/ 14 December 2005

Taking the classics to the country

Tohe Kokstad Concerto might not roll off the tongue quite like the Brandenburg Concerto, but one cant help wondering what Johann Sebastian Bach, the 18th-century composer of the latter, would have come up with had he been commissioned to create the former. Would the rumbling trucks, sentinel-like electricity pylons and dry, dusty plains of the southern interior of KwaZulu-Natal have inspired him to create something critics would immediately praise for its harsh beauty? And would the quasi-Swiss quaintness of the more mountainous inland towns, such as Matatiele, have tempered this with flowing, pastoral romance?

Though the matter will, of course, eternally remain in the realm of speculation, its fun to ruminate on it when travelling through Kokstad and its satellites of Swartberg and Matatiele with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The orchestra aims to conquer the remote rural interiors of the province with classical music as part of its ongoing residency programme.

The programme, now in its 10th year, seeks to integrate music into the learning experience of children by reaching into the communities where they live.

On this particular tour of the deep south of KwaZulu-Natal, the orchestra will interact with children from 13 different schools, most of whom have never witnessed the phenomenon of a professional orchestra in full flight. When the musicians return to Durban after a week-long sojourn, 4 350 students from 17 schools would have been exposed to the sights and sounds of the orchestra in action.

The entertaining demonstrations and performances have the children en-rap-tured: the woodwind section makes rude noises through its mouthpieces before showing how the farting-duck sound is transformed into beautiful music when plugged into the oboe, clarinet or flute; the horn section displays the simple skills required to turn a length of hosepipe into a trumpet through which Mozart suddenly emerges; and the Teddy Bears Picnic through solo tuba is always a showstopper.

At the end of each of the many demonstration-cum-performances, the musicians let rip with a thundering rendition of The Final Countdown. By what sinister machinations that bad Eighties glam-rock track is instantly recognised around the world is anyones guess, yet the powerful drums and blaring lead horn melody ensure it goes down a storm every time.

Then, as a send-off for every school, a pupil is invited on stage to conduct the orchestra for a performance of modern Czech composer Julius Fuciks rousing Entry of the Gladiators, which proves to be as big a thrill for the aspirant conductors as it does for their classmates.

Lest the grown-ups feel left out, the orchestra will put on two formal evening concerts at the Kokstad City Hall and the Swartberg Farmers Association Hall. At the latter, the orchestras passionate rendition of the Can Can from Offenbachs Orpheus in the Underworld has a local ladys legs flying as high as any at the Moulin Rouge.

After a heavy week on the road, the orchestras boards the bus back to Durban where the musicians barely have time to catch their collective breath before embarking on the spring season of the World Symphony Series.

Though Im no great authority on the matter, I find it hard to imagine a harder-working professional orchestra than the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic, so from my point of view it deserves a hearty Bravo!.