A brand new South African classical composition will première at the inaugural five concerts by the Cape Chamber Music Collective (CCMC).
Supported by the National Youth Music Foundation (NYMF), the CCMC, a registered non-profit organisation, consists of musicians, ranging from young students to professionals, doing performances in a way that is approachable and informative to all audiences.
These concerts take place on:
- Wednesday January 19 at 6 Spin Street in the Cape Town CBD, at 7.30pm.
- Friday January 21 at the Dutch Reformed Church in Franschhoek, at 7pm.
- Saturday January 22 at the Old Tannery, Wellington, at 4pm and 7pm.
- Sunday January 23 at Erin Hall in Rondebosch, at 2.30pm.
The CCMC commissioned composer and arranger, Matthijs van Dijk, 39, to complete the sole surviving work of chamber music by Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, Gustav Mahler. Matthijs is the son of acclaimed South African composer, Peter Louis van Dijk.
In the new composition, Matthijs has taken the themes and motifs in his artistic way to sketch out two additional movements to follow Mahler’s movement.
Mahler’s works are generally designed for large orchestral forces, symphonic choruses and operatic soloists. The Piano Quartet in A minor is the first movement to an abandoned piano quartet. The new work is aptly dubbed part ii: a Mahler Fanfiction.
Two of the four musicians for these concerts are well-known faces of the annual National Youth Music Competition (NYMC). They are violinist Jeffrey Armstrong, the overall winner and gold medallist of the 2014 NYMC, and pianist Tertia Visser, a regular accompanist at the competitions.
The other two are viola player Stéphanie Lawrenson, 25, and cellist Graham du Plessis, 38.
The concert programme includes the first movement of Mahler’s Piano Quartet, Van Dijk’s part ii: a Mahler Fanfiction and the Piano Quartet No 3 in C minor Op 60 by Johannes Brahms.
The CCMC initially planned to launch in January last year but had to be put on hold when the third wave of Covid-19 hit the country.
“These inaugural concerts fit hand in glove with the NYMF’s vision to identify, expose and develop young classical musicians in South Africa,” says Michael Maas, chairman of the NYMF.
Tickets range from R120 to R200, depending on the venue. All tickets include some wine, beer at the Old Tannery and canapes at the Spin Street venue and can be booked on Quicket via the CCMC website at www.capechambercollective.com
