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Transcript of Concerto issue 5
C O N C E R T O , I S S U E 0 5 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5
Welcome to our 5th issue of Concerto
Magazine! This orchestra is proud to have
served the music lovers of Cape Town for
a century, albeit with its back constantly
against the wall.
While researching our coff ee table book on
the symphonic tradition in Cape Town, we
came across some of the musical families
that have been part of this proud tradition –
the De Grootes and the Rennies, and also
the Schwietering and Martens families.
The music culture in South Africa owes a
lot to the talents of these passionate artists
and this is why this issue is dedicated to
these musical dynasties.
But musicians need audiences. And, of
course, donors and patrons. We dedicate
Concerto to every single music lover
who has worked eff ortlessly to keep the
symphonic tradition alive in Cape Town.
We salute the Friends of Orchestral
Music, these days under the enthusiastic
leadership of Derek Auret. To mark our
centenary, The Friends are hosting a
fundraising gala on Thursday, 4 December
with one of the world’s foremost violinists,
Benjamin Schmid, who is coming to help
raise funds. How honoured we are. We will
be launching our souvenir book, A Century
of Symphony, the Story of Cape Town’s
Orchestra at this occasion and you can buy
your copy together with a CD of the city’s
orchestral music across the century at a
special discount on that evening.
In spite of this proud tradition, we have
been waiting since early 2013 for our
application for funding from the National
Lotteries Board to be evaluated. We believe
in our cause and know that our application
has a lot of merit. How long we will be able
to survive without this crucial funding is
diffi cult to say. But giving up a tradition
after a hundred years? Never!
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Welcome
PUBLIC & CORPORATE FUNDERS
DONATIONS IN KIND, PARTNERS & MEDIA PARTNERS
BEHIND THE
SCENES:
ALL RISE
FEATURE:
BACH AND
BEYOND
OUTREACH:
CREATING
COMMUNITY
MORE MAGIC/
BOOKINGS
BEHIND THE
MUSIC: DO
BEHAVE
WELCOME
LETTER
LEN VAN ZYL
COMPETITION
05 06 09
CALENDAR:
SUMMER MUSIC
FESTIVAL
10 12
0402 03
CALENDAR:
AUTUMN
SEASON
11
PURE PUBLISHING & DESIGN
is proud to be a partner of the
Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
www.purepublishing.co.za
CAPE TOWN
PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
LOUIS HEYNEMAN
MANAGING EDITOR
SHIRLEY DE KOCK GUELLER
ARTISTIC EXECUTIVE
SERGEI BURDUKOV
EDITORIAL AND
CREATIVE TEAM
MANAGING CREATIVE DIRECTOR
ANDREW BURKE
EDITOR
JESSICA GLIDDON
DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR
DAVE STRAUSS
SENIOR DESIGNER
TESS GREEN
PRODUCTION MANAGER
MARIANNE BURKE
DISTRIBUTION
Concerto is distributed by the
CPO biannually and is available
on request (email [email protected])
or online at www.cpo.org.za
Concerto is designed
and published by PURE
PUBLISHING & DESIGN,
a full service creative agency
which off ers publishing,
design, branding, web design
and advertising.
For business enquiries, visit
www.purepublishing.co.za,
call (021) 424 6918 or email
All information was correct
at the time of going to press,
but subject to change.
Reproduction in whole
or part without written
permission is
strictly prohibited.
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C O N C E R T O , I S S U E 0 5 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5
gives the master classes. We have also had other international conductors on our panels.”
The winner of the fi rst competition, Brandon Phillips, is today the conductor of the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. “For someone just starting out, the chance to conduct an orchestra with experienced conductors was invaluable,” the young conductor says. He recently received critical acclaim when conducting the Miagi Youth Orchestra in Germany and Holland.
The second winner, Xavier Cloete, has just made his conducting debut with the CPO. For Cloete, winning the competition expanded his music circles. “Music has taken me all around the world,” he said. “It was always a language I could understand and it opened doors for me that will never be able to close.”
There’s nothing like an audience on its feet shouting: “Bravo, encore!” after a great performance. When it happens to gifted young conductors, the sky’s the limit.
Len van Zyl, former advertising luminary and board member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, saw that there was a need to provide training and performance opportunities for young conductors. While instrumental players, singers and dancers have access to a stellar advanced musical education, the same could not be said
YOUNG ACHIEVERS
for conductors. “There is a gap for training and performance experience for this most specialised and vitally important function of music making,” Van Zyl said. “Conductors are essential to ensure that ensemble playing is achieved to maximise the quality and co-ordination of the orchestra.”
So in 2008, Len van Zyl established the fi rst Conductors’ Competition in partnership with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. “Our competitions have attracted dozens of aspirant conductors,” Van Zyl said. “We have been fortunate to have had the participation of Victor Yampolsky of Northwestern University, Chicago, who
The sky is the limit for young conductors Brandon Phillips and Xavier Cloete, thanks to winning the Len van Zyl Conductors’ Competition
“Conductors are essential to ensure that ensemble playing is achieved to maximise the quality and co-ordination of the orchestra.”
