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KZN Philharmonic Orchestra World Symphony Spring Season … and once more women are in the spotlight!

To honour and celebrate Women’s Month in August, the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra hosted two early spring season concerts which featured a female conductor and a female soloist.

Now, once more, women are in the spotlight for the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra World Symphony Spring Season taking place over three consecutive Thursdays – October 31, November 7 and November 14 – in Durban’s Playhouse Opera Theatre, each with a women soloist and one featuring a woman conductor.

A carefully curated selection of pieces has been chosen for the season, all with a musical spring in their step, featuring works by Beethoven, Haydn, Chopin, Borodin, Bruch, Dvorák, Rossini, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky.

The opening concert on Thursday, October 31 sees Brazilian-born Marcelo Lehninger on the conductor’s podium with the programme featuring Beethoven Coriolan Overture, Op.62, Haydn Symphony No.104, D major and Chopin Concerto, Piano, No.2, Op.21, F minor, the first of Chopin’s two concertos which will be performed by rising 22-year-old British pianist, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason.

The second concert, taking place on November 7, will present both a woman conductor and a woman soloist. A native Indonesian of Chinese descent, Rebecca Tong is the resident conductor of the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra. The programme for this concert will open with Alexander Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia – a symphonic poem composed in 1880 and dedicated to Franz Liszt. The centre piece is Scottish Fantasy, Op.46 – a composition for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch showcasing South Korean violinist Soyoung Yoon. The evening closes with Dvorák Symphony No.5, Op.76, F Major known for its specific Bohemian sound.

The third and final concert on November 14 is a real red-letter day for music lovers, as the KZN Philharmonic hosts the world renowned Russian-American classical pianist Olga Kern. Under the baton of Scottish conductor, Rory Macdonald, Kern will perform the evening’s centre piece – Tchaikovsky Concerto, Piano, No.1, Op.23, B-flat minor – one of the most popular of Tchaikovsky’s compositions and among the best known of all piano concerti. The programme opens with the overture of Gioachino Rossini’s final Italian opera, Semiramide; and closes with the three-movement work for orchestra by Jean Sibelius Symphony No.3, Op.52, C Major.

Bongani Tembe, CEO and Artistic Director of the KZN Philharmonic says: “We are delighted to present such a joyous close to our World Symphony Season musical year, and I am extremely grateful to our KZN Philharmonic musicians and staff for working so hard to present such a dramatic and memorable final season.

“This year we look back on some remarkable public symphony concerts, always being dovetailed by the education, development and outreach work which the Orchestra does all year long. It has also been affirming to see that women conductors have become so mainstream. We are proud of the diversity of our conductors and soloists in our seasons this year, reminding us of the global accessibility of fine music to men and women the world over. Thank you too, to our faithful audiences whose continued support is so important to us all. Enjoy the Spring Season!”  

KZN Philharmonic Season tickets and bookings for individual concerts are available at Quicket outlets. For more information call 031-369 9438, email bookings@kznphil.org.za or visit www.kznphil.org.za.

For those who prefer not to self-drive to Durban’s Playhouse Opera Theatre for the KZN Symphony Season concerts, Park and Ride buses will run from Caister Lodge on the Berea, Westville Senior Primary School, St Agnes Church in Kloof and Grace Family Church in Umhlanga. Book bus tickets are available through Quicket. Subscribers can book through KZNPO offices.

NB: Regrettably, there are no public morning rehearsals for this season.

Spring Season – At a Glance

CONCERT 1

Thursday, October 31 at 19h00

Playhouse Opera Theatre

Conductor: Marcelo Lehninger

Soloist: Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, piano

Beethoven Coriolan Overture, op.62

Haydn Symphony No.104, D Major (London: Salomon)

Chopin Concerto, Piano, No.2, Op.21, F mino

CONCERT 2

Thursday, November 7 at 19h00

Playhouse Opera Theatre

Conductor: Rebecca Tong

Soloist: Soyoung Yoon, violin

Borodin In the Steppes of Central Asia

Bruch Scottish Fantasy, Op.46 (Soyoung Yoon, violin)

Dvorák Symphony No.5, Op.76, F Major

CONCERT 3

Thursday, November 14 at 19h00

Playhouse Opera Theatre

Conductor: Rory Macdonald

Soloist: Olga Kern, piano

Rossini Semiramide: Overture

Sibelius Symphony No.3, Op.52, C Major

Tchaikovsky Concerto, Piano, No.1, Op.23, B-flat minor (Olga Kern – piano)

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