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Moving to Mozart and others at JIMF 2013The Famous Idea Trading Company01/26/2013 09:27:36 
“Se vuol ballare, Signor Contino? – If you would dance, my little Count?”. This is what Figaro asks, somewhat belligerently, in Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro. Translating Mozart’s creative spirit and constantly initiating new ideas, the 2013 Johannesburg International Mozart Festival picks up on the dance theme, and presents various concerts that fuse music and movement. A number of choreography concerts take place at this year’s Festival, probing the art of improvisation through combined explorations of music and dance. On Wednesday 30 January, Bach Solo cello suites embedded in free improvisations will be accompanied by dance choreography, with Erich Oskar Huetter (cello) and Tanima (dance). Supported by the Austrian Embassy, in collaboration with MIAGI, this concert takes place at The Fringe, Johannesburg Theatre, at 20:00. On Thursday 7 and Friday 8 February at 19:30, the Wits Art Museum will host to two unique examinations of this theme. "Moving Mozart" will see acclaimed South African dancers Mamela Nyamza and Kirsty Ndawo on stage with Andreas Kern (piano); performing to the works of Mozart, Schumann and Eggert. The rhythmic force of percussion meets dance when Duo FourIVTwo (marimba and vibraphone) share the stage with Thabo Rapoo from Tshwane Dance Theatre, the following day. On Monday 4 February, internationally acclaimed violinist, broadcaster, conductor, speaker, educator and writer Ruth Waterman will discuss, illustrate and dance aspects of J. S. Bach’s Partita no.3 in E major BWV1006 for solo violin. Taking the audience “behind the notes” into the world of the interpreter in an illuminating exploration followed by a concert performance, Waterman will pull out all the stops by attempting to dance the minuet, as well as playing an unusual sarabande on the piano. She will also show how Bach chose to recreate the prelude in a glittering version for full orchestra. “Our reverence for Bach and his enormous output of religious music can lead us to forget that he delighted in writing dance music – not exactly music for the dance-hall, but almost. Learning how to dance Baroque dances when I was young greatly affected how I eventually came to understand, and perform, the partitas. The poise and lightness of the steps forced me to reconsider the underlying rhythmic quality, as well as my bowing style. And knowing the relative tempos of the various dances allowed me to gauge the pacing of each partita as a whole,” said Waterman. Waterman will also present her book “When Swan Lake Comes to Sarajevo”, selected as a “book-of-the-year” in 2012 by the UK Observer; at an event on Sunday 3 February hosted by the British Council. A multi-layered account of her journey into the aftermath of war as she returns year after year to guest-conduct the multi-ethnic Mostar Sinfonietta; the narrative starts in 2002 and describes the frustrations and absurdities and delights of daily life in this “strange peace”, of rehearsing in leaking auditoriums, pressed for time as well as for musicians, while trying to understand the larger issues that underlie everything in this broken society. Her writing opens up not only the world of Bosnia, and its struggle to rebuild itself and its communities; and the world of musicians – how they communicate with each other and how they learn to inhabit the music, physically and psychologically. The rest of the JIMF programme will again include various symphony concerts and recitals. The final programme is available on www.join-mozart-festival.org. Tickets for the 5th Johannesburg International Mozart Festival (JIMF) will be available from Computicket for concerts at the Linder Auditorium. Tickets for concerts at Northwards House, Villa Arcadia, St. Columba’s Church, and the Wits Art Museum can be booked by phoning the JIMF Office on 011 447 9264; and for concerts at The Fringe at the Joburg Theatre, 011 877 6832. For any further enquiries please contact 011 447 9264 or visit www.join-mozart-festival.org. Join the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival page on Facebook for regular updates on Festival happenings and competitions. NOTES TO EDITORS: 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. About Ruth Waterman Ruth Waterman has been known for many years as an outstanding violinist, broadcaster, conductor, speaker, educator and writer. Her concerts have taken her throughout the UK and US, and in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Israel, and Mexico among others. She has performed on BBC television at the Proms, at the Royal Festival Hall in the presence of the Queen, on New York’s Great Performers at Lincoln Center, and on Russian State Television in the galleries of the Hermitage in St Petersburg, the first British violinist to play there. Concerto appearances have been with such orchestras as the London Symphony, BBC Symphony, English Chamber and Orpheus Chamber Orchestras. Waterman’s reputation as a revelatory Bach interpreter was cemented by her recording of the complete Sonatas with Keyboard (Meridian) awarded top rating in BBC Music Magazine and Critics’ Choice in Gramophone. Originally from Leeds, Ruth Waterman gained national attention when Yehudi Menuhin invited her to substitute for Nathan Milstein in a Mozart concerto under his baton at the Bath Festival. For many years she lived in New York, where she debuted in recital in Carnegie Hall’s International Artists series. While there, she began presenting radio programmes on the issues of music interpretation. These developed into her popular lecture-recitals, Ruth Waterman Explores & Performs which have been heard on the concert platform throughout the UK as well as abroad, and featured on the cable television channel Artsworld. Waterman’s broadcasts have broadened to include a BBC Radio 4 documentary “Music and Memory in Mostar”, and Something Understood on “Listening”. A few years ago, her work in Bosnia prompted her to consider the role of music in post-war societies, and resulted in her writing her book When Swan Lake Comes to Sarajevo, which was selected as a Book-of-the-Year 2012 by The Observer. This in turn has led to many appearances at literary festivals, including the venerable Shakespeare & Co in Paris. Ruth Waterman has conducted orchestras in places as diverse as the Winter Palace in St Petersburg (Hermitage State Orchestra) and the ruins of Sarajevo (Mostar Sinfonietta). Her involvement with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra led to her directing performances across the US, Europe and South America, as well as recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. She has given master classes and lectures at Juilliard, City University of New York, Oxford University, Royal Academy of Music, St Petersburg Conservatory, Jerusalem Academy of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, and many more. More information at www.ruthwaterman.com Artslink.co.za Account: Gilly Hemphill The Famous Idea gilly@thefamousidea.co.za 011 446 7061/46 082 820 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 |
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