates youth and the magic of music under the direction of Carlo Ponti, a leading Italian-American conductor known for taking audiences on musical journeys of unique interpretive depth. The winner of several Italian and American awards, Ponti has been associate conductor of the Russian National Orchestra since 2000. He has worked with many orchestras in Europe, the Americas and Russia, and at many international festivals. He will be joined by the fabulous Evita Bezuidenhout, a friend of Ponti. Booking opens on 1 July at Computicket/ Artscape Dial-a-seat on 021 421 7695.

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

A CENTURY IN THE CITY CAPE TOWN’S MOST ROMANTIC ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE IS NOT ONLY THE MOST PRIZED VENUE OF THE CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, IT IS AN HISTORICAL LANDMARK THAT HAS WATCHED OVER THE EVOLUTION OF THE CITY

Westminster Abbey, or the blind organist Alfred Hollins, who played the instrument’s inaugural concert. It must have been a grand affair, to dress up and attend an opera or orchestra in the Mother City’s early 20th century. Marguerite van der Post, author of Theo Wendt 1874-1974, a Biography, notes that at a concert in 1915, “refreshments were served by Mrs Norman, the kindly wife of the City Hall caretaker, and the interval was usually quite a social occasion. Evening dress was de rigueur; the women wore long evening gowns, complete with long white kid gloves, and the men wore dinner jackets.” When the forebears of the Friends of Orchestral Music (FOM) came into being, they strove to revive this glamorous atmosphere. “In the 1970s, Brian Priestman, the larger-than-life resident conductor, asked us why a concert was just a concert,” explains Ruth Allen, deputy chair of FOM. “We set about decorating the City Hall… We borrowed dozens of trees, shrubs and large ornamental palms form the Newlands Nursery, asked for masses of flowers from various florists, tons of ivy from friends’ gardens, and turned the City Hall into a green paradise.”

OVER MORE THAN A CENTURY, IT HAS BECOME AN ICON ON THE CAPE TOWN LANDSCAPE, EPITOMISING THE CITY’S CULTURAL HEART. As an orchestral performance venue, the Cape Town City Hall has thrived not only because of its magnificent appearance, but also for its fine acoustics. Refurbishments in the 1970s were aimed at enhancing the venue, with enlargements to the stage to accommodate a larger orchestra and the removal of heavy drapes and lighting. While this benefitted the orchestra, it did see the operatic performances in the venue become more infrequent.

The Cape Town City Hall stands firmly at the foot of Table Mountain, governing the spacious Grand Parade. The elegant building epitomises the early 1900s, an era in the city when honey-coloured sandstone structures were erected for their aesthetic authority and essential functionality. Over more than a century, it has become an icon on the Cape Town landscape, epitomising the city’s cultural heart. The City Hall was one of the last major Edwardian buildings to be built in Cape Town. Designed by architects Harry Austin Reid and Frederick George Green, the structure officially opened its doors in 1905 with an inaugural concert, in which Thomas BarrowDowling conducted a choir of 400 members of the Cape Town Musical Society in a performance that included the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s Messiah, and Mendelssohn’s Psalm 95. The City Hall has traditionally been the home of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO), and has been resonating with great symphonies since the early 20th century. It was also a beloved venue for celebrations, musical and governmental events. In 1947, the future Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 21st birthday there with her family with a civic ball. Nelson Mandela made his first speech after being released from Robben Island prison on the building’s grand balcony in 1990. Not all of the hall’s engagements with Cape Town’s history have been positive. In 1965, the apartheid government

