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Charles Dutoit (Photo: Lawrence K Ho, Los Angeles Times)
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The pinnacle of delight for the lovers of classical music in South Africa will be the performances by one of the world’s most renowned orchestra’s - the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from Amsterdam – in the following few days. This will be the orchestra’s first ever visit to South Africa.
These concerts under the baton of Swiss-born Conductor Laureate, Charles Dutoit, form part of their first world tour ever while celebrating 125 years of outstanding musicianship, with numerous performances for audiences all over the globe. The celebrated Dutch violinist, Janine Jansen, will share the spotlight along with Maestro Dutoit on stage as soloist, performing the beloved Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.
Known for their unique sound, the RCO is currently rated by Gramophone magazine as the world’s greatest orchestra. Critics have lauded its unique sound, which clearly stands out among thousands of others.
This orchestra par excellence of 120 members will give only three concerts in the country -- in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria. During this tour they will visit six continents: Africa, Asia, North & South America, Australia and Europe – the very first orchestra ever to do so.
The programme will consist of the Overture “Cyrano de Bergerac” op. 23 by the Dutch composer Johan Wagenaar (1862 – 1941), Peter Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, op. 35 and the Symphony No. 1, op.68 by Johannes Brahms.
The concerts will be presented as follows:
- Saturday 9 March, Artscape Opera House, Cape Town; 8:00 pm
- Sunday 10 March City Hall, Durban; 7:00 pm
- Tuesday 12 March, State Theatre, Pretoria; 7:30 pm
Although most of the concerts are sold out, enquiries and bookings can be made at Computicket. Tickets are sold at the prices ranging from R250 to R750.
The South African leg of their tour is hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (KZNPO) .The KZN Philharmonic celebrates 30 years of musical excellence in 2013 with an impressive concert series. In tribute to their three decades of existence, the 2013 programme will be punctuated by extra special highlights, kicking off with the RCO concerts.
Expressing his delight at hosting the RCO, the proud KZNPO Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Bongani Tembe said: “The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra’s mission is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of all South Africans by presenting concerts of a high calibre and integrating music into the learning experience of our children.
“I am pleased that the RCO will be participating in educational and community related work in Cape Town, Umlazi Township and Soweto.”
Mr Jan Raes, Managing Director of the RCO, said: “We are delighted to be hosted by the KZNPO in South Africa, on our World Tour in celebration of 125 years. How appropriate that the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, which has a reputation for achieving and delivering the highest level of quality at every performance, should be partnering with an orchestra whose quest for excellence and innovation has enabled them to be the first orchestra in South Africa’s democratic dispensation to distinguish themselves with a 30 year record.”
Facts and figures of the RCO
The Concertgebouw Orchestra was founded in 1888. On the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 1988, the orchestra officially received the appellation ‘Royal’.
The orchestra reaches some 250,000 concert-goers a year. Thanks to regular radio and television broadcasts in collaboration with its media partner, the Dutch broadcasting network AVRO, that exposure is further increased.
The orchestra has made over 1,100 LP, CD and DVD recordings to date, many of which have won international distinctions. In 2004, the orchestra launched its own in-house label, RCO Live.
In addition to some 80 concerts performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the RCO gives 40 concerts at leading concert halls throughout the world each year. The orchestra participates in residencies in Paris (Salle Pleyel), Brussels (BOZAR) and London (Barbican Centre).
According to the RCO’s brochure: “… sound is difficult to describe in words, (but) the RCO’s string section has been called ‘velvety’, the sound of the brass ‘golden’, the timbre of the woodwinds ‘distinctly personal’ and the percussion have an international reputation.”
The influence exerted on the orchestra by its chief conductors, of whom there have been only six in the last 125 years, is also important; as is that of the musicians themselves. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is made up of 120 players hailing from over 20 countries. Despite its size, the orchestra actually functions more like a chamber orchestra in terms of the sensitivity with which its members listen to, and work in tandem with, one another. This requires both a high individual calibre and a great sense of mutual trust and confidence.
The musicians also share the aim of achieving and delivering the highest level of quality at every performance, an ambition that goes far beyond simply playing all the notes perfectly.
“Consequently, every performance is another opportunity to let listeners hear the unhearable, feel the unfeelable and touch the untouchable. That’s when magic happens and a concert becomes a truly unforgettable experience.”
Maestro Charles Dutoit
Captivating audience throughout the world, Charles Dutoit is one of today’s most sought-after conductors, having performed with all the major orchestras on most stages of the five continents.
Born in Lausanne in the French speaking Swiss canton Valais, the laureate conductor is presently Artistic Director and Principal conductor of the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He recently celebrated his 30 year of artistic collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra, who in turn, bestowed upon him the title of Conductor Laureate. Every season he collaborates with the orchestras of Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles.
