The inaugural Cape Town Baroque Festival 2017 – presented by the city’s foremost baroque music ensemble, Camerata Tinta Barocca (CTB) – will feature some of the country’s top musicians. It consists of 7 events, and runs from Thursday 21 to Sunday 24 September, mainly at the St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Green Point.
The festival concerts will feature works by 17th and 18thcentury composers, performed by baroque specialists.
It kicks off with a gala concert of music from baroque operas on Thursday, 21 September at 8pm. Here soprano and TV presenter Lynelle Kenned is joined by soprano Elsabé Richter, tenor Sandile Mabaso, and bass baritone Bongani Kubheka as soloists, along with the Cape Town Chamber Choir and CTB. They’ll be led by harpsichordist Erik Dippenaar, who is also festival director and director of CTB.
Brilliant operatic music from the period
This gala concert will feature music from GF Handel’s most popular operas, Alcina, Rinaldo, Giulio Cesare and Semele, as well as music from Les Indes Galante by Rameau, King Arthur and Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, Venus and Adonis by Blow, and La Serva Padrona by Pergolesi.
“Baroque opera is seldom performed in SA, and we want to showcase some of the brilliant operatic music from the period. We are honoured to have these four soloists, because they are not only exciting and expressive artists, but also have experience with this repertoire,” says Dippenaar.
On Friday, 22 September at 8pm, the Durban-based Baroque2000 will play music by Uccelini, Merula, Geminiani, Barsanti, Vivaldi and Boyce. Violinists Ralitza Macheva and Refiloe Olifant, cellist Cecilia di Cecco will be joined by Dippenaar on harpsichord.
Sonatas and Rondos by Haydn, JC Bach and CPE Bach are on the programme of a performance by John Coulter (fortepiano) on Saturday, 23 September at 1pm. He will play on a copy of a Stein fortepiano dated 1780. The programme covers broad styles from the luminous Galante of JC Bach, to the early Romantic in the highly personal style of CPE Bach.
A walking heritage tour
An interesting festival feature is a walking tour presented by heritage architect John Rennie on Saturday, 23 September at 2.30pm. The tour includes historic buildings in Cape Town’s city centre, among others the St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, the Strand Street Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Mosques in the De Waterkant area.
The popular Vox Cape Town Choir will be on stage on Saturday, 23 September at 8pm. This concert features soprano Elsabé Richter and CTB under the direction of Dippenaar. The programme consists of Mozart’s Laudate Dominum and Eine kleine Nachtmusik, as well as Haydn’s Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo.
On Sunday, 24 September at 11.30am, the Cape Consort, under direction of baroque cellist Hans Huyssen, presents a concert in which the ensemble continues its exploration of the musical interactions within the Bach family. The programme consists of music by Johann, Michael, Christoph and Sebastian Bach – music from a family of composers.
The festival ends on Sunday, 24 September at 1pm with a lavish lunch, presented by Sing for Your Supper – husband-and-wife team of mezzo-soprano Monika Voysey and Chef Marc Wassung. They present Sing for Your Supper goes Baroque.
Marc will prepare a two-course lunch, while Monika, Nick de Jager (tenor) and Dippenaar will provide the music. Book: www.singforyoursupper.co.za/events.
“We are looking forward to an exciting festival of baroque music by South Africa’s foremost musicians. The festival’s aim is indeed to bring together early musicians from across the country – a valuable creative exchange that is necessary in our field of music. This festival will hopefully become a regular feature in the Cape Town classical music landscape,” adds Dippenaar.
What: Cape Town Baroque Festival 2017
Tickets: www.Computicket.co.za
Sing for Your Supper goes Baroque: www.singforyoursupper.co.za/events
Festival pass at discounted rate: cameratatintabarocca@gmail.com
Info: www.ctbaroque.co.za
Social media: Camerata Tinta Barocca – https://www.facebook.com/groups/4608599819/
CT Baroque Festival: Twitter and Instagram, or cameratatintabarocca@gmail.com
Festival: https://ctbaroque.co.za/
WS
