Kakadu - The Musical

A bit of a late review; Joburg Theatre hosted the Nigerian musical - Kakadu - as part of its Africa Month celebrations. The musical is set shortly after Nigeria's independence and charts the decent from democracy to military dictatorship and the Biafran war; a civil war that tears the multi-ethnic community apart. 

The story itself traces a few different characters representing various groups in Nigeria, who get together and party in the popular nightclub, Kakadu. At first, without the context of the various names, it is difficult to understand the differences of the various groups; but the program was very detailed and helpful in this regard. The music - mostly American and British hits from the 1960s - leads a very energetic performance; with a show time of over 2 and half hours. The performances were superb, and was a great showcase of African story and theatrical performance.

For me, what was most interesting however, is that, despite the upbeat music and a love story of reconciliation across ethnic groups; the story is one of despair, as evidenced in the final song. That despite the massive human and mineral resources; how is it that the country has not progressed to that of a first world nation - and the lack of progress cannot just be laid at the foot of colonialism. Corruption, nepotism and ethnic strife are big stumbling blocks, which cost a lot and have very little to do with global super power interventions. A similar story is emerging in South Africa; and the story has a lot of alarm bells worth heeding.

Decoda and The JPO

As the JPO is slowly regaining its feet, the new CEO and Artistic Director, Bongani Tembe, has really brought some interesting musical performances to the table. The Decoda ensemble - a group of 9 musicians affiliated to Carnegie Hall in New York, is one such example. Decoda are in South Africa for a 3 week tour - with shows still scheduled in Durban and Cape Town in the coming weeks.

The concert started with the debut performance of a commissioned piece by South African composer Matthijs van Dijk, Drop - featuring all 9 ensemble musicians and the orchestra. It's a relatively short piece - about 8 mins long, focused around the word "drop" - including water and electronic music references. It was upbeat, fun and very different to the rest of the program; and very enjoyable.

In contrast to previous JPO performances, the second piece was performed purely by Decoda - Lutoslawski's Dance Preludes. While originally written for clarinet and piano, the ensemble has rearranged it for the ensemble; and as noted in the introduction, the arrangement highlights the different instruments in the ensemble. The piece was far longer than the advertised 7 minutes in the program - and well worth the extra minutes :)

The final part of the first half  was Haydn's Symphonia Concertante, featuring the violin, cello, oboe and basson players of Decoda. This is probably the first Haydn symphony that I really enjoyed - again something really different to normal JPO performances; even though this is very much a classical music piece.

After the break, conductor Yasuo Shinozaki, led the orchestra through one of the best performances of Beethoven's 5^th Symphony I have heard. It is probably my favourite classical music piece - and the tempo of the final movement was just amazing. It capped off an amazing concert - and things are really looking up for the JPO.

Mahler "Tragic" Symphony

I have seen circular concert halls on YouTube, but today (Saturday) was my first time sitting in one, and specifically behind the orchestra, which also happens to be the cheap seats. Concert tickets, even for the cheap seats were not cheap, but despite this, the hall was almost full. The audience was also quite diverse in terms of age group, with a number of children in attendance.

The concert started with a short 20 minute piece,"swallow harbour", by a young American composer Conrad Tao, in it's debut performance. The notes from the composer mentions that the piece is inspired by the city's jagged skyline - and thus the music is jagged with various short snippets. There isn't really a consistent theme or melody till almost the very end and the performance, to me at least, was not really that pleasant - too experimental and too distorted to make it pleasant and entertaining.

After a short interval, Mahler's 6th Symphony, was the highlight performance. It's the first time I have heard it, and the program notes made it fairly easy to follow the progression. The symphony is said tone Mahler's most personal, inspired by his wife - so it's a bit strange that it explores death and tragedy in its finale; and much of the joyous and passion are wiped out by the finale. 

It was a magnificent performance - and being next to the percussion in this specific performance was a pleasure to watch. The only complaint would be - the sledgehammer in the finale just didn't have the impact described in the notes ... but it still managed to break the box!