Entry forms are now available for the 2015/2016 Len Van Zyl National Conductors’ Competition, South Africa’s only competition for young conductors
The competition off ers performance
opportunities and master classes with
international conductors; the semi-
fi nalists and fi nalists will perform with
the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
The winner is invited to conduct the
CPO and receives an all-expenses
paid one-month internship with the
Philadelphia Orchestra, plus two months
of study at Northwestern University in
Chicago with maestro Victor Yampolsky.
Entry forms can be downloaded from
the CPO website at www.cpo.org.za.
The closing date is 15 March 2015.
Those chosen will participate in the
preliminary round in June 2015 in
Cape Town, with the semi-fi nals and
fi nals taking place in February 2016.
The competition is open to conductors
no older than 33 by 1 January 2016.
For more information, send an email
to [email protected] or email
THIRD LEN VAN ZYL
NATIONAL CONDUCTORS’
COMPETITION ANNOUNCED
Big changes are afoot at Artscape, with
two of our most important members of
staff moving on. Michael Maas has taken
early retirement due to ill health; Alastair
Cockburn’s contract has come to an
end. We will miss them both; they were
fantastic, supportive friends of the CPO.
Although they are leaving, we won't lose
touch, as Michael will continue with the
annual concerto competition he founded,
and Alastair will continue to conduct the
CPO in Gilbert and Sullivan productions.
Michael Maas served on the fi rst board
when the CPO regrouped at the end of
2000. Without support and co-operation
from Artscape, the streamlined orchestra
had little chance to survive. “During
Michael’s tenure as CEO, Artscape
fl ourished like never before and his
vision and business sense transformed
the organisation into the foremost
theatre complex in the country,” says
CPO CEO Louis Heyneman.
The upgrading of the theatres and
foyers and the addition of the new
administrative wings not only gave the
CPO professional offi ces for the fi rst
time, but ensured that Cape Town’s
orchestra stayed an essential part of
Cape Town’s cultural life.
Of Alastair Cockburn, Heyneman says:
“Over the years you were our most
solid and reliable partner and we
thank you for your personal advice
and support over the past 14 years –
I can hardly believe that it has been
almost 15 years since those fi rst nervous
steps after regrouping and forming a
new streamlined orchestra. Your moral
support and practical advice to me and
Sergei were extremely important and
your interventions often saved the day.”
CPO board member Pieter Louwrens is
the acting CEO of Artscape.
Changes at ArtscapeThe board, management and musicians of the Cape Town Philharmonic would like to bid farewell to Michael Maas, Artscape's CEO for many years, and Alastair Cockburn, in charge of planning
BRANDON PHILLIPS
XAVIER CLOETE
Notes
Victoria Cawood is stepping down as manager of Fine Music Radio.
She has added commitment and style
to the marvellous music resource that
is FMR, and has been there since
its inception in various capacities.
We shall miss her. The CPO thanks her
for her partnership with the orchestra.
The CPO also welcomes Mark Jennings,
a businessman and freelance presenter
for some years, as the new manager,
from February 2015.
C O N C E R T O , I S S U E 0 5 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5
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Michael Maas and Alistair Cockburn
C O N C E R T O , I S S U E 0 5 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5
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Conducting patterns are the building blocks of a conductor's movementsFOR CENTURIES,
ATTENDING A
SYMPHONY MEANT
ABIDING BY A
STRICT SET OF
SOCIAL MANNERS.
IN TODAY’S DIGITAL
AGE, CONCERT-GOING
IS A DIFFERENT
THING – ROWS ARE
EVEN SET ASIDE IN
SOME PLACES TO
ALLOW TWEETING.
WHILE WE’RE ALL FOR
PROGRESS, A CERTAIN
DECORUM IS STILL
NEEDED TO ENSURE
EVERYONE ENJOYS A
NIGHT OUT IN PEACE
• Do not take pictures or video during a
performance. Copyright of music needs to be
respected. Also, you could disturb the musicians
or capture the one wrong note or late entry, load it
on YouTube and everyone gets the wrong idea, so
bear with us.
• Dress as casually as you like. You are welcome
to really dress up and we would love to see more
long dresses and tuxedos, but we are also realistic
about the air-conditioning in the City Hall.
• Don’t arrive late. It is disconcerting for the
musicians who are concentrating on the music and
the conductor’s directions to see you sneak in late.
• Cough into your sleeve. If you really have to
cough, use your sleeve. Don’t ruin those
quiet moments.
• Unwrap your sweets before you enter the hall.
Sweet wrappers can be surprisingly noisy.
• Turn off cell phones. No one wants the conductor
to glare at them.
• Clap at the end of the piece. While we welcome
an enthusiastic reception, the fl ow of the music
can be spoiled for some. Most audiences at
classical concerts will wait until the end of an entire
piece to clap. If you’re not sure when a piece ends,
just check your programme or keep an eye on the
conductor — when the piece is over, he will put his
arms down and turn to the audience.
