Diary

• Thursday    1 March  -  Frozen Planet – 3: Summer / Downton Abbey:Part  3     7.00p.m.
• Friday          2 March  -  Orff: CarminaBurana / Mahler: SymphonyNo.8                6.30p.m.
• Thursday    8  March  -  Frozen Planet – 4: Autumn / Downton Abbey:Part 4     7.00p.m.
• Friday          9  March  -  Donizetti: DonPasquale                                                               6.30p.m.
• Tuesday     13  March  -  Libor Novacek(piano)                                                                7.30p.m.
• Thursday  15 March  -  Frozen Planet – 5: Winter/Downton Abbey: ChristmasSpecial  7.00p.m.
• Thursday  22 March  -  The Song of the Carnivores – WildDog                                  5.15p.m.
• Thursday  22 March  -  Frozen Planet – 6: The Last Frontier /Abbadoconducts Russian Music  7.00p.m.
• Friday        23 March  -  Alice’s Adventures inWonderland -Ballet                           6.30p.m.
• Thursday  29March  -  Frozen Planet Extra – On Thin Ice /Scott of theAntarctic     7.00p.m.
• [Captain Scott died on 29 March 1912]
• Friday        30March  -  Handel : Theodora                                                                          6.30p.m.

Thursdays 1, 8 & 15 March   Frozen Planet & Downton Abbey : Series 2

                    Robert Sibson Hall at 7.00p.m.

                    These two outstanding seriescontinue in March.                    

   Frozen Planet begins at 7.00 and Downton Abbey at 8.15 after a short interval

                     Supper availablefrom 6.00p.m.

                    Admission: $3.00 [free to film members]

Friday  2 March  -  Orff: Carmina Burana / Mahler: SymphonyNo.8

Robert Sibson Hall at 6.30 p.m.Carriages: 10.00 p.m.

Carmina Burana, by turns boisterous andlyrical, sets poems written by medieval monks celebrating life’s pleasures,especially springtime, food and drink, and love both ribald and tender.This performance features Kathleen Battle and Sir Thomas Allen with anoutstanding Japanese choir and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted bySeiji Ozawa.After the interval comes Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in whichRiccardo Chailly conducts massed forces (over 500 performers) at a concert whichformed part of Leipzig’s centenary International MahlerFestival.

Supper available during the interval

Admission: $3.00[free to film members]

Friday  9 March  -  Donizetti: DonPasquale

Robert Sibson Hall at 6.30p.m.

DonPasquale was among the last of Donizetti’s 66 operas and has been described as “the ripest”of hiscomic operas.  The plot centres on an elderly bachelor who has decided to marry in orderto spite his nephew Ernesto but Norina, the wife chosen for him, happens to bethe woman Ernesto loves…

In this production from La Scala, Milan, “Riccardo Muti consistently captures the fun of the piece whilst not neglecting the vein of melancholy that also runs through it.  Ferrucio Furlanettomakes an outstanding Don Pasquale”, Nuccia Focile, in her La Scala debut, was described as “a delightful Norina with a fresh and agile voice” and GregoryKunde brought “a Mozartian elegance” to Ernesto’s music.

Supper available during the interval

Admission: $3.00[free to Red Carpet members]

Tuesday 13 March  -  LiborNovacek (piano)

Robert Sibson Hallat7.30 p.m.

Libor Novacek should need little introduction as this will be his fourth visit in recent years.   He has performed in North, South and CentralAmerica, India, South Africa, Spain, France and Germany as well as extensively in his homeland, the Czech Republic, and in England. His recordings have been very well received and performances of Brahms and Liszt in particular hailed as rivalling the very best already available – and both composers feature in Libor’s programme:

• Beethoven: Sonata No.3 in C major, Op.2,No.3
• Brahms: Seven Fantasies,Op.116
• Janáček: On an Overgrown Path – Book2
• Liszt: Sonata in Bminor

Youth blended with maturity: a mature artist in full control of his instrument and music[Joseph McLellan,The Washington Post]
A major musician at the start of what promises to be a terrific career…. there seems something very special aboutthis artist

[James Inverne,Gramophone].

Booking opens onTuesday 28 February at the Academy

Admission: $10.00 / $5.00 [free to Red Carpet members and subscribers]

Thursday  22 March  -  The Song of the Carnivores – Wild Dog

Robert Sibson Hall at 5.15 p.m.

The third talk in the series is entitled:

• Wild Dog – Dispelling the myth that they are cruel hunters that decimate wild prey populations

It will be given by Rosemary Groom.

Admission:Free

Thursday 22 March  –  Frozen Planet – 6: The Last Frontier / Claudio Abbado conducts RussianMusic

Robert Sibson Hall at 7.00p.m.