introduced legislation reserving admission of the Grand Hall to the white race. Rhoda Kadalie, once a member of the CPO board, recalls in A Century of Symphony how her Uncle Bobby, a loyal concertgoer, was affected. “He would frequent the City Hall Concerts every Thursday as far back as I can recall,” she says. “He sat in the same seat and never missed a concert.” Sadly, when apartheid restrictions were imposed, Uncle Bobby was so heartbroken he never again returned to hear his beloved orchestra, even when city mayor David Bloomberg’s appeal to allow integrated audiences was granted in 1975. “I believe that restoring the open-door policy of the City Hall was a first step, followed later in other areas, in the re-liberalisation of Cape Town,” the former mayor says. The City Hall’s elegant Darling Street entrance welcomes visitors with the historic grandeur of its elaborate white marble staircase. The 39-bell carillon stands still now, but the ghost of its vibrating chime can still be felt as one’s feet sweep over the hall’s intricate, but deteriorating, mosaic flooring. The centrepiece of the building is its grandiose organ, which dominates the interior with its immense pipes. Built in 1905 by the English firm Norman and Beard of London and Norwich, it still remains largely in its original state. Sir George Martin, organist of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, drew up specifications especially for the space. The organ’s mahogany, teak and pine facade governs the hall, containing 3 165 metal and wooden pipes ranging in size from ten metres to a couple of centimetres. These would vibrate alongside the symphony at the hands of famed organists like Simon Preston, once organist and master of the choristers at

John Rennie of RennieScurrAdendorff Architects has been involved with the City Hall and the CPO since the 1960s. The father of flautist Bridget Rennie Salonen and a regular singer with the Philharmonia Choir himself, Rennie was involved with the building’s refurbishment over the years. “We saw to replacing the seven ornate gypsum plaster ceiling roses during 2011, as these had become fragile and were shedding fragments of plaster, at times falling ominously to the floor far below,” Rennie says. “They are now glass-fibre reinforced resin replicas.” Despite its historical acoustic precision, the hall is overdue for a comprehensive refurbishment to bring acoustics up to date for modern musical equipment. “I do not believe there has yet ever been a conservation-sympathetic, coherent, sophisticated and informed acoustic measurement of the basic envelope and the variables of finish,” says Rennie. The entire hall is badly in need of maintenance. It is hoped that the City of Cape Town will soon find the means to renovate this treasured structure that has been such an important part of the city. The City Hall has remained an iconic partner to the CPO for a century, a relationship that will no doubt continue to thrive.

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

Musical Liberation The CPO will be performing Ludwig van Beethovenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ninth Symphony in partnership with the World Psychiatric Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual Congress. Uniting with the theme of the conference, this masterpiece illustrates the incredible achievements of an eclectic artist with a troubled personality. 06

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

Feature

“The concluding ode to joy was often interpreted as a hymn for humanity and universal comradeship.”

eethoven was commonly known to be a person of difficult temperament. It was thought by many that the composer suffered from mental illness; others just attributed his behaviour to eccentricity.

Whatever the case, there is no doubt that his passionate personality was responsible for creating some of the greatest music in history. Transcending the composer’s own struggles, the Ninth Symphony cemented Beethoven as one of the world’s greatest musical geniuses. The Ninth’s unforeseen success upon its first performance on 7 May 1824 rid orchestral music of its stereotypes, remaining one of the most criteria-defying and authoritative compositions in the history of music. It was controversial for several reasons. First, there was its structure. Containing four large movements, it incorporated the unorthodox idea of ending with a choir, adopting Schiller’s poem, ‘Ode to Joy’, as a choral finale. Even more contentious was that the Ninth could be seen to have subversive undertones. Although it was dedicated to Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia, certain parts of the symphony echo post-Revolution France’s ideals with abrupt contrasts, expressing a passion and emotional intensity. At the time of composition, European monarchs had restored power following the Napoleonic wars. Residing in Vienna as an established composer, Beethoven was often commissioned to compose quartets and symphonies, which he saw as an opportunity to voice his fraternal ideals. Author of The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824, Harvey Sachs states that, through shattering the world’s precedent of classical music, Beethoven created a “declaration in favour of universal brotherhood.” The concluding ‘Ode to Joy’ was often interpreted as a hymn for humanity and universal comradeship. Since it was revealed, Beethoven’s bombastic symphony has intrigued the likes of musicians and writers alike. Many Beethoven-philes, as Sachs calls them – and himself – have pursued this lifelong journey of curiosity. Sachs discovered a subtle thread in the Ninth as “expressive of a quest for freedom: political freedom, from the repressive conditions that then dominated Europe, and freedom of expression, certainly, but above all freedom of the mind and spirit,” identifying this sentiment with the individualistic European Romantic movement of the time. That the Ninth meant something personal to Beethoven is blatantly transparent. For the great composer, unpredictability was liberation. This may have been what inspired his genius as much as what tortured him mentally.