Buskaid at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival

For their fourth consecutive appearance at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, there were some substantial diversion from a traditional Buskaid recital - no Rameau for instance; and all the composers were pretty mainstream. That is not a criticism of the program; although I did think the sequencing could be enhanced.

The first piece, appropriately given the name of the festival, was Mozart's Divertimento in D Major. As in recent concerts, Buskaid are now playing more complete works, and the piece was an excellent choice in highlighting the prowess of the orchestra in general.

The next two pieces, in my mind, were the highlights of the performance - and should have been used to bring the concert to a close as the highlight performances. Mzwandile Twala, who I first saw perform with the orchestra while he was barely taller than his violin, delivered an amazing performance of Fritz Kreisler's Preludium and Allegro. I have only heard one other performance - Itzhak Perlman's on YouTube, and the experience of hearing the performance at Buskaid was better! It was followed up by Kabelo Monnathebe's performance of Ralph Vaughn William's The Lark Ascending - yet another amazing solo performance.

The first half closed with Shostakovich's "Five Pieces", a selection of joyful pieces from his vast collection of compositions, which were re-arranged for string performances with dual soloists from the ensemble. 

The second half started off with yet another full work - Grieg's Holberg Suite, before moving to some vocal and kwela pieces. As part of the kwela, was a lovely orchestral hymn dedicated to the recently deceased driver for the Buskaid - which I think should have been featured as part of the main program itself. 

The kwela section often introduces new members to the ensemble, and this occasion was no different.  It does raise the question though - should Buskaid members not consider building their own professional orchestra? It is the 20^th anniversary of the Buskaid, and perhaps the right legacy is building an orchestra that not only teaches music but also performs music for the masses on a regular basis - and one that can not only bring western classical music to Africa; but that can take African music to the world.

Viennese New Year's Concert

It's a few weeks into the new year, but the Viennese New Year's Concert is slowly becoming a tradition in Joburg's classical music calendar as part of the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival. It was a rather empty Linder Auditorium, but the concert had a great line up of mostly Strauss featuring a few waltzes, a few dances by Joburg Ballet and two amazing (vocal) soloists. It was a good selection of classical music to kick off the year.

Úyanga Bold

The Internet is great for stumbling across weird and wonderful music. I came across Úyanga Bold in a live performance of Hans Zimmer's Dark Knight score, where she was billed as the "Epic Mongolian Voice". She has a number of performances across Bandcamp, YouTube or featuring in other artist's spaces. Most of her performances have a mysterious spiritual effect - quite soothing, and her vocal range is most impressive. YouTube playlist

JPO's Japanese Night

A Japanese conductor (Yasuo Shinozaki), a Japanese violinist (Kyoko Takezawa), the Japanese ambassador in attendance and a Japanese sponsor for the week - the only item missing, sadly, was a Japanese piece on the programme for the final programme for the JPO in 2016. It was a difficult year, but one that ends with promise for a better future in 2017. The programme started with the lively Dvorak's Carnival Overture, followed by the ever popular Bruch's Violin Concerto No 1, before finishing off with Brahms' Symphony No 4. 

JPO and KZNPO's 2nd Annual Joint Concert

The JPO has been quite inactive since last year's joint concert; and the 2^nd Annual Joint Concert with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, was sort of a relaunch of the JPO. The recently retired Deputy Chief Justice, Justice Dikgang Moseneke was announced as the new chair of the board; and the occasion had a lot more buzz - with attendees including Herman Mashaba, the new Mayor of Johannesburg (who managed to tie inner city redevelopment to the need for culture and thus the JPO), former First Lady Zanele Mbeki and a few ambassadors. It was a packed audience also; and witnessed what I think was one of the finest solo piano concertos and one of the best concerts overall - certainly of those I have attended.

The concert started with the lively Overture to Euryanthe by Carl Maria von Weber; which I don't think has been performed by the JPO before. The musical score was mesmerising and was the perfect curtain raiser to the solo performance.

There have been a number of performances of Rachmaninoff's 2^nd Piano Concerto; and this was in my mind, the finest, thoroughly deserving the standing ovation from the near full house. Pianist Valentina Lisitsa, described in the program as the first classical music YouTube star, was a late replacement; and she delivered an absolutely stunning performance. I am not sure what makes this performance stand out over previous ones - but something just made it special.

