Coming Home

Part classical, part jazz and part gospel; Coming Home is a production by South African composer Isak Roux, which played last night and this afternoon at The Joburg Promusica, in Roodepoort. The production, was effectively a story of a young man who leaves his home to seek his fortune and his journey back when his dream crashes due to a depression in his adopted country. I suppose the story is very topical; but to be honest the story was not very awe inspiring - just a glue and reason behind the musical pieces.

The musical pieces were mostly adaptations of traditional works; but it was the amazing amalgamation of different musical styles that really made the performance worth it. The bedrock of the performance was a full classical orchestra (which featured many members of the JPO); complemented by the Chamber Choir of South Africa, a jazz band and soloist singers (a baritone, a tenor and a soprano). The Soprano, Sibongile Mngoma was particularly brilliant. Another notable highlight was the inclusion of traditional African instruments as part of the ensemble - such as the marimba and the pennywhistle.

It was a very different performance - a lot less formal than the JPO, and a lot more accessible. The audience was also a lot more varied - in terms of race and age group - and the performance was a lot more inclusive.

I don't know if there are further performances (A Google search revealed that it was also performed last year at the Johannesburg City Hall); but it is definitely worth it.