His death, or the conditions following it, remains less well known. Only eight days after his funeral in 1809, two phrenologists stole Haydn’s head, hoping to see if the composer's genius was somehow refl ected in the bumps and ridges of his skull. Eleven years later, the composer’s patron Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II discovered this and provided another to make the skeleton complete. Then, in 1895, the real skull was willed to a music society in Vienna, and was reunited with the rest of Haydn’s body. The substitute skull was never removed, so now, Haydn has two heads – which is the correct one remains a mystery.
A CONDUCTOR’S INTRICATE MOVEMENTS AND
DRAMATIC EXPRESSIONS ARE THE GLUE THAT
HOLD THE ORCHESTRA TOGETHER, UNITING THE
MUSICIANS TO THE BEAT AND TEMPO OF THE MUSIC
Every conductor has a diff erent approach for emotion guides
interpretation. Just before the concert begins, eyes make contact, a
collective breath is taken, and the upbeat is given. Grimaces can tell the
musicians when the dynamics are wrong or an entry too late. Anyone who
has seen Valery Gergiev will attest to the oddness of his movements, but
few will disagree that incomprehensible or not, the music his musicians
produce is some of the best.
C O N C E R T O , I S S U E 0 5 , 2 0 1 4
Behind the music
DO BEHAVE CODE OF CONDUCT
THE TWO-HEADED COMPOSER
Perhaps Leonard Bernstein describes those
moments best in the 1950s educational series
Omnibus: The Art of Conducting:
“How can I describe to you the magic of the
moment of beginning a piece of music at a
concert? There is only one possible fraction of a
second that feels right to start with. There is a wait
while the orchestra readies itself and collects its
powers, while the condutor concentrates all his
will and force onto the work in hand, while the
audience quiets down and the last cough has died
away, and there is no rustle of a programme book,
the instruments are paused, and bang! That’s it.
If he waits one instant later, the whole thing is too
late, the magic has vanished. A great conductor is
one who has a great sensitivity to the fl ow of time.”
SOURCE: FROM
ESSENTIALS IN
CONDUCTING BY
KARL WILSON
GEHRKENS, SOURCED
FROM PROJECT
GUTENBERG.
ABOVE:
ONE-BEAT, TWO-BEAT
AND THREE-BEAT
MEASURES
BELOW:
FOUR-BEAT MEASURE
JOSEPH HAYDN WAS
ONE OF AUSTRIA’S MOST
PROLIFIC COMPOSERS,
KNOWN FOR HIS GREAT
CONTRIBUTIONS TO
MUSICAL FORM
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C O N C E R T O , I S S U E 0 5 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5
Facebook postings? Tweets? Texting? At a classical concert? You had better believe it! RISE cocktail curtain raiser recitals were introduced to the concert experience last year and they took off , especially among a young crowd new to the concert hall. RISE recitals showcase the next generation of exceptional South African artists in works linked to the night’s programme, with drinks thrown in. Audience interaction is a key factor, concertgoers are encouraged to bring smartphones and tablets. From here they can access the evening's programme, programme notes and artists' biographies on the RISE webpage, and also share photographs or comments. RISE is the brainchild of soprano Magdalene Minnaar and pianist Jose Dias.
ALL RISE
“As a musician I tell you that if you were to suppress adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, the supernatural, there would no longer be the means for writing one note.” – George Bizet
Transcending time: SOME WORKS
HAVE BECOME SO INGRAINED IN OUR CULTURE
YOU WOULD BE HARD-PRESSED TO FIND SOMEONE
WHO DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO HUM THEM. OTHERS
ARE MORE CHALLENGING AND MORE WORTHWHILE.
HERE ARE SOME THAT HAVE SET PEOPLE TALKING:
PIANO CONCERTO #3 - SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Emotional in scope and scored for
a large orchestra, the hour-long
symphony is considered to be the
most conventional of his symphonies,
though ending unusually with a rondo.
Its adagietto is in the Death in Venice
soundtrack and is seen as Mahler’s
romantic tribute to Alma.
A forerunner to a host of works
written for violin, cello and piano,
the Triple Concerto is essentially a
work for piano trio and orchestra.
Judge for yourself if the claim that
the piano part is simpler, composed
for a teenager who would be
supported by two mature musicians.
RISE concerts are schedules for 22 January,
5 February, 2 April and 16 April. Please check
www.cpo.org.za for details.
No one really knows if it was the music,
the ballet or a combination of both
that caused a scandal on its premiere
in Paris 100 years ago. Harmonically
adventurous, the score makes use of
rhythms and dissonances to create, for
instance, the sounds of ice cracking in
the northern spring, now so normal that
this work is part of orchestral repertoire.
THE RITE OF SPRING - IGOR STRAVINSKY
Called by the composer a concerto
for elephants and made famous
in recent years thanks to the fi lm
Shine, this grandiose concerto is
dramatic, expressive, rhapsodic,
imaginative and one of the most
technically demanding.
