Newsletter to Patrons, Sponsors & Friends, 12th April 2012   

What a wonderful concert we had on Good Friday! My only problem is that I now have ‘Bach withdrawal symptoms’! What to do when no longer sitting at the piano with Matthew??

Bernhard Loonen was quite superb as the evangelist; the other soloists were all excellent and all the hard work put in by the choir paid off – but the star of the day has to be our very own Richard; the ‘shopping list’ in my score calls for 32 orchestral parts (parts not players - to which Richard added a trumpet + two recorder parts), 8 choral parts + 1 soprano in ripieno part + 15 solo parts (divided between 9 soloists); a total of 59 parts – from very substantial to very brief, and singing/playing in different combinations – to steer safely through Bach’s very intricate music for close to 3 hours – what an absolutely gargantuan task – and how brilliantly done by Richard! Aren’t we just the lucky ones to have him as our ‘boss’?!

Our next concert will be different and varied – the date is:

Sunday 24 June @ 15:00
at the Linder Auditorium

and the programme reads like 5 star restaurant menu. This is what you can look forward to:

Music by Walton, Parry, Elgar & Handel to celebrate the 60th Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
Music by JSM Khumalo to celebrate his 80th birthday
Music by E. German and S. Coleridge-Taylor to commemorate the 150th anniversary of their births.

The main item on the programme is Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast; I have to admit I don’t know it, but those who do, say it’s a great work: very different and very exciting! I’m certainly looking forward to learning it. I looked up Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and this is what my dictionary says about him:
(1875 – 1912) British composer born in Croydon of a British mother and West African father; no relation to the poet Samuel Taylor-Coleridge. Pupil of Stanford. Wrote works inclining to exotic and picturesque associations (cantatas, HIAWATHA etc.) as well as a violin concerto, a string quartet and other chamber music, many piano solos etc. – Well, there we are, it sounds interesting and together with the well known works by Walton, Parry, Elgar & Handel this is going to be a fun concert – presenting music from different centuries and genres.

Booking for this concert is through Debbie (082 853 9709 or scj@worldonline.co.za) as usual.

We still have some of the wonderful Maestro-wine left -  a very nice Sauvignon Blanc.You can order from Isobel Osborn   isobelo@telkomsa.co.za - 011 706 3474 or from Richard’s office rcock@iafrica.com – 011 447 9264 and arrange with them to pick-up when it suits. 1 case of 6 bottles @ R400; 2 cases of 6 bottles @ R750; every case of 6 thereafter R375 per case.

We thank you once again for your continued support of the Choir. It is greatly appreciated!

Yours sincerely, on behalf of the Symphony Choir of Johannesburg,

Kate Pape