The last episode of  Frozen Planet as shown on television is followed by a concert of Russian music conducted by Claudio Abbado at the Lucerne Festival in August,2008.   The programme includes:

• Tchaikovsky: The Tempest,Op.18
• Rachmaninov: PianoConcerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18 [Hélène Grimaud]
• Stravinsky: The Firebird -Concert Suite (1919)

It was a new sound in music that’s almost a hundred years old… Miraculous (TheGuardian).

Gripping performances (The DailyTelegraph)

Supper available from 6.00p.m.

Admission:$3.00 [free to film members]

Friday  23 March  -  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland- Ballet

Robert Sibson Hall at 6.30 p.m.Carriages: 9.30 p.m.

Lewis Carroll’s fantastical masterpiece is wonderfully captured in Christopher Wheeldon’s brilliant imaginative new ballet.  With Principal Dancer Lauren Cuthbertson, captivating designs by Bob Crowley and a lively and engaging new score by Joby Talbot, The Times described this commission for the Royal Ballet as “spectacular entertainment brought to life with enormous theatrical verve”.

Supper available during theinterval

Admission:$3.00 [free to Red Carpet members]

Thursday  29 March  -  Frozen Planet – On Thin Ice /Scott of the Antarctic [nosubtitles] 

            Robert Sibson Hall at 7.00p.m.

Captain Scott is presumed to have died on 29 March 1912 and an additional episode of FrozenPlanet looking at the impact of global warming on the polar regions will be followed bythe celebrated 1948 film Scott of  the Antarctic starring John Mills, James Robertson Justice, John Gregson, Kenneth More and Christopher Lee.

Docudrama of determined British explorer, Captain Scott, highlighting the trials of hislast expedition to the South Pole. This saga of bravery and endurance features an especially moving finale.  Superb musical score byVaughan Williams[Maltin’s 2012 Movie Guide].

The film is in Technicolor and has been restored to produce a picture of remarkable quality for its age!

             Supper available from 6.00p.m.

            Admission:$3.00 [free to film members]

Friday 30 March  –   Handel: Theodora

            Robert Sibson Hall at 6.30 p.m.Carriages: 10.30p.m.

 For this Glyndebourne staging, American director Peter Sellars takes Handel’s story of self-sacrificial love between a Christian virgin and a Roman imperial body guardin fourth century Antioch and, by resetting it in modern-day America, transforms it into a timeless parable of spiritual resistance to tyranny and persecution.

 If you’re repelled by the thought of Roman soldiers in US army uniforms and a Romangovernor glad-handing like a US president, then think again. The score is of matchless beauty, the production riveting, the individual performances flawless. Unmissable[Gramophone Classical MusicGuide].

            Supper available during the interval

            Admission: $3.00 [free to Red Carpet members]

BZAM, the British trust fund supporting the Academy, was instrumental in sourcing the donation.  Sibelius 7 is the most advanced and up-to-date form of the well-known music-writing programme and will be of inestimable value to both the Academy staff in preparing music for their own needs and to its senior students.  It will also be invaluable in preparing parts for Richard Sisson’s Festival commission, The Song of the Carnivores, and the choral workshops associated with it.  All at the Academy express their very real gratitude to both Pavan and AVID and to BZAM.

Don’t miss this opportunity, book now:

For Thursday 15 September: the maestro himself: Leslie Howard (piano)
Robert Sibson Hall at 7.30 p.m.

Apart from the very welcome updating of office equipment, the additional resources have enabled the Academy in conjunction with its own equipment to establish three rooms with full DVD facilities, two with projectors and screens and the third with a television, so that it can accommodate audiences of up to 300, 50-60 or 15-20.  It also means that the Hudson Room can now function as an audio-visual room both for groups and individuals working at individual desks with computers equipped with the Sibelius programme and sound facilities.

The donation was handed over at a special concert given by Academy students on 23 June attended by Mr.Li Hua, First Secretary at the Chinese Embassy, and Senator David Coltart, Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.  Mr.Li said that “music goes beyond borders and it has a universal language that everyone understands. Through music, nations can be brought closer to each other.”

Senator Coltart extended his thanks to the Chinese government and went on to explain how the donation had arisen, saying that he was invited to the Peoples Republic of China late in 2010: “I met the Chinese Minister of Culture last year when I visited the country and I was taken to a magnificent opera centre.  During my visit there, my ministry was given a donation of musical instruments as a token of appreciation which we could use at our own discretion.”  He went on to explain that he thought the Academy was a worthy recipient and commented: “It is a miracle that the Academy has survived this long. It has gone through a lot and has withstood the test of time.  It has done wonderful work for the community.  We hope that the next generation of children will learn to appreciate classical music.”

The Annual General Meeting of Performing Arts will take place on Friday 3 June at 6.30 p.m. in Room 25 at the Academy.  It shouldn’t last much more than half-an-hour and will be followed by a supper interval and, at around 8 o’clock, an André Rieu concert called Roses from the South.  Given the title, it naturally enough features music of the Strauss family – but also has a wide selection of other music including You raise me up, Send in the Clowns, Colonel Bogey, Tulips from Amsterdam and many more.