Often, the concept of creativity and mental health has gone hand-in-hand, despite the one not necessarily depending on the other, or resulting from one another, hinting at some of the symphony’s origins. Hershman and Lieb, authors of Manic-Depression and Creativity (1998), proclaim that the “manic-depressive has a better chance of winning the title of genius than someone of equal talent and training who does not have the disorder.” Although Beethoven was never diagnosed with mental illness, the accounts of close friends supported this belief. There were many strange stories that followed the composer, such as one that saw him reported to the police for roaming the streets and peering in people’s houses, only evading arrest after being identified by the composer Herzog. Many today think that Beethoven might have suffered from bipolar disorder. Whatever Beethoven’s mental state, it was no doubt deeply affected by the cruel onset of deafness from which the composer suffered as early as 1798. In addition to his mental ailments, his physical state was often distressing; the composer suffered serious illness in 1811, and was again stuck down with what he called “an inflammatory illness” in 1816. Even when he was unable to hear anymore, Beethoven could not resist helping musicians on stage when performing his masterpiece. One story goes that when performing the Ninth, the conductor remained facing the orchestra despite the choral finale having ended, unaware of the audience’s applause. A soloist had to tap him on the shoulder to make him aware of the crowd’s reaction. Beethoven’s many struggles – his deafness and unstable mental state, his role as a composer during European Romanticism – were vitally significant in contributing to his art. The stirring Ninth is open to many interpretations, but ultimately, the symphony belongs to the listener. Irrespective of any inherent meaning, Beethoven’s Ninth is an earth-shattering performance that still manages to captivate and enlighten audiences as a magnificent musical delight. It is a masterpiece by a man that lives on long after he was liberated from a world he knew to be anything but.

CAPE TOWN & BEETHOVEN AT THE OLYMPICS In February 1998, Cape Town was invited to be part of an international live broadcast of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to open the winter Olympics in Nagano in Japan. With Seiji Ozawa at the helm of orchestra and choir in Nagano, four choirs from Cape Town assembled at Cape Point under the direction of Richard Cock to join in with other choirs from Sydney, Berlin and New York. Before dawn that mid-summer day, a couple of hundred choristers assembled, television cameras in place, and with all eyes on Ozawa, the stirring music stilled the crashing surf. No detail had been left to chance – the organisers had visited Cape Town to make sure that the day would be wind-free according to historic patterns (it was). Ozawa himself visited and discussed the arrangements over dinner, the buses with choristers arrived on time and the whole production celebrating the community of man went without a hitch.

The CPO is presenting this phenomenal masterpiece at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday 17 November and Saturday 19 November, under the direction of Omri Hadari, in collaboration with the The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP).

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

Community

LEFTHAND IMAGE FROM BACK, LEFT TO RIGHT UCT students Stephanie Lawrenson, James Scott, Lance Thuysma, Jessica Rossouw, Amy Rossouw, Zhaun Gorridon, Joshua Louis, Shannon Thebus and Roxanne Hendricks. RIGHTHAND IMAGE LEFT TO RIGHT Winners’ podium 2015: Holger Bleck (organiser), Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen (2nd), South African tenor Levy Sekgapane (1st), Isabella Gabor; South Korean tenor Ki Hun Park (3rd).

Educating for the future The CPO is proudly putting its stamp on youth development and transformation through a commitment to supporting the musically talented in higher education

The Belvedere comes to Cape Town

hanks to organisations such as the CPO, the day is coming when universities may no longer need a bridging course to prepare students from the musical world for tertiary education. Currently, there are 2O young musicians studying at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University who are members of the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (CPYO) or the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Wind Ensemble (CPYWE). Six of them utilise instruments on loan from the CPO, and financial support from Friends of Orchestral Music (FOM).

