The flute is one of the most ancient of musical instruments, dating back about 35 000 years. Its greatest present-day exponent is Sir James Galway, a 75-year-old Irishman who lives in Switzerland and is married to another prominent flautist, Jeanne Galway, an American.
Sir James and Lady Galway delighted their audience when they played in the Durban City Hall this week and were rewarded at the end with a standing ovation and shouts of “Bravo”.
He is, of course, the main attraction. He played in Durban a long time ago, but the years have treated him kindly and he is a compelling personality, with utter mastery of his instrument and great personal charm.
The Galways played with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, a group of 25 players reinforced for this occasion by about 10 players from the South African National Youth Orchestra. There was no conductor; the players were led (very effectively) by the orchestra’s concertmaster (principal violinist), Willi Zimmerman.
The programme opened with a spirited account of Haydn’s Symphony No 59. It is typically Haydn: energetic, witty, melodious, with some tricky parts for the French horn, and, like all this composer’s music, it left me feeling a bit better about life in general.
James Galway then displayed his great skills, with nimble fingers and remarkable breath control, in Mozart’s Concerto for Flute in D major, K 314. His pleasantly informal approach – he appeared on stage in white shirt and black braces, and occasionally chatted to the audience – in no way detracted from his performance of this brilliantly scored work, which dates from 1788.
The chamber orchestra played one of Tchaikovsky’s best-known and best works, his Serenade for Strings, performed with zest and panache, and then Lady Galway joined her husband in the Concerto for Two Flutes by Domenico Cimarosa, an 18th-century Italian composer celebrated in his lifetime for his 40 operas.
The concerto is tuneful and vigorous, and both soloists produced a powerful tone not often associated with the flute.
Both played in the first encore, a highly original and amusing arrangement of the Rondo alla Turca (Turkish March) from Mozart’s piano sonata in A major, K 331.
James Galway added two more encores, Danny Boy and a traditional Irish ditty, and the audience went home well satisfied. – Artsmart.co.za