Celebrating its 10th year of existence with a three-year, R36-million funding boost from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, the JPO is embarking on the first of its four annual seasons of symphony concerts.
The concerts are held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings at the Linder Auditorium in Parktown. Joburg music lovers will be captivated by top international conductors as they guide the musicians of the JPO as well as dynamic young soloists, fresh from the world's premier stages.
Week one, on 10 and 11 February, features the JPO under the baton of Gérard Korsten, with Pieter Schoeman (violin) and Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello) as soloists. The programme includes Weber's Euryanthe: Overture, Brahms' Concerto for Violin & Cello, Op 102, A minor, as well as
Schumann's Symphony No 3, Op 97, E-flat major (Rhenish).
Korsten will also be conducting the concerts on 17 and 18 February, when the music menu includes Mozart's Symphony No 35, K385, D major (Haffner), Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No 1, Op 107, and Mendelssohn's Symphony No 1, Op 11, C minor. The soloist for these two concerts is celebrated English cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, regarded as one of the most creative musicians of his generation.
Conducting the symphony concerts on 24 and 25 February and on 3 and 4 March is Bulgaria's Emil Tabakov. On 24 and 25 February, he will lead the JPO in a programme that features Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri: Overture, Bruch's Concerto for Violin, No 1, Op 26, G minor, and Dvorák's Symphony No 8, Op 88, G major. The soloist for those two concerts is Benjamin Schmid, who has been described as one of the most valuable “golden age” violinists in the world.
Russian pianist Konstantin Soukhovetski will perform with the orchestra, under Tabakov's baton, on 3 and 4 March. Audiences are in for a double dose of Mozart magic, with Don Giovanni, K527: Overture and Concerto for Piano, No 23, K488, A major on the line-up, in addition to Beethoven's
Symphony No 7, Op 92, A major.
Japan takes centre stage on 10 and 11 March, in a Japan and South Africa Centennial celebration concert, when Yasuo Shinozaki conducts pianist Noriko Ogawa and the JPO in a programme that features Stephenson's A Johannesburg Overture, Takemitsu's Riverrun and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5, Op 64, E minor.
The final concerts of the season take place on 17 and 18 March, with Shinozaki once again at the helm. American pianist Bryan Wallick will be performing Mendelssohn's Symphony No 3, Op 56, A minor (Scottish) and Brahms's Concerto for Piano, No 2, Op 83, B-flat major.
JPO MD Shadrack Bokaba said: “The first season attempts to strike a balance, both in terms of repertoire and the choice of artists. For example, we move from the familiar when we open the season with the Brahms double concerto, to the completely unknown in week five when we perform Takamitsu's Riverrun concerto.
“The same applies with a choice that includes both local and international soloists - opening the season with locals Gérard Korsten, Pieter Schoeman and Anmari van der Westhuizen, and ending with first-timers in the country, such as the brilliant Japanese pianist Noriko Ogawa.”
The JPO's second symphony season runs from 5 May to 10 June, the third season from 28 July to 2 September, and the fourth season from 6 October to 11 November. Tickets are available at Computicket or at the door. For more information, call +27 (0)11 789 2733, email or go to www.jpo.co.za.
