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A Joburg Promusica production of Disney's Mulan Jr. 

Promusica's production of Disney's Mulan Jr.  

Children in Gauteng will be transported to ancient China during November and December, when Joburg Promusica presents Disney’s Mulan Jr. - the first time this show has been professionally produced in South Africa. With a 17-strong cast, songs straight from the Disney movie, and professional choreography, this children’s production is in a league of its own and not to be missed!

The tale of Mulan is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, a clumsy young woman who disguises herself as a man in order to take her ailing father’s place in the Imperial Army against the invading Hun forces. Her

McKerron. Tim has recently writtebrave subterfuge results in many adventures, trials and tribulations, accompanied by the misfit dragon and lucky cricket, and she ultimately proves herself to be a deft thinker and a true heroine.

With its strong female character, the story reflects universal themes that adults and children alike will relate to, such as the importance of overcoming prejudice and the individual making sacrifices for the greater good of society.

Join Carmen Pretorius in the role of Mulan, as she embarks on an evocative trip into legend and lore. (Carmen recently played Gabriella in High School Musical, and will also star in the South African stage production of Mamma Mia! next year.) Other well-known actors include John Baird (Blues Brothers), Ashleigh Harvey, Botha Enslin, Nicol Sheraton and many more. The show is directed by Denver Vraagom with musical direction by David Boverhoff and set design by Kosie Smit.

Date : 22nd November—12th December

Tickets : R75 (Available at Computicket and the Joburg Promusica Theatre)

Coming Home  

Coming Home is a Christmas production with a difference. Based on the parable of the prodigal son, the production is a cross-cultural Jazz/Classical concert with a slight mix of Gospel. The soloists performing in the production include the very highly regarded Sibongile Mngomo as soprano and Tim Moloi as baritone.

Composed by South African born Isak Roux, the work is essentially based on old, traditional Spirituals, and it seeks to bring the Spiritual back to its ancestral home: AFRICA. It draws upon elements of the classical oratorium /cantata, as well as the more recent popular musicals genre. The texts will for the most part be reinterpreted in the various, indigenous languages of South Africa and, in addition, some new solo songs were composed on texts in isi-Xhosa, isi-Zulu, isi-Sotho and other local languages.

Conducted by Kutlwano Masote, Coming Home will be performed by a full orchestra, a choir, 3 soloists and a rhythm section consisting of 5 people.

This production truly promises to break new ground for lyric theatre performances, as well as creating a new genre of music.

Date : 15th December 2009 @ 20h00

16th December 2009 @ 15h00

Tickets : R100 (Available at Computicket and the Joburg Promusica Theatre)

Jaco Meyer Memorial Concert

Jaco Meyer (26), one of the most promising young musicians in Johannesburg, lost his 7-year battle against cancer last week on 5 November. In order to remember this beautiful person, who always had music in his heart, the JMI (Johannesburg Music Initiative), is creating a trust to show heart for any other musician that suffers from a terminal illness.

A Jaco Meyer Memorial Concert will be held on Sunday, 13 December 2009 at 18:00, at the Joburg Promusica Theatre.

The JMI orchestra will be conducted by Graham Scott and soloists include Andre Schwartz and Veronique Lalouette. The programme promises to be exciting and moving, with popular pieces for the enjoyment of all.

In preparing for this concert, we are proud to notice the solidarity in the industry and amongst the musicians in our province. All artists taking part in this concert are giving their talent free of charge, and similarly all costs with regards to venue, instruments and equipment are covered by the Theatre. As such, the revenue collected from ticket sales will directly go towards the Jaco Meyer Trust.

Tickets are reasonably priced at R50 per ticket in order to ensure maximum attendance and awareness in the market. There will, however, also be the opportunity for additional donations to the Trust.

Dates : 13 December 2009 at 18:00

Tickets : R50 (Available at Computicket and the Joburg Promusica Theatre)  

Harmonic Brass Munich

WORLD CLASS BRASS QUINTET TO TOUR SA

One of the world’s very best brass quintets, Harmonic Brass Munich, will perform in South Africa in a series of four concerts with their brand new Program "Bonjour Paris".

The five sound architects of Harmonic Brass have taken their time to work at their new programme. As an audience of the new programme "Bonjour Paris", you are going on a sightseeing tour through Paris which no travel agency can offer: at the zoo, you may marvel at the animals from Camille Saint-Saens` "The Carnival of the Animals", then you are led to Versailles to hear two immaculately played piccolo trumpets describe the fountains there. You descend the catacombs of the Paris Opera to follow the traces of Andrew Lloyd Webber`s "Phantom of the Opera", and the children are welcomed to Euro Disney Land with the long-awaited presentation of a Disney version of "Mouse and Friends". And all this within two hours! "Bonjour Paris" does not leave anything musical to be desired and at the same time increases people`s longing for this wonderful city. 