HOTOFF THE
PRESS
01 02
03 04SYMPHONY #5 - GUSTAV MAHLER
TRIPLE CONCERTO - LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
22JAN
05FEB
02APR
16APR
0 5
Misunderstood by many who love it for its
melody, the Unfi nished may be one of the
most infi nitely sad in the repertoire. Maybe
he wrote it when he had just been diagnosed
with syphilis. No one knows why he left only
two movements, but all agree that its lyricism,
harmony and colour are splendid.
05 THE UNFINISHED - FRANZ SCHUBERT
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BeyondBachMusical talent and passion seem to run in the blood – around the world, classical musical families have kept the symphonic torch burning over the generations
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C O N C E R T O , I S S U E 0 5 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5
Feature
Johann Sebastian Bach fathered 20 children in his lifetime. This made for quite good odds that one of his offspring would become a musician; several did. The Bach musical dynasty actually preceded him, spanning over
200 years and six generations, producing more than 50 musicians. It began with JS Bach’s Hungarian great-great grandfather, who played the lute. His grandfather and father were both minstrels, as were many of his uncles, great-uncles and cousins.
The Bachs were not the only famous musicians with a legacy: other greats throughout history include the siblings Joseph and Michael Haydn, Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, David Oistrakh and his son Igor and Richard Strauss, whose father was a horn player in the Munich Opera Orchestra.
THE NOTABLE YABLONSKYS
There are also plenty of contemporary musical families, one of the most notable being Russia’s Yablonskys. Oxana Yablonsky starting playing piano at the tender age of two, and became a teacher at the Moscow Central Music School for Gifted Children at only 17. She taught at the Juilliard School in New York for more than 30 years, and has a prodigious discography that includes recordings of Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Brahms, Glazunov, Khachaturyan, Rachmaninov, Liszt, Mussorgsky and Prokoviev; her recording of Schubert-Liszt won the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque.
Oxana’s son, Dmitry, was born into music – his father is Albert Zaionz, the solo oboe of the Radio and Television orchestra in Moscow. At the age of nine, Dmitry gave his orchestral debut, playing Haydn’s cello concerto in C major. He performed on many occasions across the Soviet Union before immigrating to the United States in the 1970s; it took signatures from personalities such as Leonard Bernstein and Katharine Hepburn to convince the Soviet authorities to issue his visa. Upon arrival in New York in 1977, he was accepted at the Juilliard and studied with Lorne Munroe, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Every country has its own classical music legacies, and it’s no different here in Cape Town. The orchestras have been home to three of the most notable: De Groote, Rennie and Martens/Schwietering, who have carried the musical torch in South Africa and beyond.
THE RULE OF THE RENNIES
Michael Doré has left a lasting legacy on Cape Town’s musical scene. He was born in Moscow in 1883, and came to South Africa in 1934 to become the musical director of Schlesinger’s Colosseum Orchestra in Johannesburg. There he met and married Else Schneider, one of the fi rst violin students to play in the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra (CTSO).
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Michael Doré with Tamara c.1950;
Tamara, Elsa and Michael Doré on a train leaving for a
College of Music opera tour to the Rhodesias c.1957;
Tamara Rennie (nee Doré) c.1960; Rennie Juniors c.1989,
Catherine, Bridget, Michael and Lizzie.
After many years as leader of the Johannesburg Municipal Orchestra, Michael retired to Cape Town in 1954, where he and his wife taught at the College of Music. Their daughter, Tamara Doré Rennie, followed in her parents’ footsteps, spending her life teaching violin and viola as well as playing in orchestras. She married the architect John Rennie, whom she met when they were both violin students at the University of Cape Town (UCT). As a restoration specialist, he has worked on the City Hall on several occasions. Years later, his children would grace the City Hall stage in various school, youth-orchestra and Eisteddfod concerts.
Their daughter Bridget Rennie Salonen and her siblings grew up in a rich musical environment. “Music has always been in our blood, and so it was a fête accompli that all four of us Rennie grandchildren began music lessons early,” she says. “We grew up in the City Hall, literally; occupying ourselves in the passages while our mother played in the orchestra. Sitting in the choir stalls watching the musicians and their instruments was enthralling.”
Each Rennie sibling boasts an impressive musical resume. Elizabeth, or “Lizzie”, was in the viola section in the CTSO in the late 1980s. She studied at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in the United States, returning to Cape Town in 1994, where she became co-principal viola with Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB), principal viola with Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS) in Bloemfontein, and then moved to the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO).
After the NSO’s closure, Lizzie began experimenting with musical styles and now teaches strings at St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown. “She spans the divide from classical orchestral violist to electric pop violinist, with many guises in-between,” Bridget explains. “Her son, Joshua Furtner, is already a budding pianist and singer.”
Bridget’s brother Michael is an exceptional violinist, and also explores many musical genres. “He spent more than a decade writing, recording and touring with his bands Sons of Trout and Mikanic, and moved to New York in 2003, where he was on the string faculty at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and the Connecticut School of Music,” Bridget explains. “Michael directed Musicians for World Harmony, developing funding for music healing projects in African countries. He’s still performing, recording and composing, and also directs New Village Music, in Sausalito, California.”