The concert finished off with Tchaikovsky's 5^th Symphony. In a time of economic and political turmoil in South Africa; and given the JPO's own recent turbulent past, a symphony that celebrates the idea of "ultimate victory through strife" was rather appropriate.

Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man

Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man is one of my favourite classical music pieces. It is a powerful anti-war statement, influenced by religious texts from a variety of religions (including Christianity, Islam and Hinduism) and secular anti-war poetry; underpinned by a stunning orchestral score. 

I have listened to it numerous times, but Sunday's performance was my first experience of hearing it live. The performance was augmented with a visual projection - which was quite impressive in how well it aligned with the themes of the music and verse; but it is the music and choral performances that really stand out. The packed Linder Auditorium clearly appreciated it; and gave a deserved standing ovation. I don't know if there are tickets left in Cape Town, but if you have the opportunity - go.

Kamasi Washington's The Epic

While I love listening to music, I am not much of a music geek, and cannot identify the various subtleties across musical genres. These days I usually listen to Beats1 in the evenings, but not much more in terms of radio - as I am usually listening to podcasts. And when I do come across interesting bands and performers, quite often through WTF with Marc Maron, I end up exploring the artist on YouTube.

Kamasi Washington's debut album, The Epic, was the exception. There are quite a few performances on YouTube, and the performance scope just drew me it. Eventually, I did the rare thing - just went and bought the digital copy of the album - and I haven't stopped listening to it. The album has an amazing scale - about 3 hours worth of music that explores a fusion of choral, orchestral and off course more recognisable forms of jazz. I can't recommend it enough.

Buskaid 2016

M is away this weekend, and for various other reasons; I only got round to buying Buskaid tickets yesterday morning. While it was not a full house, there were very few seats left. And once again Buskaid put on a stunning show - with quite a lot of variances from previous years in its pop/kwela arrangements. As is almost traditional, the concert began with Chaconne from Rameau's opera Dardanus. I am not much of a fan of Rameau, so I will move along. 

I recall in my first Buskaid concert, a young boy whose violin seemed to be bigger than him. Mzwandile Twala has now grown up; and was the first featured soloist playing Angela Morley's Reverie. It's a peaceful, contemplative piece for the violin; and a great introduction to Ralph Vaughn Williams' stunning "The Lark Ascending" performed with great virtuosity by Kabelo Monnathebe. It is certainly one of the great Buskaid performances; and my favourite performance of the evening. It's a piece I have heard before on radio; and clearly showcased how much more in depth a live performance can be. Due to some rather loud coughing in the audience, some parts of it was replayed after the interval - and I wished that it was performed in its entirity! Before the interval though, harpist Jude van der Wat made a reappearance with the Buskaid, this time performing Debussy's Danse sacrée et danse profane - a great showcase for both the harp and the orchestra. 

After the interval, Buskaid performed the full Holberg Suite. I like the fact that Buskaid has, in the recent past, performed full pieces instead of just excerpts. After the re-recording of a few excerpts for The Lark Ascending, the rest of the concert featured more contemporary music including the kwela arrangements. This part of the concert has been revitalised with newer arrangements - and as always led me to think, that the Buskaid could easily partner with contemporary South African musicians and singers to widen their appeal (and resulting financial well being).

Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra - Music from the Silverscreen

Two of the points I made about the JPO were that it needs to perform on more suitable days (like the weekend) and that it needs to perform more accessible pieces to attract new audiences. The Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra, based in Pretoria seems to have addressed both of these points - they perform on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons, and while their programme for the season is varied - it certainly features some very accessible pieces; such as the performance this past weekend.

The programme featured a variety of orchestral (and some choral) pieces from a variety of movies - Lord of the Rings, Titanic, Crimson Tide, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Prince of Egypt and most of the Star Wars Symphony and finishing off with a wonderful Clarinet (or was it an Oboe?) piece from the little known "Made in Heaven". It was also a nice touch to include projection of movie excerpts during the performance - although the excerpts were not directly aligned to the music itself.

