Durban offers a laid-back mix of classical and modern classics this week.
? The acclaimed German duo of Peter Bruns (cello) and Annegret Kuttner (piano) perform a single recital in the city this week. Bruns has been compared to the late Pablo Casals, the great Spanish cellist and conductor, whose 1730 Tononi cello Bruns owns. Radio Cologne critic Maja Ellmenreich said: “Like Casals, Bruns is not merely content to play the cello but to speak with it.” Bruns and emerging young piano star Kuttner perform works by Mendelssohn, Schubert and Beethoven. The recital is hosted by Durban classical music initiative Friends of Music.
Durban Jewish Centre, 44 Old Fort Road, Tuesday October 25 at 7.45pm. Tickets are R60 at Computicket.
? Two of KwaZulu-Natal’s biggest crowd-pulling stars form an unlikely pairing — the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir is joining forces with uShaka Marine World’s dolphins in a production titled Unlimited Fun. A repeat of last year’s sold-out success, the choir is back at the oceanarium for another thrilling show that aligns magnificent music with the grace of some of the ocean’s most beautiful creatures.
While the choir sings classical works such as O Fortuna, Funiculi and Exsultate Justi and popular tunes such as Beautiful Girl, Bridge over Troubled Water and Love Changes Everything, dolphin divas Affrika, Tombi, Khanya and Zulu and saltwater showmen Kelpie, Jula, Khwezi, Ingelosi and Gambit will provide breathtaking aquatic displays. Gambit, the largest bottlenose dolphin in any oceanarium, is particularly esteemed for his prowess as a performer.
uShaka Marine World, October 21 to October 24 at 7pm. Tickets are R110 a person at Computicket. Booking is essential. Included in the cost is a half-price ticket to Seaworld. Tel: 031 328 8000.
? Memoirs: The Music of Simon & Garfunkel features talented musicians and performers Aaron Nel and Alistair Andrew, both on guitar and vocals, in Durban this weekend. Simon & Garfunkel emerged in the early 1960s as a young, typically harmony-driven act who had cut their teeth on the Everly Brothers and knew the Great Traditional Songbook and the folk groups of their era.
But the two natives of New York’s Queens borough created a musical idiom too restlessly original to fit into the folk mould. Their signature style — a unique blend of surf-pop, folk-rock, jazz, blues, soul and swing — was evidenced by their great swansong, Bridge over Troubled Water, which remained at the top of the Billboard charts for six weeks in 1970.
Rhumbelow Theatre, 22 Cunningham Avenue, off Bartle Road. Shows take place on Friday October 21 and Saturday October 22 at 8pm, and on Sunday October 23 at 6.30pm. Tickets are R100 with the venue opening 90 minutes before the show for picnic dinner. Braai facilities and cash bar are provided. Tel: 031 205 7602 / 082 499 8636 Website: www.rhumbelow.za.net.