Bridget’s own career spans over 20 years, from co-principal fl ute with CAPAB in 1989 to solo principal fl ute with the CTPO from 1997 – 2000. She has appeared as soloist with several South African orchestras and is an active chamber musician. “I am the principal fl ute of the Cape Town Pops Orchestra and play the Baroque Traverso fl ute with the Camerata Tinta Barocca,” she says. “I also lecture in fl ute at the
“We grew up in the City Hall, literally; occupying ourselves in the passages while our mother played in the orchestra.”
C O N C E R T O , I S S U E 0 5 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5
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TOP Steven De Groote BOTTOM Paul Martens c.1973
“Few families have contributed as much to orchestral music in Cape Town as the De Groote family.”
THE DE GROOTE LEGACY
Few families have contributed as much to orchestral music in Cape Town as the De Groote family and, even though some left to make careers overseas, they never lost their kinship with the orchestra in Cape Town.
Pierre De Groote came to South Africa from Belgium in 1947, and performed not only as a violin soloist in all the standard concertos, but as a conductor. He was conductor of the UCT Symphony Orchestra from 1966 to 1973 and then again at the end of the 1970s. His wife, Hermina, a violinist and violist, played the Mozart Concertante with him, and was herself an ad hoc violist with the orchestra for 15 years before joining full-time in 1983.
Their son, Steven De Groote, was one of South Africa’s foremost musical exports. He studied with Lamar Crowson at the University of Cape Town, playing and recording frequently with the CTSO from the age of 16 (who will forget his Brahms Second Piano Concerto?), before moving to the Royal Conservatory in Brussels and then the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He won many prestigious awards during the 1970s, which lead to his Carnegie Hall debut, and played with some of the world’s leading orchestras before going on to teach at Arizona State University and Texas Christian University, until his untimely death at the age of 36.
Steven toured Taiwan with the CTSO in 1988; in the orchestra for that tour were Hermina and Olivier, his
clarinettist brother and principal with the orchestra for a number of years. Olivier played with the Weber Clarinet Concerto with the CTSO with his father conducting, and was also a soloist on several other occasions, most notably in the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, which was his last public appearance before his premature death in 1996. (Olivier’s children have continued his musical legacy. Guido and Rudi de Groote are both musicians in Europe.)
Their brother, Andre, is a pianist, who made a career in Belgium teaching and performing at the Brussels Conservatoire and also playing as a soloist with the CTSO. Phillip is now retired as a founding member of the Chilingirian Quartet and played the Shostakovich Cello Concerto with the CTSO.
Their sister, Tessa, a Cape Town Eisteddfod concerto piano category winner, was a soloist with CTSO in Schumann Konzertstück when she was just 16, and followed this with several other appearances. While Tessa’s children have not pursued musical careers, Margaret, her eldest daughter, has worked in arts management for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Feature
University of Cape Town and teach privately. I am passionate about performance health education.”
Bridget has many treasured mementos from her family’s musical past. “I have a recording of Michael playing the Tchaikovsky violin concerto in 1954 under the baton of Pierre Colombo and another when he was 74, playing the Adagio and Finale of the Bruch No. 1 at a City Hall lunch-hour concert.”
“We also have a recording from 1959 of the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra (CTMO) dress rehearsal of the Glazounov violin concerto with conductor Minas Christian,” Bridget continues. “Michael had earlier premièred the Glazounov concerto in South Africa, having played it in 1911 in St Petersburg under the direction of the composer, a fi rst at that time. We have a signed photograph in which Glazounov is thanking Michael for the performance and the original full orchestral score.”
Michael’s near-contemporary Mischa Elman premièred the Glazouno violin concerto in London. “When Elman came to play with the CTMO in the 1950s, the two Mischas embraced,” Bridget says. “Michael had changed his name from Mischa Zirelstein to Michael Doré when he moved to Europe from Russia – with Elman apparently saying: ‘You were the greatest technician of us all!’ ” With this incredible musical legacy, it seems very likely that Michael Doré’s great-great grandchildren will follow in his footsteps.
MARTENS AND MORE ...
Paul Martens, a violin teacher at the University of Stellenbosch, before that concertmaster with the Durban orchestra with his own string ensemble, was married to pianist and lecturer in Durban and UCT, Jacquelyn. Their son Eric Martens was principal cellist in the CTSO. Eric is the father of cellist Peter Martens, formerly principal cellist in the CPO and now at Stellenbosch University; Heidi Martens, a violinist in Salzburg; and Phillip Martens, a violinist in the CPO. Their mother, Marianne Schwietering, is a fl autist and her brother Jürgen, a violinist who was concertmaster of the CTSO and a teacher at UCT; Marianne and Jürgen’s mother, Suzanne, was a pianist and lecturer at Rhodes and Stellenbosch; their aunt Marianne McLean, a violinist, is also the mother of Eddie McLean, associate principal cello in the CPO. Another aunt, Wunneke, was a fl autist in the NDR. Peter’s wife, Suzanne Martens, is guest concertmaster with the CPO and her brothers Cobus (cello), a professor at the Zurich Hochschule and Andre, a freelance violinist in the UK. On to the next generation: Peter and Suzanne’s girls are a pianist and violinist, Heidi’s boys play the cello and violin. Then there’s a link to the De Grootes: Eric’s sister, Elizabeth, is the mother of Guido and Rudi, sons of Olivier.