The choral performance was unfortunately weak - the voices just didn't project well enough (and it was particularly noticeable with the theme song from Prince of Egypt). Other than that, it was a wonderful concept and a great performance. 

The orchestra does not perform too many times; but they are certainly worthwhile to keep track off and support.

Buskaid at Johannesburg International Mozart Festival 2016

Sometimes, Rosemary Nalden brings her teacher persona into the concert hall; which can lead to the detriment of the experience. Yesterday was such an occasion, leading to, in my opinion, a more subdued audience. While welcoming the audience yesterday afternoon, a young boy spoke a bit loudly - leading Rosemary to first comment that the concert is not for "under 6", before ejecting parent and child. 

There was a murmur from the crowd (the lady next to me commented, "She is very bossy, eh?" while another later commented on "how strict" she was) and Rosemary did explain that external noise was distracting during the performance. It was therefore quite amusing that a loud thunderstorm decided to intrude during the later part of the performance leading Rosemary to comment that she couldn't control the heavens unfortunately.

Personally, I think this attitude is one that detracts people from attending classical concerts, as it comes across as snobby and aloof. After all, if children are not attending concerts (given that this concert was at a school too!) at a young age, how can we expect them to develop a following later in life? The atmosphere of concerts has also changed - modern day classical concerts compete with pop, rock, jazz and even musicals - all of which encourages healthy audience feedback. Given that the concerts I have attended in Soweto tend to be quite boisterous affairs - perhaps the Buskaid should encourage similar attitudes for all audiences.

The distraction aside - this year's programme was the most enjoyable since I have attended Buskaid's concerts. It had the usual amazing diversity in composers and style and really showcased the talents of the young musicians.

The concert opened with Rameau's Overture to the opera Zaïs. While it is traditional for the Buskaid to always play Rameau, I think this was the first piece that I really enjoyed. It was lively (aided by guest musicians playing woodwinds and the Harp) and felt more engaging than the usual pieces performed by the Buskaid.

Jules Massenet's Meditation from Thaïs, featuring Kabelo Monnathebe, fast-forwarded the era of music by a few centuries, and was a stark change in pace to the Rameau. However, it did go very well with the next piece - Reverie; performed by the modern composer Angela Morley. The composer's life story is in itself interesting, and it is a haunting piece on her conflict being a woman in a man's body before her sex change operation. The solo performance by Mzwandile Twala was amazing - and was also a stark reminder on the youth of the performers - I first saw Mzwandile in the first Buskaid I attended, and he was barely bigger than his violin. Yesterday, as he commanded the stage in his performance - he towered above almost everyone on the stage! The last performance of the first half was the full performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 3. It's a popular piece that is played often - but I don't think I have ever heard the full piece live.

The second half started with Mozart's Overture to Il Seraglio, to keep to the theme of this year's festival of all things Turkish, followed by Sibelius' Impromptu for String Orchestra. The final piece before the kwela and gospel performances; was an amazing arrangement of Bruch's Kol Nidrei featuring two of the senior performers of the Buskaid - Tisetso Mashini on Viola and Gilbert Tsoke on Cello. It is an amazing musical score - and the hand off between Tisetso and Gilbert was seamless. It was a showcase of proficiency - and a perfect piece to finish the formal concert.

JPO and KZNPO's Joint Concert

The newly formed collaboration between the the JPO and the KZNPO got off to a great start with a joint concert featuring both orchestras; in a fairly packed Linder Auditorium (and the stage was pretty packed also). After some short speeches, Junnan Sun, the principal clarinetist of the KZNPO, regaled the audience with a masterful performance of the Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. It was a pleasant change in concerto instruments (given that most performances usually showcase the violin or the piano); and it was a great showcase of collaboration.

After the break, the full orchestras were used to show case Mahler's Symphony No 5 - a symphony that would be otherwise quite difficult for either orchestra to perform on their own; and the sound of such a large orchestra was in itself amazing. I had not heard the symphony in its entirety before; and I absolutely loved the first 4 movements - each with its own emotion/tone; something akin to a tale being told. The famous 4^th movement was amazing, and certainly a performance to remember. And after those movements, the final movement was disappointing - overly dramatic, and felt very different to the rest - but at least there was the 4^th to savour over.