He is a regular guest on the stages in London, Berlin Paris, Munich, Moscow, Sydney, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, amongst others.
His more than 200 recordings for Decca, Deutsche Gramophone, EMI, Philips and Erato have garnered multiple awards and distinctions, including two Grammys.
The Conductor Laureate was Artistic Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for 25 years – a dynamic musical team recognized the world over. From 1991 to 2001 he was Musical Director of the Orchestre National De France (during this time he visited South Africa with the orchestra), and in 1996 was appointed Principal Conductor, and soon thereafter Music Director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. He is now Music Director Emeritus of this orchestra.
For ten years Charles Dutoit was Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Season at the Mann Music Centre and for 21 years, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
The Maestro’s interest in the younger generation has always held an important place in his career and he has successively been Music Director of the Sapporo Pacific Music Festival and Miyazaki International Music Festival in Japan as well as the Canton International Summer Music Academy in Guangzhou.
In 2009, he became Music Director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra.
While still in his early 20’s, Charles Dutoit was invited by the famous Herbert von Karajan to conduct Vienna State Opera. He has since conducted at Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Deutsche Oper in Berlin, the Rome Opera and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
Various honours have befallen him. In 1991 he was made Honorary Citizen of the City of Philadelphia, in 1995 Grand Officier de l'Ordre national du Québec, in 1996, Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France and in 1998, he was invested as Honorary Officer of the Order of Canada.
In 2007 he received the Gold Medal of the city of Lausanne, his birthplace.
Charles Dutoit holds Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of McGill, Montreal, Laval and the Curtis School of Music.His extensive musical training included violin, viola, piano, percussion, history of music and composition at the Conservatoires and Music Academies of Geneva, Sienna, Venice and Boston.
A globetrotter motivated by his passion for history and archaeology, political science, art and architecture, he has travelled 196 nations of the world in all.
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Janine Jansen (Photo: Sara Wilson, Decca)
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Violinist Janine Jansen – soloist
Violinist Janine Jansen works regularly with the world’s most eminent orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Berliner Philharmoniker and New York Philharmonic amongst others. Her conductor collaborations include such distinguished names as Edo de Waart, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Harding, Mariss Jansons, Paavo Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sakari Oramo, Antonio Pappano and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
The 2012/13 season sees Janine embark on a number of international tours. At the beginning of the season, she performed Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto on a European tour with London Symphony Orchestra and Valery Gergiev, including two highly-anticipated performances at London’s Barbican centre. She is also the soloist on tour with the Münchner Philharmoniker and Lorin Maazel in Europe, and with the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Ivan Fischer in Europe and North America.
Maintaining a longstanding relationship with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Janine joins Charles Dutoit on a tour of South Africa to celebrate the orchestra’s 125th anniversary. In early 2013 Janine works with the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields as part of an extensive tour through Istanbul, Salzburg, London, Eindhoven and Germany.
Following acclaimed performances in past seasons, she also makes returns to the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, performing the world premiere of the Penderecki Double Concerto with Julian Rachlin, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the hr-Sinfonieorchester and Rotterdam Philharmonic orchestras and makes her debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
A devoted chamber musician, Janine performs on a duo recital tour in Japan with pianist Itamar Golan, performing a programme which includes works by Beethoven, Szymanowski and Dubugnon. She established and curates the annual International Chamber Music Festival in Utrecht, and since 1998 has performed each season at Spectrum Concerts Berlin, a chamber music series at the Berlin Philharmonie. Her regular chamber partners include Martin Fröst, Torleif Thedéen, Maxim Rysanov, Boris Brovtsyn and Amihai Grosz.
Particularly renowned for her success in the digital music charts, Janine records exclusively for Decca (Universal Music). Future releases include a Prokofiev disc with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski, and a chamber project disc, including Schubert’s String Quintet and Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, celebrating the 10 year Jubileum of the Internationaal Kamermuziek Festival Utrecht. Past recordings include Beethoven and Britten Concertos with Paavo Järvi, Mendelssohn and Bruch with Riccardo Chailly, and Tchaikovsky with Daniel Harding.
To date Janine has received the Dutch Music Prize from the Ministry of Culture – the highest distinction an artist can receive in The Netherlands, as well as numerous other awards, including four Edison Klassiek Awards, three Echo Klassik awards, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, as well as the NDR Musikpreis for outstanding artistic achievement. She has been given the VSCD Klassieke Muziekprijs for individual achievement and the RPS Instrumentalist Award for performances in the UK. Janine was trained by Coosje Wijzenbeek, Philipp Hirshhorn and Boris Belkin, amongst others.
The outstanding instrument played by Janine Jansen is the 'Barrere' by Antonio Stradivari (1727) on extended loan from the Elise Mathilde Foundation.