Whoever loves both a big and elegant sound, will adore Germany`s most popular quintet: brilliantly played brass music together with an overwhelming joy of performing and a big pinch of self-mockery always give the audience the feeling to be in the right place at the right time.

Date : 3 February 2010 @ 20h00

Tickets : R80 & R100 (Available at Computicket and the Joburg Promusica Theatre)

JMI Master Class

Dutchman Tim Kliphuis is fast gaining a

reputation as one of the most imaginative,

exciting and entertaining violinists on the

acoustic scene. He combines Gypsy, Classical,

Folk, Tango, World music and Grappelli jazz

to create an inspired and daring fusion with

soulful melodies, driving rhythms and

funky chords.

Tim’s five CDs to date were critically

acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic.

Maintaining a busy schedule, he has racked

up successful appearances at the Amsterdam

Concertgebouw, North Sea and Edinburgh

Jazz Festivals, Richard Strauss Festival and

Fiddles On Fire, dazzling audiences and

fellow musicians alike.

As a young musician Kliphuis (pronounced

Clip House) cut his teeth in the fiery

Manouche bands playing Django Reinhardt

and Stéphane Grappelli - but nowadays he is

likelier to be heard duelling with Richard

Galliano, Frankie Gavin or Charlie

n the

definitive book (published by Mel Bay) on

Gypsy swing style violin. 

Date : 7 February 2010 @ 12h00

Tickets : R100 (Available at Computicket and the Joburg Promusica Theatre)

Goldberg and Bach Variations 

by Zanta Hofmeyr

Date : 14th March 2010@ 16h00

Tickets : R 100 

(Available at Computicket and at the Joburg Promusica Theatre: 011 – 674 1357)

SES SNARE

Met :

Mathys Roets, Mel Botes, Blackie Swart, Wouter van de Venter, Leon Ecroignard en Thean Kotze

Die legende van die Ses Snare leef voort! Dié gewilde groep het ‘n bedrywige 2010 voor met konserte by verskeie feeste en teaters, en daar lê ook ‘n paar toere voor. Die groep speel op 17 Maart vir die eerste keer in die Roodepoort omgewing met ‘n konsert by die Pro Musica Teater.

Die groep het bekend geraak vir die wyse waarop hulle ou treffers afstof en met akoestiese kitaar en stem nuwe kleur aan bekende liedjies gee. Tussendeur is daar ook heelwat oorspronklike musiek wat deur die manne self geskryf is. Ses Snare se vertonings by feeste soos ABSA KKNK, Aardklop, Innibos en die Volksbladfees was telkens uitverkoop en gehore kon nie uitgepraat raak oor dié opwindende groep nie. Met meester kitaarspelers soos Mel Botes, Blackie Swart, Leon Ecroignard op die baskitaar, Wouter van de Venter wat die lekker rockklank bring, en Mathys Roets en Thean Kotze wat wat met hulle uitsonderlike stemme die sesmanskap voltooi, kan gehore ‘n konsert vol tonekrul lekker musiek verwag. ‘n CD en DVD is einde Oktober 2009 vrygestel en is landwyd by musiekwinkels beskikbaar.

Volgens Giep van Zyl, bestuurder van die groep, gaan Ses Snare nie vanjaar afwyk van hulle suksesresep nie: “Ons gaan steeds bekende sowel as oospronklike musiek in die nuwe program insluit, maar ons wil graag die vertoning na ‘n hoër vlak neem. Ons gaan ‘n paar musikaal uitdagende liedjies instudeer en nog meer gebruik maak van elke Snaar se besonderse talente, en op hierdie manier ons repertorium uitbrei. Ons gaan steeds ‘n paar van die vorige produksie se liedjies ook doen, maar daar wag ‘n paar lekker verrassings op gehore wat Ses Snare vanjaar gaan sien.”

Date : 17th March 2010@ 20h00

Tickets : R 95 

              : R 80 for Students and Pensioners

(Available at Computicket and at the Joburg Promusica Theatre: 011 – 674 1357)

Diversity Opera Quartet  

Celebrating the beauty of our land, the uniqueness of our people -

Celebrating our Diversity through music – The common language of humanity, the language of our soul!

This fusion of multiplicity brings together 4 classically trained opera singers from diverse backgrounds to sing a range of different genres of music from diverse cultures infused with humor and drama and African flavor and style. From Western classical to light music and from authentic opera to African rhythms and movements, as its name suggests… 

Welcome to DIVERSITY!

Yudi Cohen (tenor), Zebulon Mmusi (bass-baritone), Mkhanyiseli Mlombi (baritone) and Khanyiso Gwenxane (baritone) who have all performed extensively on the local and international stage, joined forces in 2009 with a common goal: Diversity is committed to promoting a positive South Africa and in creating unity through music.

