Wednesday night kicked of the last JPO season of the year, and this season has an intriguing mix of music choices. I am particularly looking forward to Week 5 (1st week of Nov) for the Double Bass Concerto - I hope I can attend it. Wednesday night's attendance was rather poor - a pity, because it was a fantastic program.
The season started off with "Afroverture", a brand new composition by South African composer Simon Bhekathini Phelelani Mnomiya (known apparently for his choral works), which made its debut performance. The name was slightly misleading, because, beyond drum rhythyms, I did not hear too much African fusion; but the combination of the drums and brass was impressive - and I think it was a fantastic piece. The symphony for the evening, Schubert’s Symphony No. 3, was played in the first half of the program, following the Afroverture.
The last piece, is Beethoven's Fifth (and last) Piano Concerto, played by UCT Professor Francois du Toit. The third movement of the concerto is very popular, and I have heard it a number of times - especially on Classic FM. And while the last movement is impressive - I enjoyed the first movement even more. It was a masterful performance, and highly enjoyable performance.
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