Music back on menu at Nederburg

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Avigail Bushakevitz

Music in its finest form will be celebrated from this month through to December, with performances by leading local and international musicians at the annual Nederberg Concert Series.

First in the line-up this Sunday is Liesl Stoltz, one of SA’s leading flautists. Stoltz, with an ensemble of Albie van Schalkwyk (piano), Magda de Vries (percussion) and Brydon Walton (double bass) will showcase French composer Claude Bolling’s Jazz Suite for Flute & Piano Trio among other favourites.

Next month two national music competition winners, Avigail Bushakevitz (2010 Unisa National String Competition) and John Theodore (SABC Music Prize winner) share the stage in a programme of virtuoso music for violin and piano. Bushakevitz, who studies the violin at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, will perform violin sonatas by Bartók, Richard Strauss and Schubert.

In July there will be a recital by award-winning SA-born London-based pianist Mark Nixon of Debussy’s Images and transcriptions for piano by Franz Liszt.

Classical guitarist James Grace appears in August, while September will feature some of SA’s leading young classical musicians. This year’s winner of the ATKV-Musiqanto Song Competition will be joined by other up-and-coming young professionals.

October’s recital sees soprano Zanne Stapelberg and distinguished pianist Francois du Toit. Accompanied by Du Toit, Stapelberg will serenade the audience with sultry French chansons and fiery Spanish songs. Music by Debussy, Ravel and Weil will be interspersed with popular classics by De Falla and Montsalvage, as well as the passionate Milonga from Astor Piazolla’s tango opera, Maria de Buenos Aires.

The traditional sunset picnic concert in November will feature one of the country’s hottest fusion bands, Coda, along with SA’s Got Talent winner James Bhemgee and cabaret artist Niël Rademan. They will entertain audiences with renditions of popular songs such as Besame Mucho and Gira Con Me.Fronted by dynamic vocalist Zami Mdingi, Coda will deliver their trademark dance music that combines electric strings and Afro-jazz sax with infectious beats.

* All classical recitals are hosted in the Nederburg Manor House and take place on Sundays at 5pm. Recital tickets are R170. Concert tickets are R80 for adults; entry is free for children under 12. Bookings can be made at ialbers@distell.co.za