“As CPYO members, we often get to play with the CPO which makes us work even harder to be more professional.” Musically-inclined twins Amy (clarinet) and Jessica (viola) Rossouw, both 19, are examples of this. They spent a year after school in the CPYWE and CPYO respectively, being taught and mentored by CPO musicians. This prepared them for their entrance auditions, which they both passed; now they are studying at UCT. Another is Madré Loubser, 24, who plays the piccolo and is a CPYO librarian, now in her final year at Stellenbosch. For her, both the CPO and CPYO have had

an important role, and helped her open her own musician booking agency, Onyx Noir. “I try to combine what I learn at CPO and CPYO with my studies at university,” Loubser says. “This helps not only with my flute and piccolo playing, but also helps with my new business.” Lyle Potgieter, 20, now principal flute of the CPYO, is a third-year student at Stellenbosch University, and credits the CPO with shaping his life. “Without the academy and my teachers, I would never have chosen music as my career,” he says. Flautist Amanda Lawrence, 19, a second-year student at the University of Stellenbosch, says that CPYWE and CPYO gave her the opportunity to make friends who shared her musical interests. “The teachers helped me decide that this was what I want to study,” she says. For cellist Pearl Jung, in her second year at UCT, joining the CPYO was an eye-opener: “As CPYO members, we often get to play with the CPO, which makes us work even harder to be more professional.” Others who are strengthened by their CPYO/CPYWE ties include concertmaster Joshua Louis, violinist Lauren McDonald, violist Stephanie Lawrenson, CPYO principal clarinet Lance Thuysma, horn player Shannon Thebus, tuba player Zhaun Gorridon and percussionist Roxanne Hendricks; all are UCT students. CPYO coleader Shaheema Lakay, violinist Noluvuyo Ntheta (Masidlale teacher), trumpeters Rory Africa, Craig Nicholas and Jade Hendricks and trombonist Bevan Efraim all study at the University of Stellenbosch.

nother partnership the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra is exceptionally proud of is with the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition. For the first time in 35 years this prestigious competition will be held outside Europe. The competition was the career springboard for aspiring young opera singers like overall winners Pretty Yende and Levy Sekgapane, and second prize winners Siyabulela Ntlale and Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi. The CPO, with Cape Town Opera, the University of Cape Town and Artscape Theatre Centre, is the proud host. The CPO will play under the direction of Kamal Khan, who has done so much, along with Angelo Gobbato, to place South African singers on the global and national stage. Finalists are chosen from qualifying rounds of more than 1300 entrants in more than 70 cities, including Pretoria and Cape Town. Jury members come from the world’s top opera houses; the media jury includes not only international arts journalists but several from South Africa.

For Louis Heyneman, this competition is reinforcement of the orchestra’s position as the foremost in Africa. “Singers need to be accompanied by a sympathetic orchestra and conductor and this is one of the CPO’s strengths,” he says. Competition managers Isabella Gabor and Holger Bleck note that the exceptional quality of South African singers and their huge success in recent years in several global competitions make a compelling argument to hold the competition in Cape Town. “We are thrilled to have the support of key funders: the Rupert Music Foundation, Ton Vosloo, REMGRO, the Hiemstra Trust and Wendy Ackerman,” they say. “Cape Town is a fantastic city, we love the hospitality, the openness of the people and the commitment of our South African partners.” The final round of the competition will be held at the Artscape Opera House on 2 July 2016. Tickets from Computicket and Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695. Rounds taking place at the Baxter in the preceding week will also be open to the public at a minimal cost. For more information visit: www.belvedere-competition.com.

For the first time in 35 years, this prestigious competition will be held outside Europe.

YOUNG ACHIEVERS Three young music learners, Damian Daniels (12), Keasha Passens (15) and Angelique Overmeyer (12), all from Mamre, have moved up from the Masidlale grassroots training projects into the Cape Town Philharmonic Junior Wind Band. The band is a feeder for the Cape Town 08

Philharmonic Wind Ensemble, one of the most sought-after groups of its kind. Both ensembles play under the direction of wind band specialist Faan Malan. The three, who started on recorder under the tutelage of Ash-Lee Louwskieter in the Mamre project, were so musical, hard-working

and committed that they were quickly able to take on other instruments, and now play trumpet and trombone. Laurika Steenkamp, the CPO’s Youth Development Manager says “this shows that we are on track to transformation.”

