A feast of fine music in Franschhoek
Booking is now open for the 9th Classic Music Festival in Franschhoek, which runs from 26 to 28 October 2012…..
Celebrated for its scenic splendour and awe-inspiring backdrops, a magnificent experience awaits enthusiasts in the Franschhoek Valley when the annual Classic Music Festival returns in the last weekend of October this year.
Artists, musicians and visitors alike are not immune to the inspiring experiences that Franschhoek has to offer – and this year’s weekend experience promises much to enjoy. The 9th Classical Music Festival presented by Christopher Duigan’s Music Revival will coincide once again with the Franschhoek Ceramics Festival: Art in Clay, and the Franschhoek Open Gardens taking place the same weekend of 26 – 28 October.
This year the Music Festival follows an all-French theme with music across the board; from classical recitals, cabaret, opera and jazz. The concert performances are presented in Franschhoek’s renowned wine estates, restaurants and the historic NG Church.
In line with the village’s reputation for detail and personal attention, the Music Festival runs on an intimate scale and the same attention to details cross over into the musical world.
“The Classic Music Festival in Franschhoek is unique in that we aim to be ‘small’. We don’t seek audiences of hundreds and our venues are intimate everyday spaces that accommodate music for the weekend only,” says festival director and pianist Christopher Duigan.
“There is a very favorable spin-off in that audience members feel as though they are part of the performance, as though the performers are playing only to them. We also encourage much interaction with the audience, and there is plenty of opportunity for the audience to engage personally with the artists. With the added French theme this year, it really offers a unique element of joie de vivre!”
French artiste Danielle Pascal opens the series of programmes with a French cabaret performance. Operatic baritone Federico Freschi, who is featured in the Festival Finale, sings some of the same items of the classic French chanson but in a very different guise.
The French composers uniquely had a fascination for the saxophone, invented by Belgian Adolph Sax in 1846. David Salleras, a Barcelona-based saxophonist, will appear exclusively at this festival weekend. He will bring a fresh cutting-edge to the festival programme by performing his own compositions as well as a selection of standard French saxophone repertoire, both with piano and also with gifted young South African saxophonist, Maxine Matthews.
Christopher Duigan plays a programme of French piano music and is joined by Albie van Schalkwyk in another French favorite, music for four hands at one piano.
A special event making its first appearance at the festival this year is the Last Night of the Franschhoek Proms where a number of soloists including soprano Beverley Chiat and organist Zorada Temmingh join the Simunye Choir and the audience in a very vocal celebration. The idea proves it is possible to combine the Proms favorites and a highlights package of French favourites in a local context.
Concerts in restaurants, a must-do of the Franschhoek Music Festival, include performances at Bread and Wine and Café Bon Bon, both of which combine a dinner or lunch with concert performance.
The weekend of 26 – 28 October in Franschhoek is one not to be missed. For full details and booking information re the 9th Classic Music Festival in Franschhoek visit the festival website www.franschhoekclassic.co.za . Details of the Franschhoek Ceramics Festival and the Franschhoek Open Gardens plus the music festival are available at Franschhoek Tourism www.franschhoek.org.za
For media enquiries contact William Charlton-Perkins on 082 335 6088 or email copydog@artslink.co.za.
-Photos & interviews available on request-
