The 2014 Festival will explore love’s delights and dilemmas, with the theme ‘Un’ aura amorosa’. The 6th Johannesburg International Mozart Festival (JIMF) will take place from 25 January to 9 February 2014, with post-Festival Valentine’s concerts on 14 and 16 February.
After the success of last year’s pre-concerts, which completely sold out in just two days, there will be another two pre-festival concerts which take the form of a Viennese New Year’s Concert, with music and dance. These concerts, entitled ‘One Heart, One mind, One Waltz!’, will take place on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 January at the Linder Auditorium; featuring Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (soprano) and 2014 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner Njabulo Madlala (baritone), with the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra (JFO) under the baton of Richard Cock, and dancers from Joburg Ballet.
The Festival will begin in earnest on Monday 27 January, with a Song Recital performed by Christoph Genz (tenor), Reiner Schneider-Waterberg (baritone), and Cornelia Herrmann (piano) at Northwards House. A second Song Recital will take place in the same venue on 2 February with tenor Josef Protschka accompanied by Florian Uhlig on piano, interpreting Schubert’s song cycle Die schöne Müllerin.
Prof Protschka will also be leading a week-long Vocal Masterclass in conjunction with the University of Pretoria, which will culminate in a final Recital on 8 February at Northwards House. One participant could be selected through this programme to attend a fully-sponsored year of vocal and academic study with Prof Protschka at the Music College in Cologne.
Austrian organist Martin Haselböck will present an Organ Masterclass, and two Recitals – one in Pretoria at the University Chapel on 29 January, and another in Johannesburg at St George’s Church on 30 January.
Johannesburg-born American pianist Anton Nel will present a recital of works by Mozart, Debussy, Schumann and Beethoven, and the South African Premiere of ‘Green’ by Alan Fletcher; on 1 February at the Linder Auditorium. The world-renowned Nel will also perform as the soloist in the Symphony Concert on 4 February, joining forces with the JFO to present works by W.A. Mozart: Overture from Marriage of Figaro, Piano Concerto in C major K 467, Piano Concerto in C minor K 491, and Symphony No. 35 in D major K. 385 (“Haffner”).
On 3 February, the highly acclaimed French-Israeli Pianist Jonathan Gilad will present a Piano Recital of works by W.A. Mozart, Franz Liszt, and Richard Wagner.
A Choral Concert on 28 January will see soprano Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi, baritone Njabulo Madlala, Redfern-Pauna Four Hands Duo (piano), the Chanticleer Singers, and members of the Johannesburg Symphony Choir, joining forces to present Brahms’ ‘Ein deutsches Requiem Op. 45’ at the Linder Auditorium.
Northwards House will host two Chamber Music Concerts – performed by Hyeyoon Park (violin) and Florian Uhlig (piano) on 5 February; and Peter Bruns (cello) and Annegret Kuttner (piano) on 6 February. Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble will keep with the ‘love’ theme of this year’s JIMF as they present a Chamber Orchestra Concert with a varied programme which will include some love songs, at The Edge at St Mary’s School in Waverley on 7 February.
Improviser extraordinaire, pianist Paul Hanmer will again incorporate live music with silent film in ‘Cinema Improvisando’, on 29 and 31 January, at The Bioscope.
Claudia Fratini (narrator), Thabo Rapoo (dance), and Magda de Vries (marimba) will collaborate in a Choreography/Literature Concert; entitled ‘L’amore è una guerra’; on 31 January. Fratini will narrate texts by Neruda, Petrarch, Dante, Saba and Yates, while de Vries offers musical highlights, including Ravel’s ‘Pavane’, the Intermezzo from Mascagni’s ‘Cavalleria rusticana’, the Lacrimosa from Mozart’s ‘Requiem’, as well as works by Nebosja J. Zivkovic. Through his choreography, dancer Rapoo will bind text and music together. Cellist Erich Oskar Huetter and dancer Tanja (Tanima) Schmid will ‘transform emotions’ in an improvised Choreography Concert on 8 February.
The work of 2014 Composer-in-Residence, Clare Loveday, will feature in two programmes. A newly commissioned sound installation, to be presented at the Goethe Institut on 7 February, brings together the talents of Waldo Alexander (violin), and Nandipha Mntambo (artist), joining sculptural elements with a live performer playing music within the installation at scheduled times.
The Final Concert will take place at The Edge, St Mary’s School, Waverley, and sees Florian Uhlig (piano), and members of the JFO, presenting the following works: Clare Loveday’s ‘Ribbons’, Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s ‘Septet in D minor Op. 74’, Francis Poulenc’s ‘Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet Op. 100’ and the premiere of a new piano concerto by Clare Loveday, commissioned by JIMF and SAMRO, entitled ‘Three Portraits of Intimacy’.
In addition to attendance at the performance events, musical enthusiasts are encouraged to take part in the annual ‘Orchestra from Scratch’. Open to anyone who can play a musical instrument (minimum of Grade 3), participation should be arranged by contacting the JIMF office on (011) 447 9264.
Special Post-Festival Valentine’s Concerts entitled ‘Love is a Many Splendored Thing’ will be held on Friday 14 and Sunday 16 February at the Linder Auditorium.
Full details of the programme for the 6th Johannesburg International Mozart Festival (JIMF) are available on the Festival’s website. Venues for this year’s Festival include the Goethe Institut, Linder Auditorium, Musaion Concert Hall, Northwards House, Scott Gym, St. George’s Church, The Bioscope, The Edge at St Mary’s School in Waverley, University Chapel at the University of Pretoria and Villa Arcadia. Tickets (from R80 to R240) are available from Computicket or the JIMF Office, with special prices for senior citizens and students on selected concerts. Please contact (011) 447 9264 or visit www.join-mozart-festival.org for more information, and “like” the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival page on Facebook for regular updates on Festival happenings.?
Author: Fiona Gordon.
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Richard Cock. Photographer: Supplied by JIMF
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