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Outreach
There is much more to the
CPO than performances
and concerts. “The CPO is
a champion of classical music in
South Africa,” explains Laurika
Steenkamp, Outreach and
Education Manager at CPO. To grow
enthusiasm for classical music, the
organisation focuses on helping
fi nding young people become
part of the classical music world,
coaching them not only in the thrill
of learning to play an instrument,
but in becoming part of the industry.
The CPO has three major youth
outreach arms: the Masidlale Music
Project, the Music Academy, and
the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth
Orchestras (CPYO). “The Masidlale
programme works mainly in the
townships with youth who have
been identifi ed to have musical
talent. It works from the inside,
with young people managing the
teaching,” Steenkamp explains.
“We also have a Music Academy
that runs in Cape Town every
Saturday where 110 youth receive
individual instrumental and theory
lessons. Our youth projects feature
a full symphony orchestra, a wind
ensemble, a strings orchestra and a
junior wind band, with participants
ranging from ages 14 to 24.”
CPO members teach CPYO
musicians, some of whom are
extras in the CPO; CPYO musicians
work as instructors in the Masidlale
Project, and some of those will grow
to become instructors themselves,
one day perhaps playing in the
CPO and serving as role models,
ensuring the training goes full circle.
All these programmes help young
people get a good taste of what it’s
like to be in an orchestra.
“Many young musicians have
a fairy-tale idea about it; they
sometimes need a reality check,”
Steenkamp explains. “It’s hard
work, long hours and often a lot of
waiting around.”
The CPO’s programmes provide
professional mentorships, with
access into the industry and jobs,
something rarely found in youth
programmes. “Out of more than 400
participants in the youth projects,
only two or three will actually
become professional musicians,”
Steenkamp says. “You can’t just
train in music – many musicians fail
here. If they want to do music they
have to fi nd a way – not just as a
musician, but as a person. it’s about
having the right tools, and how they
go about it.”
While the CPO does a lot of work
to help disadvantaged students,
it also assists those from more
affl uent schools. “We open the
eyes of everyone who don’t know
about classical music, both ones
who can and can’t access it,”
Steenkamp says.
Steenkamp and her team also make
a lot of eff ort to introduce classical
music to a young audience in a fun
way. “We make sure it’s relevant, so
we pay attention to popular culture
by listening to the music they use
in ads and movies,” she says.
“We bring in something current
that they identify with.”
For example, last year Steenkamp
incorporated the William Tell
overture with Gangnam Style, the
popular song by Korean musician
Psy. “In the past, the only way to
experience music was with a live
orchestra,” Steenkamp says.
“By making a connection between
current music and the past, they
can see it is a diff erent kind of
experience. We don’t want to think
outside the box, we want to throw
it into the sea!”
Laurika is already doing this with
some of the various other music
activities she’s involved with.
She also runs and produces Cool
Classic Kidz, a music club and
radio programme on Fine Music
Radio 101.3 that helps inspire youth
through music. (It is currently being
restructured but will relaunch
in 2015). Her work is all part of
that philosophy that classical
music needs to be enjoyed in
whatever way people want to.
Some audiences are jubilant, with
people dancing and clapping to the
music. “It’s about creating a safe
space,” says Steenkamp. “Who are
we to say they can’t experience it
this way? Whether they are from
Khayelitsha or Constantia, in music
they are the same.”
Steenkamp’s greater goal is to
create a true classical musical
loving culture in South Africa.
“We want to open people’s eyes
to something new and create a
music industry that has a footprint
in the community. We are a music-
loving culture. Music gives access
to touch people’s lives; you can’t
measure that in monetary terms.”
She must be doing something right;
it’s rare the CPYO has a show that
isn’t sold out. “We’re working on
changing perceptions, and helping
people love classical music even
though they may be experiencing
it diff erently,” Steenkamp says.
“I will only put head my down to
rest when that happens.”
WITH A DIVERSE PORTFOLIO OF YOUTH
PROGRAMMES, THE CAPE TOWN PHILHARMONIC
ORCHESTRA IS NURTURING A FUTURE FOR MUSIC
IN SOUTH AFRICA. WE SPEAK TO OUTREACH AND
EDUCATION MANAGER LAURIKA STEENKAMP
CREATING COMMUNITY
“We want to open people’s eyes to something new, and through outreach create a music industry that has a footprint in the community.”