Movie: Roger Walters The Wall

M absolutely loves "The Wall", so the one off movie screening of Roger Walters The Wall, was off course a must see event! It is primarily a concert movie - showcasing the concert performance of The Wall, toured by Roger Walters in the recent past. In between, there is a more personal travelogue of Roger Walters (sometimes with family and bandmates) visiting the graves of his grand-father (killed in WW1) and father (killed in WW2).

The concert itself is amazing - even if it was only for the absolutely amazing effects. A massive wall gets built over the course of the concert - until the entire performance ends up being behind the wall. Together with amazing video displays - this must have been an amazing spectacle live.

As an anti-war protest - I am not sure it really works. While the video displays showed various victims of war - from soldiers to freedom fighters to civilians (and all these without recent police killing victims or Syrian  refugees) - this is still a concert; so what you end up with is cheering and applause in the background. 

So, it feels like a massive disconnect. The travelogue is indulgent - but does not always make sense. And most of all, I don't know why it had to be a special screening event.

JPO in concert with Joshua Bell

At the last Joshua Bell concert, the hall was overflowing. This time around, it was a near capacity crowd - but not full. The ticket prices were very high - so it was not that surprising. The JPO is finally out of business rescue (resulting mostly from creditors writing off their debts), and the concert also launched a new era, with a close partnership with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, resulting in a joint CEO of Bongani Tembe. Hopefully, this concert was a good start toward a successful future.

Like the last Joshua Bell concert, this one also started with Weber's Der Freischütz Overture. It starts slowly, but slowly builds up tempo and instruments before a big flourish at the end. It's a fun piece to start off a concert. The symphony concert for the evening was Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 2. I love the final movement of this piece; and find it quite different to the previous 3 movements - almost as if it is not even part of the same work. While the middle two movements are slow (and quite boring in my opinion), the final movement is energetic, frantic and lots of fun.

Joshua Bell's performance was Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto; a virtuoso piece that brought the audience to a standing ovation. It was a mesmerising performance, and was definitely worth the ticket price.

Buskaid 2015

This year's annual Buskaid concert was a couple of weeks earlier than usual, but there was still an almost capacity audience at the Linder Auditorium. 

The program started with Rameau (sort of a Buskaid tradition) - Overture to Pigmailion and Dances from Zaïs. At least in South Africa, Buskaid seems to be the only ensemble that plays a selection of composers outside the greats (Beethoven, Mozart etc.) - and the Rameau is an example of that. I can't say I love the style - but it is nevertheless enjoyable and different.

My personal favorite was Sibelius' Impromptu for String Orchetra. It is an amazing piece - slow and moody at the start and end, sandwiching a very energetic middle. It was an amazing contrast to the Rameau; and the performance was mesmerising. In fact, I went and found a performance on Apple Music to listen to while completing this post!

Camille Saint-Sans' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is played quite often on Classic FM, but this was the first time I have heard it live. It is a virtuoso piece, and Simiso Radebe's solo performance brought the audience to its feet. A perfect follow up to the amazing Sibelius.

The last performance before the interval highlighted another great difference between Buskaid and other classical ensembles. I had not heard Luigi Boccherini's Night Music of the Streets of Madrid before - but the ensemble took it further; by having a coordinated dance performance while playing the music. It was fun to watch, it was fun to see and gave a real feel for what the music was trying to achieve - something Boccherini himself was unsure could be achieved.

The second half started off with Khachaturian's Waltz from Masquerade, before going through to three movie themes - Theme from Age of Innocence, Theme from Cinema Paradiso (soloist Kabelo Monnathebe) and Tango Por Una Cabenza (probably best known for as the tango in Scent of a woman, soloist Simiso Radebe). 

As with all Buskaid performances, the movie themes indicated a transition to the kwela, gospel and Afropop - to bring the evening to a close. Once again, Buskaid delivered a standout performance. 