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

Calendar

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.

CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

ymphony eason WINTER 2016

JUNE THURSDAY 8 PM | CITY HALL Peter Martens is one of the most highly

acclaimed cellists in South Africa. He has been principal cellist of several orchestras, including the Cape Town Philharmonic, while pursuing an active career as a chamber musician and soloist. He studied with Dalena Roux at Stellenbosch University and Heidi Litschauer at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and was awarded his PhD at Stellenbosch. He is a member of the Amici String Quartet, has performed with the Brodsky String Quartet in London, participated in festivals in Russia, Holland, Salzburg, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Portugal, and recorded the Bach Cello Suites and Beethoven Cello Sonatas for TwoPianists Records.

CONDUCTOR: BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOIST: PETER MARTENS (CELLO) DVOĹ&#x2DC;Ă K CELLO CONCERTO IN B MINOR, OP. 104 TCHAIKOVSKY SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN E MINOR, OP. 64

Music director of Symphony Nova Scotia in Canada since 2003 and a frequent guest conductor in Cape Town since 1994, German-born Bernhard Gueller is acknowledged internationally for his insight, passion, excitement and profound interpretations. For the last three years, he was also principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony in British Columbia and before that music director of the Nuremberg Symphony. His career has taken him around the world, most recently concentrating on North America. His recent recording of music by Canadian composer Tim Brady won the prestigious East Coast Music Award. His next release will be orchestrations of Schubert songs with the Canadian mezzo-soprano Andrea Ludwig.

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

Calendar

JUNE 30 JUNE 23 THURSDAY THURSDAY 8 PM | CITY HALL 8 PM | CITY HALL

ROMANTIC SCHUMANN RAVEL & RACHMANINOV CONDUCTOR MARTIN PANTELEEV SOLOIST MACIEJ GRZYBOWSKI (PIANO), ERIK DIPPENAAR (ORGAN) SCHUMANN PIANO CONCERTO IN A MINOR, OP. 54 SAINT SAËNS SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN C MINOR, OP. 78 “ORGAN”

As associate conductor of the Philharmonia of the Nations Orchestra, founded by Leonard Bernstein and Justus Frantz, Martin Panteleev performed more than 1 000 concerts in Europe, Asia and America. In 2008, he took the Sofia Festival Orchestra on an American tour, followed by one in 2011 with the CPO, whose principal guest conductor he has been since 2012. In 2014, he made his debut as conductor of the Royal Philharmonic. He is a composer of note, and is currently chief conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra in his native Bulgaria. “A phenomenon, a marvel, a miracle, a special kind of genius” is how the music critic of the Los Angeles Times described Polish pianist Maciej Grzybowski in 2012. As a soloist, he has performed at many international festivals alongside great artists such as Martha Argerich, Paul Badura-Skoda, Ivo Pogorelich and Piotr Anderszewski, and plays in recital and with orchestras around the world. His two recordings of works by Bach, Berg, Mykietyn, Schönberg, Szymański and Paweł Szymański were nominated for the prestigious Polish award, Fryderyk. Currently Artistic Director of the Cape Town-based baroque orchestra Camerata Tinta Barocca, Erik Dippenaar is also a member of the period ensemble The Cape Consort and a part-time lecturer in music history and historical performance practice at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He has performed widely in festivals in the UK in particular.

010

CONDUCTOR MARTIN PANTELEEV SOLOIST RACHEL LEE PRIDAY (VIOLIN) RAVEL ALBORADA DEL GRACIOSO PROKOFIEV VIOLIN CONCERTO N0 1 IN D, OP. 19 RACHMANINOV RACHMANINOV SYMPHONIC DANCES, OP. 4 Violinist Rachel Lee Priday, acclaimed for her beauty of tone, riveting stage presence, and “irresistible panache” (Chicago Tribune), has appeared as a soloist with major international orchestras. Critics have praised her “dazzling, forceful technique,” “rich, mellifluous sound,” and “silvery fluidity”. Combining a fierce intelligence with an imaginative curiosity, her wide-ranging repertoire and eclectic programming reflect a deep fascination with literary and cultural narratives, as an artist who seeks contemporary resonances with past masterworks.