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RISE COCKTAIL
CURTAIN
RAISER | 7PM
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CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL // JANUARY 2015
Calendar
922 JAN
2015CONDUCTOR: MARTIN PANTELEEV
SOLOIST: STEWART GOODYEAR
(PIANO)
TCHAIKOVSKY FRANCESCA
DA RIMINI, OP. 32
RACHMANINOV PIANO CONCERTO
NO. 3 IN D MINOR, OP. 30
STRAVINSKY THE RITE OF SPRING 8 PM, CITY HALLTHURSDAY
Martin Panteleev
Considered to be one of the most dynamic young conductors in
Europe, principal guest conductor Martin Panteleev has begun
his fourth season as chief conductor of the Sofi a Philharmonic
Orchestra. His insightful and exciting performances have received
unanimous acclaim and he was named the Bulgarian Musician
of the Year in 2013. He most recently appeared with the Royal
Philharmonic, Berliner Symphoniker, the Argentinian Orquesta
Sinfonica Nacional, the English Chamber Orchestra, Concertgebouw
chamber orchestra in Amsterdam, Orquesta Classica di Santa
Cecilia, George Enescu Philharhamonic and Romanian National
Radio Orchestra in Bucharest and the KZN Philharmonic.
Stewart Goodyear Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear has been called “a
phenomenon” and “one of the best pianists of his generation”
by leading US newspapers such as The Los Angeles Times
and The Philadelphia Inquirer after his performances with
the Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York Philharmonic and
Chicago Symphony orchestras. He is in demand worldwide,
from North America to the UK, Europe and Japan. Acclaimed
in concert, recital and as a composer, Goodyear’s recording of
Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto and Grieg’s Piano Concerto,
with the Czech National Symphony, was released to critical
acclaim on the Steinway and Sons label in June 2014.
DEREK HAN’s elegant, polished
and compelling playing has dazzled
audiences across six continents.
Performing with an original style,
Han’s lucid tones are spirited, and
with technical fl uidity and accuracy.
He graduated from the Juilliard School
of Music at the age of 18, and studied
later with Gina Bachauer and Lili Kraus.
After winning fi rst prize at the Athens
International Piano Competition in
1977, he rose to international fame.
He fi rst visited South Africa in 1996
on a critically triumphant tour with the
Sinfonia Varsovia to celebrate the
80th birthday of Menuhin.
CONDUCTOR: MARTIN
PANTELEEV
SOLOIST: DEREK HAN (PIANO)
WAGNER Overture to Tannhäuser
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3
in C minor, Op. 37 BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D,
Op. 73
THURSDAY8 PM CITY HALL
JAN29
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.
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JANNA GANDELMAN,
concertmaster of the Jerusalem
Symphony Orchestra, was born in
Moldavia in 1967. At the age of fi ve,
she started playing violin and soon
after won her fi rst competitions in the
Soviet Union. After immigrating to
Israel in 1979, she joined the American-
Israel Cultural Foundation and
embarked on studies at the Tel Aviv
Music Academy, winning competitions
in Israel, Italy and America. She has
been a member of many great Israeli
music ensembles and performed
chamber music with Gidon Kremer and
Isaac Stern.
Autumn Symphony Season 2015
THURSDAY8 PM CITY HALLAPR
02CONDUCTOR: DMITRY YABLONSKY
SOLOIST: OXANA YABLONSKAYA
(PIANO)
CONDUCTOR: DMITRY YABLONSKY
SOLOIST: OXANA YABLONSKAYA
(PIANO); DIMITRY YABLONSKY
(CELLO); JANNA GANDELMAN
(VIOLIN)
CONDUCTOR: DMITRY YABLONSKY
SOLOIST: DIMITRI YABLONSKY
(CELLO); JANNA GANDELMAN
(VIOLIN)
BORODIN In the Steppes of Central Asia
RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 1
in F-sharp minor
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 3 in D,
Op. 29
BEETHOVEN Triple Concerto in C, Op. 55
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 in
B minor, “Unfi nished”, D.759
STRAVINSKY The Firebird Suite
(1945 version)
MOZART Sinfonia Concertante in
E-fl at, K. 364 (Transcribed: violin, cello)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 in
E fl at, Op. 55 (Eroica)
THURSDAY8 PM CITY HALL
THURSDAY8 PM CITY HALL
APR09
APR16
YI-JIA SUSANNE HOU is the fi rst
ever violinist to capture three gold medals
at three international competitions:
Concours International Long-Thibaud
(France, 1999), Lipizer International Violin
Competition (Italy, 1999) and Sarasate
International Violin Competition (Spain,
1997). No wonder the Strad wrote: “Her
sound is strangely strong yet delicate;
her technique near fl awless…” She plays
on the ex-Mary Portman, Fritz Kreisler
Guarneri del Gesù, Cremona, c. 1735 on
loan from Clement and Karen Arrison
through the generous eff orts of
The Stradivari Society of Chicago.