Swan Lake

While I am not a fan of his ballets, I love Tchaikovsky's ballet scores - especially the score of Swan Lake. Thus, M did not have to try too hard to persuade me to go to a performance of Swan Lake this month. There are two ballet companies showcasing Swan Lake this month, and we settled on the St Petersburg Ballet company's performance at Montecasino.

I can't really judge the ballet performance itself; other than make a few lay man observations. The prince (the male lead), didn't seem to have much presence - in fact, it seemed that the jester and the magician had far more presence and activity than the prince. The jester for example, was far more energetic and seemed to have most of the acrobatic performance. In comparison, Odette (the lead swan), definitely had stage presence and commanded the stage when she performed. The dancers were backed up with a magnificent stage production; in terms of the backdrops and costumes - so it was a visually stunning feast.

As for the music - it was fantastic. It was great to hear the music in sequence and link the music to the actual story. The Johannesburg Festival Orchestra gave an amazing performance; and overall it was a great performance (although I am not rushing to watch more ballet performances).

Pops Mohamed and The Millenium Experience

Towards the end of the performance, Pops Mohamed talked about how unique South Africa was in the ability to produce the type of music that was performed last night. It wasn't hyperbole - Pops Mohamed has managed to take fusion of cultures and music to a whole new level - combining classical Indian music (featuring tabla and sitar performed by Ashish Joshi and Poorwi Bhana respectively); traditional African instruments (predominantly the kora but also many others, including a San bow, thumb piano and various whistles performed by Pops Mohamed) and Western instruments (saxophones and flute performed by Sipho 'Hotstix' Mabuse).

And the music produced was equally diverse. There were new compositions that seamlessly weaved in the various instruments; to re-arrangements of classics - an Indian classical raga (led by Poorwi Bhana), Mabuse's breakout 70's hit Burnout, and the Beatles' Norweigan Wood (although that does feature the sitar in the original version). 

If I were to choose amongst the amazing pieces, the two standouts for me was the new composition "African Dreams" and a traditional San piece "Honey song". African dreams combined all the genres seamlessly, with Pops Mohamed and Sipho Mabuse starting an impromptu duel on the saxophone and kora respectively; followed by the rest of the band thereafter. It was spontaneous, lively, fun and an amzing showcase of instrumental prowess. The San piece had story on the collection of honey in the desert; and featured Pops Mohamed playing music with a bow pressed in his mouth. It's difficult to describe - but it was an amazing showcase of a very tribal form of music; but one that was not just beating of drums.

It was a mind-blowing performance, of new music - music that no one really had heard before; and everyone wanting more. There are no recordings (yet) - and I hope there is much more (in terms of both public performances and recordings) to come. And The Orbit once again delivered an amazing musical experience.

The Alma Chamber Orchestra with The Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble

When compared to many European cathedrals, the Regina Mundi church in Soweto is neither imposing, nor ornate - in fact it looks like a warehouse in some respects. But, it has a storied past as a refuge for anti-apartheid activists, a seat of TRC hearings and commemorates some of the iconic events in an amazing stained glass window panel. It is an apt location for a concert on peace - especially in the times of xenophobic violence.

The main sponsor of the South African leg is the Ichikowitz Family Foundation; and its founder Ivor Ichikowitz gave a passionate speech on the need for peace drawing upon the numerous conflicts around the world. All ironic, given that Mr Ichikowitz makes his money from the Paramount Group - a noted manufacturer in the defense industry.

The French orchestra, fronted by concertmaster Anne Gravoin, has had a short tour in South Africa, playing at Linder Auditorium and in Durban in the past week; and this was the last performance - a free concert together with Buskaid.

The programme consisted of a number of movements from Vivaldi (Concerto for four violins, concerto for trumpet), Elgar (romance for bassoon), Mozart (horn concerto) and Bellini (concerto for oboe). The Buskaid joined the orchestra to play Khachaturian's Masquerade Waltz and the South African national anthem, before Buskaid finished the concert off with their traditional selection of kwela, which had quite a few members of the audience singing and dancing along.