Johannesburg - Music is said to be a universal language, one that can be understood across different borders by people of different ethnicities.
It is also timeless and can touch different generations, even years from the day it was released. At just 22, South African violinist, Neo Motsatse was not even born when iconic South African composer and musician, Dorothy Masuka released some of her songs. But because of the power of music to transcend generations and live forever, Motsatse has been inspired by Masuka and will be posthumously celebrating and honouring her on what would have been Masuka’s 87th birthday on Saturday, September 3, 2022, at the Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg.
The celebration, titled Seasons: Dorothy Masuka’s Songbook in the Style of Vivaldi' is a musical production weaving Masuka’s prolific work with that of the well-known Italian composer, Antonio Vivaldi’s “Seasons.”
True to Vivaldi’s pioneering work on “programme music,” a type of instrumental art music, the performance will be interspersed with an extra-musical narrative expanding on Vivaldi’s accompanying sonnets to poetically incorporate aspects of Masuka’s musical journeys. The production is sponsored by the South African Music Performing Rights Association
The Johannesburg-born musician who studied music in her formative years said she was honoured to be able to pay tribute to the two music icons. She had her first big concert when she was 10 at the Country Club in Johannesburg with an audience of about 160 people there.
“I am truly excited and honoured to be able to pay tribute to two of the most prolific and truly iconic composers of their times, Mam Dorothy Masuka and Antonio Vivaldi,” said Motsatse about the production.
“As a classically-trained South African musician, it is always my attempt to bring both elements in my music – classical training plus being South African. In this production, we epitomise this duality, and the synthesis is something special,” she explained.
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678 to 1741) was an Italian composer of the baroque era. He was also a virtuoso violinist, teacher, Roman Catholic Priest and impresario who was regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. Among the many instrumental compositions, he also composed a series of four violin concertos, each of which gives an expression to one of the four seasons in a year. Vivaldi’s body of work has formed a basis for much scholarly work in addition to being performed widely the world over.
Motsatse will be supported by a string quartet composed of two violinists, a viola and a cello. There will be a choir, as well as a full band; with composer Billy Monama as lead guitarist.
Tickets are available at Computicket.