Barefoot and dirty, Nkosinathi Gumede took his place in the front row at a concert by conductor and pianist Justus Frantz.
The 11-year-old from the impoverished and crime-ridden township of Alexandra in northern Johannesburg appeared enthralled as the flamboyant German began directing his Philharmonia of the Nations through well-known works from Dvorak and Rossini.
For the 120 or so local residents who attended the free concert at the township’s Sankopane Community Centre hall, the orchestra and its repertoire was an unusual spectacle.
Frantz wanted his orchestra of young musicians from 15 countries to perform for people who had not been exposed to his music genre, as a way to celebrate 10 years of democracy in South Africa.
Gumede was among the children who drifted in to the community hall to witness rehearsals for the event that was also used to launch German-South African cultural week, after word got out that there were some interesting visitors making music there on Saturday afternoon.
During rehearsals he walked over to a violinist, as his friends looked on grinning, and carefully studied the tall dark-haired foreigner, the instrument under her chin and the music stand holding the score.
During apartheid, classical music as entertainment and occupation was the domain of privileged whites. Symphony orchestras enjoyed a huge chunk of state funding and black South Africans turned their backs on it and still perceive the music in the
context of its European colonial connotations.
Many still cringe when they hear the minuets and waltzes they were forced to learn at township schools in an education system where African culture was suppressed.
But this perception is seen to be slowly changing. And, at the weekend in Alexandra, Frantz and his ensemble of 60 musicians arrived under police escort in the hope that they could help matters along.
”If this were Jazz or Kwaito music, then that’s another thing. But, hopefully people who hear the music will realise that if you look deep down in Jazz, then there’s classical music,” said Janky Matlala who helped organisers with the Alexandra event.
The Alexander Music Project, consisting of young aspiring musicians from the township, provided the curtain raiser — a lively performance with brass, wind and string instruments.
Their jazzy rendition of ”Meadowlands”, the popular traditional South African Kwela song originally performed on a penny whistle and the African American spiritual ”Let my people go” had the audience, including Frantz, on their feet.
When the Philharmonia of the Nations later performed the exhilarating climax to Rossini’s William Tell Overture, it had a similar effect.
The event had a distinctly South African flair. When they arrived, the orchestra had had Beethoven’s Egmont overture in mind.
But the piano at the hall was in a poor condition and they had to adjust their repertoire.
People took their seats late and the concert was delayed. Members of the audience ululated occasionally to show their appreciation for the music.
”This is what South Africans are like. We like to take established Western traditions and add something of ourselves. We are seeing a lot of changes in our music,” said William Monet, a classically trained musician from the northwest of the country and
a lecturer at the South African Music Education Trust.
”Already our composers are using the western instruments to play South African music as the rules of classical music are loosening,” he explained, citing the internationally acclaimed Soweto String Quatet, an ensemble from another Johannesburg township.
The event ended with the audience singing South Africa’s national anthem accompanied by musicians playing in the ”Afro-classical” style that has become increasingly popular in the last decade.
Frantz, meanwhile also acknowledged the ”incredible inspiration” traditional music from Africa, Asia — particularly China and South America — holds for classical music.
Composers will begin to come up with ”compositions for the world” using traditional music from these parts, he predicted.
Frantz has toured extensively with the Philharmonia since its inception in 1995, playing at high profile events, holding workshops and auditions around the world.
”We’ve been on every continent except South America. This is our second trip to Africa. Years ago, we performed in Egypt,” said Mexican American flute player Carlos Duque, one of the orchestra’s longest serving members.
”Often when we go on tour, we only get to see the nice parts. We’ve come to Alexandra to share our music knowing what this country as been through and what it is still struggling with,” he said. – Sapa-DPA