CONDUCTOR: MARTIN PANTELEEV
SOLOIST: YI-JIA SUSANNE HOU
(VIOLIN)
SHOSTAKOVICH Festive Overture Op. 96 CHEN/HE Butterfl y Lover’s Concerto MAHLER Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor
THURSDAY8 PM CITY HALLFEB
05
MILHAUD Le boeuf sur le toit, Op. 58
FRANÇAIX Clarinet Concerto
DEBUSSY Prelude á L’après-midi
d’un faune
RAVEL Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose)
Winner of numerous national and
international competitions, MARIA DU TOIT is one South Africa’s foremost
instrumentalists, and enjoys a prolifi c
solo career. She is currently on sabbatical
as principal clarinettist of the CPO and
clarinet lecturer at the University of
Stellenbosch. She has been invited to be
a soloist with every major orchestra in
South Africa, as well as various European
orchestras. She has released three solo
albums, all to rave reviews.
CONDUCTOR: MARTIN PANTELEEV
SOLOIST: MARIA DU TOIT
(CLARINET)
THURSDAY8 PM CITY HALLFEB
12
SIR JAMES GALWAY, fl ute, in concert with
the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and members
of the SA National Youth Orchestra.
(Not part of the subscription series)
Festival Gala ConcertPRESENTED BY THE CPO
WEDNESDAY
8 PM, CITY HALL11 FEB
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OXANA YABLONSKAYA is one of
the most sought-after musicians, recording
artists and teachers of our time. Now
emeritus professor at the Juilliard School
of Music, she became the youngest ever
to start teaching at the age of 17 at the
Central Music School for Gifted Children
in Moscow. She has also established the
Oxana Yablonskaya Piano Institute in Italy,
and has played in more than 40 countries
as a recitalist and soloist with prestigious
orchestras and prominent conductors
such as Rozhdestvensky, Rostropovich
and Svetlanov.
Conductor and cellist DIMITRY YABLONSKY was born in Moscow,
began playing the cello when he was fi ve
years old, and at nine made his orchestral
debut playing the Haydn Cello Concerto.
He regularly collaborates with artists such
as Boris Berezovsky and Vadim Repin
(with whom he made an award-winning
recording), Shlomo Mintz and Yuri Bashmet.
He is also principal guest conductor of
the Novoya Rossiya Orchestra in Russia,
having made his conducting debut in Italy
when he was 26. He has since collaborated
with many important orchestras as the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Moscow
Philharmonic Orchestra (principal guest
conductor 2000-2004) and has a festival
in Azerbaijan.
C O N C E R T O , I S S U E 0 5 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5
More magic
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JOIN OUR DATABASE To receive regular newsletters and event information, simply email a request with your details to [email protected] or visit our website on www.cpo.org.za to read the online edition of Concerto. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Ring in the New Year with the
sensational Freshlyground,
accompanied by conductor
Richard Cock and the Cape Town
Philharmonic Orchestra, amidst the magical
atmosphere of the historic manor house at
the Nederburg wine farm in Paarl.
With the dynamic Zolani Mahola on lead
vocals, Freshlyground will have audiences
dancing to all their favourites songs, including
hits such as Fire is Low, Ma-Cherie, Pot Belly,
Doo Be Doo, I’d Like, Would You Mind and
The Man Moves, all played with full symphonic
accompaniment. The concert is presented in
collaboration with the Distell Foundation.
The concert begins at 21:30; choose your
picnic spot when gates open at 17:00.
Contact [email protected] or 021 410 9809
for more details about bus packages and
food availability.
Tickets for the concert are R300 for adults and R175 for those 12 to-18; fr ee for under 12s. Tickets: Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.
AFRO POP MEETS
SYMPHONY WHEN
FRESHLYGROUND
& CPO PLAY NEW YEAR’S
EVE AT NEDERBURG
A Fresh night out
BOOK BY TELEPHONEBookings for the international summer festival open on
8 December. Bookings for the autumn season open from
23 February 2015. Existing subscribers can renew 10 days before.
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]
CAN BE MADE AT SELECTED COMPUTICKET OUTLETS
OR ONLINE AT WWW.COMPUTICKET.CO.ZA
For more details, visit: www.cpo.org.za
COMPUTICKET BOOKINGS
A CENTURY OF SYMPHONY
A century after Theo Wendt gave the fi rst conducting downbeat of the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra in 1914, the music goes on. There may have been vicissitudes in funding and the orchestra’s name, but one thing remains constant: never in that 100 years did the Mother City lack an orchestra presenting the best music of the time. Names may astonish, reminiscences fascinate, photographs remind, nostalgically, of venues like the Pierhead that once were. It’s more than a history; it’s a keepsake that reminds us of how our city and its orchestra are so intertwined.
It is cause to celebrate and, thanks to contributions by a host of musicians, concertgoers, board members, and dignitaries – and the input of Sjoerd Alkema and his doctoral thesis on the early conductors – the CPO is proud to present A Century of Symphony: The Story of Cape Town’s Orchestra.
A Century of Symphony is published by Jonathan Ball and available through most bookstores from December 2014.
To order this book
visit our website on
www.cpo.org.za
SCAN this unique QR code with your mobile phone and you will be redirected to the online edition of Concerto. Alternatively, visit our website at www.cpo.org.za