02 JULY SATURDAY

6 PM | ARTSCAPE

BELVEDERE SINGING COMPETITION

10 NOV

THURSDAY 8 PM | CITY HALL

MENDELSSOHN FOR TWO CONDUCTOR OMRI HADARI SOLOISTS NETTLE AND MARKHAM (PIANO) MENDELSSOHN CALM SEA AND PROPEROUS VOYAGE MENDELSSOHN DOUBLE CONCERTO IN E SHOSTAKOVICH SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN D MINOR, OP. 47 Omri Hadari was music director of the CTSO in the late 1980s, and has been principal guest conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, principal conductor and music adviser of the Ashdod Chamber Orchestra and music director of the “Classica” Chamber Orchestra Hadera, both in Israel. In recent years, he has had great success in Turkey, where he conducted several major orchestras. Hadari started his career as a trumpeter, quickly becoming one of Israel’s finest. Hadari returned to the city after several years earlier this year to conduct a concert marking 175 years of Jewry in South Africa.

CONDUCTOR KAMAL KHAN The finals of the prestigious 35th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition 2016 take place for the first time outside Europe. American conductor and pianist Kamal Khan has performed with many opera companies around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, where he was assistant conductor to James Levine. He graduated from the Manhattan School of Music and embarked on a career that has seen him hold positions in America and in Tenerife. A native of Washington DC, Khan was the recipient of the first National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts prize. He is currently head of the Opera School at UCT.

For nearly 40 years, British pianists Nettle and Markham have been performing together, bringing expertise and experience to concert halls around the world. Their vitality, remarkable ensemble, infectious enthusiasm and musical integrity ensure their continued popularity, and the duo has appeared in more than 35 countries. Graduates of the Royal College and the Royal Academy respectively, David Nettle and Richard Markham joined forces in fourhands on one or two pianos, sometimes on their own Pleyel Double Piano. Their discography will see the inclusion soon of the complete works for four hands by Schumann and Saint-Saëns.

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

Spring Symphonies

17/19

01 DEC

THURSDAY

NOV

8 PM | CITY HALL

ODE TO JOY CONDUCTOR OMRI HADARI NEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH CHOIR SIPHAMANDLA YAKUPA (SOPRANO), ELIZABETH FRANDSEN (MEZZO), LUKHANYO MOYAKE (TENOR), THATO MACHONA (BASS), CHOIR TRAINER: PETER LAMBERT BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 9 IN D MINOR, OP. 125, “CHORAL” In 2015, Siphamandla Yakupa, a Cape Town Opera soloist, made her CPO debut as a soloist in the Duet concert, which followed her European debut as part of the Cape Town Opera (CTO) tour of Porgy and Bess in Munich and Barcelona. She was awarded her Bachelor in Opera at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and her post-graduate diploma in opera at UCT. For the last 25 years, Elizabeth Frandsen has performed as a soloist in opera, oratorio, lieder, musical theatre and choral works both in South Africa and abroad. She spent two years in Zurich at the International Opera School. She has appeared under the baton of maestri Frans Welser-Möst, Sebastian Lang-Lessing and Thomas Sanderling. The roles she has sung include the leads in La Bohème, Verdi’s La Traviata and Menotti’s The Medium. A finalist in the 2015 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Amsterdam, Lukhanyo Moyake won the Emmerich Smola Prize in Landau, Germany in 2016. Since his graduation from UCT in 2011 when he joined Cape Town Opera, he has sung many roles both here and in Spain. He also sings lieder and oratorio, as was heard with the CPO at Kirstenbosch earlier this year. While a student at UCT where he was awarded his post-graduate diploma, Thato Machona sang several leading roles such as Leporello in Don Giovanni and Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro. He has also sung in many Cape Town Opera productions and made his European debut in Porgy and Bess in the UK, Germany and France. He also sings choral works such as Messiah (Handel).