Dinner will be available after the meeting.  Dinners must be pre-booked.

There is, of course, no charge for admission to the AGM – nor Roses from the South – and we hope that you will give us your support at the meeting, and your suggestions, comments or criticism (if necessary!).  There will be a free drink on arrival and the usual bar service throughout the evening.

Michael

Featuring Beethoven, Brahms, Berg and Britten, the concert was given in the music room of the home of Sir Vernon Ellis, chairman of both the British Council and the English National Opera.

The concert was full to capacity and Sir Vernon introduced the evening by paying tribute to the work of BZAM. Petroc Trelawny spoke in the interval about BZAM’s plans and Ron Sandler made an address at the end appealing for support. Graham’s five singers were young,  passionate and highly talented, and he interleaved the songs with explanation and anecdotes about Zimbabwe and his time at the Academy. There was a real sense of warmth and enthusiasm pervading the whole night.

The concert itself raised upwards of £10 000. BZAM’s initial aim is a trust fund of US$100 000 (around £62 500) but its fund-raising will be ongoing and it plans at least one concert to this end each year. (see BZAM page).

…………………………………………

The Programme:

BZAM Launch Concert – Monday 28th February 2011
49, Queens Gate Terrace, London

‘B is for Bulawayo’ with:

Lucy Page, soprano
Katie Bray, mezzo-soprano
Rupert Charlesworth, tenor
Benjamin Appl, baritone
Martin Häßler, baritone
Graham Johnson, piano

Beethoven   An die ferne Geliebte – performed by Benjamin Appl (baritone)
Brahms   Auf dem Kirchhofe – An eine Aeolsharfe – Es schauen die Blumen alle –
Lerchengesang‑Ständchen; performed by Martin Häßler (baritone)
Vor der Tür (duet) performed by Martin Hässler and Katie Bray (mezzo soprano)
SHORT INTERVAL
Berg   Die Nacht – Schilflied – Im Zimmer –Die Nachtigall; performed by Lucy Page (soprano)
Britten   Canticle I “My beloved is mine” performed by  Rupert Charlesworth (tenor)
Cabaret Songs: Tell me the truth about love – Johnny – Calypso – Funeral Blues;
performed by Katie Bray (mezzo)

A reminder that James Grace will be giving a concert on Wednesday 17 November 2010 at the Academy starting at 7.30 p.m.  Tickets which cost $10.00 or $5.00 are available from the Academy office and are selling well so, advance booking is advisable.  They will be on sale from 7.00 p.m..at the door but choice may be limited.  CDs will be on sale at the concert – there are more details below.

For those who like to know what they’re coming to hear, his programme will be:

PART 1
EAST MEETS WEST
Annibal Augusto Sardinha:  Inspirição
Improviso
Augustín Barrios Mangoré: Mazurka Appassionata
Madrigal – Gavotta
Una Limosna por al Amor de Dios
Andrew York:                   Sunburst
In Sorrow’s Wake
Sunshine Rag
Abdullah Ibrahim:             The Wedding
Carlo Domeniconi             Koyunbaba

INTERVAL

PART 2
A SPANISH CELEBRATION
Joaquín Malats                  Serenata Española
Francisco Tárrega             Gran Vals
Isaac Albéniz                    Córdoba (from Cantos de España Op.232)
Fernando Sor                   Variations on a Theme by Mozart Op.9
Joaquín Rodrigo               Fandango (from Trez Piezas Españolas)
Francisco Tárrega            Capricho Arabe
Rosita
Maria
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
James will also be promoting his latest CD, World Café, which will be on sale at the concert.

JAMES GRACE and WORLD CAFÉ

World Café, the latest album from James Grace celebrates the diversity of the modern day guitar, in a six string global journey including music from the USA, Australia, France, Spain, Scotland, England, Turkey and South Africa. Featured works include Carlo Domeniconi’s hauntingly beautiful Koyunaba, Grace’s own transcription of Abdullah Ibrahim’s The Wedding and Cavatina by Stanley Myers (the theme from The Deer Hunter).
“…impeccable technique and mastery of musical styles”  CLASSIC FEEL MAGAZINE
“…truly a master exponent of the classical guitar”  KWANA NEWSPAPER
James has released five solo albums under his own record label, Stringwise Records, with his previous two albums both topping the ClassicFM Top 20 Charts and earning SAMA nominations for Best Instrumental Album (Café Latino) and Best Popular Classical Album (Sevilla – Music of Spain II).

DISCOGRAPHY
GRANADA: MUSIC OF SPAIN (2005)
PORTRAIT (2007)
CAFE LATINO (2008) – SAMA NOMINEE BEST INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
SEVILLA: MUSIC OF SPAIN II (2009) – SAMA NOMINEE BEST POPULAR CLASSICAL ALBUM
WORLD CAFE (2010)
For more information visit: www.jamesgrace.co.za