The gift of the sound of the union of these 4 world-class voices coupled with their magnetic personalities, incredible rhythm and obvious camaraderie on stage make them a show not to be missed! This singing sensation guarantees a riveting performance – proven in the response to the show to date with standing ovations, colossal applause and audiences dancing in the aisles. 

Date : 21st March 2010@ 20h00

Tickets : R 100 

(Available at Computicket and at the Joburg Promusica Theatre: 011 – 674 1357)

Creme de Chopin

by Zanta Hofmeyr  

The Polish composer  Fryderyk Chopin was born 200 years ago and to celebrate the year of his birth a special Chopin concert will be held at Pro Musica. This programme will consist of his most famous piano music and compositions for duo and trio. Some of South Africa's top musicians there will be heard. Susan Mouton (principal cellist of the JPO) will play the Sonata for Cello and Piano Opus 58 with pianist Charl du Plessis who recently was name a Steinway Artist.

Violinist Zanta Hofmeyr will complete the trio when they perform the Piano Trio Opus 8. Other favourites on the programme include the Minute Waltz and Military Polonaise. 

Date : 28th March 2010@ 16h00

Tickets : R 100 

(Available at Computicket and at the Joburg Promusica Theatre:  011 – 674 1357)

The Seven Last Words On The Cross 

The Seven Last Words of Christ (German: Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze, "The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross") is a composition by Joseph Haydn, featuring seven meditations on the last words of Jesus Christ, commissioned in 1787 for the Good Friday service at the Grotto Santa Cueva near Cádiz in southern Spain. 

Haydn himself explained the origin of the work in 1801, when the publisher Breitkopf & Härtel issued a new edition and asked him to write a preface. 

In the course of his second journey to London (1794-1795), in Passau, Haydn had heard a revised version of his work, amplified to include a chorus, prepared by the Passau Kapellmeister Joseph Friebert. The words were not the original Latin but pietist poetry, written in German. Haydn was impressed with the new work and decided to improve on it, preparing his own choral version. He had the assistance of Baron Gottfried van Swieten, who revised the lyrics used by Friebert. This was the first work in a serial collaboration with van Swieten as librettist that continued with the later oratorios The Creation and The Seasons. The choral version was privately premiered in Vienna on 26 March 1796 before an audience of the nobility, under the sponsorshop of the Gesellschaft der Associierten.

Originally these seven meditations on the Last Words (culled from the various gospels) were for a full classical orchestra. In addition to the musical discourse, Haydn added an "Introduzione" and, at the end, a "Terremoto" (earthquake), after Matthew 27:51ff. Much of the work is consolatory and meditative, but this last movement introduces a very different element of supernatural intervention: Haydn asks the orchestra to play "Presto e con tutta la forza," and it closes with the only fortississimo (triple forte) in the piece. 

. The public premiere was on 1 April, 1798, sponsored by the Tonkünstler-Societät, a Viennese benefit society for musicians. The work was published in 1801.

Still later, Haydn had a version published for string quartet. The first violin part of the quartet version includes the Latin text directly under the notes which "speak" the words musically. This quartet version has come under some suspicion of its authenticity, due to the occasionally careless manner of transcription, with crucial wind passages left out and only the accompanimental figures in the strings retained, and while this remains the most popular version of this piece, many quartets make their own adaptation of the orchestral original.

The piece consists of an introduction, seven sonatas and a finale. 

Introduzione - Maestoso ed Adagio

Sonata I ('Pater, dimitte illis, quia nesciunt, quid faciunt') - Largo

Sonata II ('Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso') - Grave e cantabile

Sonata III ('Mulier, ecce filius tuus') - Grave

Sonata IV ('Deus meus, Deus meus, utquid dereliquisti me') - Largo

Sonata V ('Sitio') - Adagio

Sonata VI ('Consummatum est') - Lento

Sonata VII ('In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum') - Largo

Il terremoto - Presto e con tutta la forza 

Date : 11th April 2010 @ 16:00  

Tickets : REDUCED PRICE - R25 for everyone

Piano Favourites

by Wessel Van Wyk  

On Sunday afternoon, 18 April, renowned South African pianist Wessel van Wyk will play a programme of timeless piano hits in the Roodepoort Civic Theatre at 16:00.To commemorate the bicentenary of Chopin’s (1810-1849) birth, a large portion of the programme will be devoted to some of this composer’s most accessible works such as the Op.9 no.2 Nocturne, the Polonaise in A major,the ‘Revolutionary’ Etude and the Valse Brillante in E flat.

Wessel will also be playing a selection of piano jewels from his soon to be released 4th album of “Piano Favourites”. Included will be popular works by Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff as well as some Spanish fireworks by Lecuona and De Falla.

