Artslink.co.za News
Classical JIMF 2012 Chamber ConcertsThe Famous Idea Trading Company01/05/2012 16:02:13 
The Johannesburg International Mozart Festival's (JIMF) Chamber Concerts are perfectly set up for an intimate classical music experience. This year, numerous international stars will join their South African counterparts for the 4th Johannesburg International Mozart Festival (JIMF), taking place from 27 January to 19 February 2012 in Johannesburg. The first Chamber Concert on this year's JIMF programme is on 4 February, featuring German-Japanese violinist Mirijam Contzen, together with Peter Martens (cello) and JIMF Artistic Director Florian Uhlig (piano). Contzen completed her studies with the legendary violinist and teacher Tibor Varga. She plays on a violin Carlo Bergonzi from 1733 and won her first major international prize at the age of 16. In 2010 she played with the Nuremberg Philharmonic under Christof Perick (Mozart), Munich Radio Orchestra under Friedrich Haider (Vivaldi), Radio Symphony Orchestra Leipzig under Michael Sanderling (Brahms), Haydn Orchestra Bolzano under Gerard Korsten (Schumann), Staatskapelle Halle under Karl-Heinz Steffens (Bach), Hof Symphony Orchestra (Korngold) and the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie at the Mozartfest Augsburg. She has collaborated with numerous international orchestras, and has worked with conductors such as Albrecht, Arming, Davies, Feltz, Frühbeck de Burgos, Hogwood, Inbal, Milton, Müller-Brühl, Netopil, Noseda, Pesek, Poppen, Sakari, Segerstam, Solyom and Venzago. In 2005 she founded her own Chamber Music Festival at Schloss Cappenberg, and has been a member of the Waldstein Quartett since 2009. Peter Martens plays on a Locky Hill Cello, and was born in Cape Town. Whilst still at school and studying with Dalena Roux at Stellenbosch University, he won a scholarship to participate in the World Youth Orchestra in Michigan. He continued his studies at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, with Prof Heidi Litchauer from 1991 to 1993 where he also had master classes from William Pleeth, Ivan Monighetti and Heinrich Schiff. During this time he performed extensively as solo cellist for the Austrian Ensemble for Modern Music and as a member of the chamber orchestra, Salzburger Musici. He currently divides his time between the management of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival and the Endler Concert Series at Stellenbosch University. His first concerto engagement was with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15. In 2008 he formed the highly acclaimed Stellenbosch University Camerata, whose first CD recording released by TwoPianists Records won a SAMA in the only classical music category in 2010. He has recently released a double album of the complete Beethoven Sonatas with pianist Luis Magalhães that is available internationally on the TwoPianists label, winning the 2011 Classical music SAMA. South African composers including Hendrik Hofmeyr and Paul Hanmer (who is the JIMF 2012 composer-in-residence) amongst others have written for him. The second Chamber Concert on Friday 10 February will see Brazilian pianist Cristina Ortiz and members of the JFO perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor. The first half of the programme will include Mozarts String Divertimento in F Major K138, as well as three short works for string quartet by composer-in-residence Paul Hanmer. The Chamber Concert on 15 February will have Italy's Massimo Mercelli (flute) on stage with Florian Uhlig (piano). A pupil of the famous flautists Maxence Larrieu and André Jaunet, Mercelli became first flute at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice at the age of 19, and subsequently won the Premio Francesco Cilea, the Concorso Internazionale Giornate Musicali and the Concorso Internazionale di Stresa. He regularly performs as a soloist in major concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Moscow Conservatory, Oslo’s Conserthuset, Herkulessaal and Gasteig in Munich, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, RAI Auditoriums in Turin, Victoria Hall in Geneva, St. Martin in the Fields of London and the Wigmore Hall London and Parco della Musica in Rome. On 16 February Maurice Steger (recorder) will be joined by the popular James Grace on guitar. Steger has established himself as today’s most renowned Swiss recorder virtuoso. With his dynamic style and spontaneous and personal technique, he has also contributed to a resurgence of interest in the recorder as an instrument. Grace is the KANNA Award winner for Best Male Artist at the 2010 ABSA KKNK, and more recently 2011 KykNET Fiesta Award winner. In recent years he has appeared with the Cape Philharmonic, the Kwa-Zulu Natal Philharmonic, the Johannesburg Festival, the Johannesburg Philharmonic and the Free State Symphony in concerti by Rodrigo, Villa – Lobos, Giuliani and Vivaldi. For the final Chamber Concert on 17 February, Misha Simonyan (violin) will perform with Florian Uhlig (piano). The young Simonyan is already recognized as one of the brilliant talents of his generation. Born of Russian and Armenian parents in Novosibirsk, Mikhail began to study the violin at the age of five. At 13, Mikhail made his New York debut at Lincoln Center in 1999 with the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra (ARYO) and his debut in St. Petersburg, Russia at the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre in ARYO’s joint concert with the Mariinsky Youth Orchestra. He has earned first prize awards at the All-Russia Competition in St. Petersburg, the Siberian Violin Competition, the National Prize Prizvanie in Moscow, and the Salon de Virtuosi in New York, as well as winning Virtuoso of the Year 2000 in Saint Petersburg. Tickets for concerts at the Linder Auditorium and the University of Johannesburg Theatre will be available through Computicket. For other venues, including Northwards House, Villa Arcadia, St. Mary's Cathedral, and venues in Soweto, please contact 011 447 9264. For more information please visit www.join-mozart-festival.org, and join the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival page on Facebook for regular updates on Festival happenings and competitions. About the JIMF Originally organized in 2006 in commemoration of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 250th birthday anniversary, the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival has developed into a highly successful and well-loved annual classical music event, with popular conductor Richard Cock at the helm as Music Director, together with concert pianist Florian Uhlig as Artistic Director. Artslink.co.za Account: Gilly Hemphill The Famous Idea Trading 12 cc gilly@thefamousidea.co.za 021 880 0889 082 820 8584 Johannesburg International Mozart Festival www.join-mozart-festival.org Web site: http://www.join-mozart-festival.org
Related Event:
Johannesburg International Mozart Festival
Dates: Sunday, 27th January 2013 - Sunday, 10th February 2013 Related Venues:
Linder Auditorium, 27 St Andrews Road Parktown Johannesburg Gauteng South Africa
Northwards House, Johannesburg Gauteng South Africa
UJ Arts Centre, cnr Kingsway and University Road Auckland Park Johannesburg Gauteng South Africa
|
  |
Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus
Previous