The New Apostolic Church Choir has been a frequent partner of the CPO over the years, most recently performing in the Scriabin Symphony No. 2 in 2015.

NOV 24 THURSDAY 8 PM | CITY HALL

ALEXANDER NEVSKY CONDUCTOR MARTIN PANTELEEV PHILHARMONIA CHOIR OF CAPE TOWN SOLOISTS YEVGENY KUTIK (VIOLIN), VIOLINA ANGUELOV (MEZZO-SOPRANO), CHOIR TRAINER: RICHARD HAIGH HAYDN SYMPHONY NO. 104 IN D, (LONDON) WIENIAWSKI VIOLIN CONCERTO NO 2 IN D MINOR, OP. 22 PROKOFIEV ALEXANDER NEVSKY, OP. 78

8 PM | CITY HALL HOLST’S THE PLANETS CONDUCTOR MARTIN PANTELEEV SOLOIST MICHAEL THORNTON (HORN) BARTOK THE MIRACULOUS MANDARIN SUITE, OP. 19 STRAUSS HORN CONCERTO NO. 1 IN E FLAT, OP. 11 HOLST THE PLANETS An avid chamber musician and a soloist recognised internationally, Michael Thornton has been principal horn of the Colorado Symphony since 1997. As a soloist, in addition to his regular appearances with the Colorado Symphony, Thornton has performed across the world including with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada, Melbourne Musician’s Chamber Orchestra, the New Symphony Orchestra of Bulgaria, and numerous orchestras in the USA. He is also associate professor of horn at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Acclaimed for dazzling command of his instrument and its repertoire, the Russian-American violinist Yevgeny Kutik’s communication harks back to the legendary Romantic masters. Born in Minsk, Belarus, he moved to the US at the age of five, graduating with a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. In recent years, his lauded recordings have added depth to a career which takes him from America to Japan, via much of Europe. Born in Bulgaria, Violina Anguelov graduated with her Performer’s Diploma in Opera from UCT under Sarita Stern. She won several prizes, including the Adcock Ingram Music Prize and the Erik Chisholm Prize. In 2000, she made her European début as Dorabella in Così fan tutte in Hanover, and has sung more than 35 leading roles for CTO, most recently in Maria Stuarda and Salomé. She has sung in oratorio and concerts under the direction of conductors such as Sir Richard Bonynge, Sir Donald Hunt, Barry Smith and Kamal Khan. The Philharmonia Choir of Cape Town was established in 1967 by John Badminton. Under its current music director Richard Haigh, it continues to perform great oratorios such as Handel’s Messiah annually, and has worked with some of the foremost choral conductors such as Sir David Willcocks, Dr Donald Hunt and Nicholas Cleobury. 011

CONCERTO, ISSUE 08, 2016

Bookings Cape Town City Hall SEATING PLAN & PRICES

HOW TO BOOK Pre-concert talks are open to ticket holders. They take place before most City Hall concerts at 19:15 in the Sunken Lounge. Dress rehearsals are usually at 10:00 on City Hall concert days. Winter season New subscriptions and single seats for the winter season (three concerts) available now. Subscribe and be entered into a draw to win one of two vouchers for one night in a two-bedroomed self-catering suite in the 5-star Iconic Luxury Apartments in Stellenbosch. Spring season subscription renewals (four concerts) will be available from 22 August to 3 September. New subscriptions and single seats are available from 19 September. Those who renew by 3 September, or take out a new subscription before 4 November, will be entered into a draw to a win a dinner on 8 November in a leading restaurant with Omri Hadari, sponsored by CPO chair Ben Rabinowitz. Subscribe to each season and save 20% (30% for members of FOM). Single seats start from R90 (platform, unreserved) to R230.

STAGE

MAYOR’S BAY

Tickets for the Belvedere Singing Competition finals are on sale now. Tickets for the Johan Botha gala on sale from 5 May. The FOM gala tickets will be open on August 22; and the Ponti/Evita CPO/CPYO concert on 1 July. A discounted rate of R90 is given to students and senior citizens 30 minutes before the concert at the door, if available.