What the press had to say about Wessel’s interpretation of piano evergreens:

“Performing honed to a fine craft, the exuberance of invention is infectious – PTA NEWS

“Sy tegniese vermoëns sluit skitterende vingerwerk, sowel as fyn kleurskakeringe in” – MUSICUS

PROGRAMME: 

Minuet in A - L. BOCCHERINI (1743-1805)

La Regata Veneziana – G.ROSSINI/F. LISZT (1811-1886)

Spring Song Op.62 no.6 – F. MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)

Polonaise Op. 40 no. 1 – F.CHOPIN (1810-1849)

Nocturne in C sharp minor Op. Posth. – F.CHOPIN

Etude Op. 10 no. 12 – F.CHOPIN

Nocturne in E flat Op.9 no.2 – F.CHOPIN

Prelude in A Op.28 no. 7 – F.CHOPIN

Grande Valse Brillante in E flat Op.18 no.1 – F.CHOPIN

‘Traumerei’ from “Scenes of Childhood” Op.15 no.7 – R.SCHUMANN (1810-1856)

Romance Op.5 – P.TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)

March from “Nutcracker Suite” – P.TCHAIKOVSKY

Variation no.18 from ”Paganini Rhapsody” – S.RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)

Malaguena – E.LECUONA (1895-1963)

Ritual Fire Dance – M.DE FALLA (1876-1946) 

Date : 18th April 2010 @ 16:00 

Tickets : R100 ( R 80 for Pensioners)

The Musicals Unplugged

Angela Killian and Robert Finlayson are two of South Africa’s most celebrated and prolific Musical Theatre performers with a wealth of national and international experience. They have most recently starred in the critically acclaimed production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects Of Love at the Nelson Mandela at the Joburg Theatre Complex and have just completed a season on stage together in Pieter Toerins’ CATS.  

Angela grew up in Port Elizabeth and has played some of the most coveted female roles in Musical Theatre. Angela’s roles includes Eva Peron(Evita), Anna(The King and I) and Marilyn Monroe(Marilyn Live) to name a few. Angela was part of the world touring company of CATS as well as played the part of Babette in Disney’s Beauty and The Beast.  

Robert was born on a wine farm near Stellenbosch. He has performed in a diverse range of musicals and plays. Some of the roles played by Robert are as follows Nick(Fame), Chris(Miss Saigon) and Raoul(The Phantom Of The Opera) amongst many others. 

Both performers were featured in Andrew Botha’s opera extravaganza, Operamania at the Joburg Theatre Complex. In The Musicals Unplugged, Angela and Robert are accompanied by Wessel Odendaal on piano. Together they create an intimate mood, singing their most cherished songs and sharing anecdotes from their careers. Catch this trio of gifted performers who are at the very top of their ‘game’ and see them up-close and ‘unplugged’ at the Joburg Promusica Theatre this April. They will most definitely leave you wanting more. Be sure not to miss this fantastic trio!!!! 

Date : 25th April 2010 @ 16:00 

Tickets : R100 ( R 80 for Pensioners)

Ravishing, Riveting Rhapsodies

The Rapture of Rhapsodies

Take a spin around the Bohemian world with the University of Pretoria Symphony Orchestra’s new programme, “Ravishing, Riveting Rhapsodies.” The orchestra falls under the auspices of University of Pretoria Arts and is the only full scale orchestra in Pretoria that performs the symphonic repertoire on a regular basis.

The evening’s itinerary embarks from Aragon, Spain with Chabrier’s España, a rhapsody based on the Jota, a smoldering dance from the Northern territories. This proved to be an instant hit with audiences and musicians alike, being cited as one of the most authentic works in a Spanish flavour. The next stop on this otherworldly tour is Sweden. Midsommarvaka, or the Swedish Rhapsody by Alfvén embodies the spirit of the forests bringing to life the old and wise Nordic rhetoric.

An indulgent stop over in Hungary is next on the journey and includes a double helping of Liszt. Dancing to the sultry gypsy rhythms and exotic Zigeuner scales, Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and his Rhapsody on Hungarian Folk Melodies will mesmerize and enchant its listeners. The soloist who will narrate the tale of the Hungarian Folk Melodies will be Frants Preis, a brilliant young pianist in his final year of Music, studying under Prof Josef Stanford at the University of Pretoria.

Finally, the audience can look forward to buckling up for the turbulent flight through Rumania in Enesco’s Rumanian Rhapsody No 1. Bringing the journey to the end, the orchestra will amaze as never before, gliding through the complex rhythms and virtuosic embellishments that have become synonymous with this piece of fire, feeling and flair.

Do not miss out on this once off voyage through the reminiscence of old folk melodies and song.

Date : 19th May 2010 @ 16:00

Tickets : R 100 (R80 for Pensioners)

Tickets available through Computicket and The Joburg Promusica Theatre