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

BALCONY

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 concert information, visit www.cpo.org.za, email info@cpo.org.za or call 021 410 9809.

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Feature

“The concluding ode to joy was often interpreted as a hymn for humanity and universal comradeship.”

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eethoven was commonly known to be a person of difficult temperament. It was thought by many that the composer suffered from mental illness; others just attributed his behaviour to eccentricity.

Musical Liberation The CPO will be performing Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in partnership with the World Psychiatric Association’s Annual Congress. Uniting with the theme of the conference, this masterpiece illustrates the incredible achievements of an eclectic artist with a troubled personality. 06

The Ninth’s unforeseen success upon its first performance on 7 May 1824 rid orchestral music of its stereotypes, remaining one of the most criteria-defying and authoritative compositions in the history of music. It was controversial for several reasons. First, there was its structure. Containing four large movements, it incorporated the unorthodox idea of ending with a choir, adopting Schiller’s poem, ‘Ode to Joy’, as a choral finale. Even more contentious was that the Ninth could be seen to have subversive undertones. Although it was dedicated to Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia, certain parts of the symphony echo post-Revolution France’s ideals with abrupt contrasts, expressing a passion and emotional intensity. At the time of composition, European monarchs had restored power following the Napoleonic wars. Residing in Vienna as an established composer, Beethoven was often commissioned to compose quartets and symphonies, which he saw as an opportunity to voice his fraternal ideals. Author of The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824, Harvey Sachs states that, through shattering the world’s precedent of classical music, Beethoven created a “declaration in favour of universal brotherhood.” The concluding ‘Ode to Joy’ was often interpreted as a hymn for humanity and universal comradeship. Since it was revealed, Beethoven’s bombastic symphony has intrigued the likes of musicians and writers alike. Many Beethoven-philes, as Sachs calls them – and himself – have pursued this lifelong journey of curiosity. Sachs discovered a subtle thread in the Ninth as “expressive of a quest for freedom: political freedom, from the repressive conditions that then dominated Europe, and freedom of expression, certainly, but above all freedom of the mind and spirit,” identifying this sentiment with the individualistic European Romantic movement of the time. That the Ninth meant something personal to Beethoven is blatantly transparent. For the great composer, unpredictability was liberation. This may have been what inspired his genius as much as what tortured him mentally.

Often, the concept of creativity and mental health has gone hand-in-hand, despite the one not necessarily depending on the other, or resulting from one another, hinting at some of the symphony’s origins. Hershman and Lieb, authors of Manic-Depression and Creativity (1998), proclaim that the “manic-depressive has a better chance of winning the title of genius than someone of equal talent and training who does not have the disorder.” Although Beethoven was never diagnosed with mental illness, the accounts of close friends supported this belief. There were many strange stories that followed the composer, such as one that saw him reported to the police for roaming the streets and peering in people’s houses, only evading arrest after being identified by the composer Herzog. Many today think that Beethoven might have suffered from bipolar disorder. Whatever Beethoven’s mental state, it was no doubt deeply affected by the cruel onset of deafness from which the composer suffered as early as 1798. In addition to his mental ailments, his physical state was often distressing; the composer suffered serious illness in 1811, and was again stuck down with what he called “an inflammatory illness” in 1816. Even when he was unable to hear anymore, Beethoven could not resist helping musicians on stage when performing his masterpiece. One story goes that when performing the Ninth, the conductor remained facing the orchestra despite the choral finale having ended, unaware of the audience’s applause. A soloist had to tap him on the shoulder to make him aware of the crowd’s reaction. Beethoven’s many struggles – his deafness and unstable mental state, his role as a composer during European Romanticism – were vitally significant in contributing to his art. The stirring Ninth is open to many interpretations, but ultimately, the symphony belongs to the listener. Irrespective of any inherent meaning, Beethoven’s Ninth is an earth-shattering performance that still manages to captivate and enlighten audiences as a magnificent musical delight. It is a masterpiece by a man that live on long after he was liberated from a world he knew to be everything but.

The CPO is presenting this phenomenal masterpiece at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday 19 November and Saturday 21 November, under the direction of Omri Hadari, in collaboration with the The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP).