After an enjoyable Summer Season 2019 at the Johannesburg Philharmonic, which ended this week, and which included some great works that it’s always a pleasure to hear, I’ve put together my wishlist of works that I’d like to hear from the JPO in future seasons. (The Winter Season 2019 programme hasn’t been announced yet, so I’m holding thumbs with one hand while typing this post with the other.) Of course, the orchestra faces many practical constraints, such as having to attract regular audiences who may want to stick to a traditional canon of classics, or the lack of funding required for commissions and rights, or funding to rehearse and perform a work with 100 extra players and rare or exotic instruments. My wishes are likely to remain unfulfilled, but I’d like to hear from other concertgoers if they have similar desires regarding particular works they’d like to hear live.
Bartók: Concerto for orchestra. I’ve been tracking the JPO’s programmes since their relaunch of regular seasons in 2017, and only one-tenth of the programmed works have been composed in the last 100 years. This work premiered 75 years ago, and it remains Bartók’s most popular piece.
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. This work is from more than 100 years ago (but only just), though what modern classical composition has been more influential? And what could be further from the so-far solely mellifluous 20th-century works already presented, like those of Gershwin, Ravel, and Bernstein?
More South African works. Of the 76 works programmed in the last year-and-a-half, only one was composed by a South African (“MaSisulu Sinfonia” by Bongani Ndodana-Breen). By comparison, half of the programmed works are by composers from only two countries: Germany and Russia. The community activist Nigel Branken threw this disparity into sharp relief in a Facebook post after a recent visit to the JPO.
Arvo Pärt: Symphony No. 4, “Los Angeles”. Ndodana-Breen’s piece is also the only piece that was written in this century, and by a living composer. Pärt’s symphony is imbued with grave dignity of the spiritual sort to which his fans are accustomed, as well as of a political kind: his dedication to the Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky is in defiance of Putin and his authoritarian regime.
Brahms: Symphonies. This may seem contradictory to my suggestions above. To clarify, I’m not complaining about works from the 19th-century German tradition (which I love), but only looking to hear more from outside of it. A performance cycle of Brahms’s four symphonies would be one of the most thrilling possibilities imaginable. (Why not throw in the four concerti as well?)
Haydn. Anything — ANYTHING!!
Beethoven. Next year is Beethoven’s 250th birthday, and it’d be a great chance to play through the symphonies and piano concertos that the JPO hasn’t performed yet since the relaunch. Or why not just do them all, all over again?
Wagner and Verdi. The KZN Philharmonic recently held a concert with the South African soprano Cecilia Rangwanasha — whom I was lucky enough to hear at the finals of the Unisa International Voice Competition last year — where they performed highlights from Tannhäuser and La forza del destino. Would we could have such an evening in Johannesburg! (Next year is the 150th anniversary of the premiere of Die Walküre, and to not perform the thrilling Ride of the Valkyries would seem like a great opportunity missed.)
Mozart: Cosí fan tutte overture. We’ve already had the overtures of Figaro, The Impresario, and Don Giovanni. This would be the sweetest cherry to top it off.
Sibelius: Symphony No. 7. We’ve already heard his plangent second symphony twice, but this seemingly more modest work is also more impressive, and, to my mind, an even greater achievement.
Mahler. So far as I know, the JPO has never performed a work by Mahler. The second symphony may be a good place to get a Joburg audience started with the Viennese master, but the numbers of players (and singers) required may overwhelm some. The fourth is a great alternative.
Clara Schumann: Piano concerto in A minor. CEO Bongani Tembe has admirably worked to engage a number of accomplished woman conductors for JPO performances. However, only one female composer’s work has ever been performed: the flute concertino by Cécile Chaminade. Schumann’s compositions are often likened to her husband’s, but she may surprise many listeners with a musical voice all her own.
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending. Next year is the centenary year of this evergreen delight, and a celebration of the milestone (with the right soloist) should prove a hit with audiences as well.
Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions for the JPO programmers.
Bartók: Concerto for orchestra. I’ve been tracking the JPO’s programmes since their relaunch of regular seasons in 2017, and only one-tenth of the programmed works have been composed in the last 100 years. This work premiered 75 years ago, and it remains Bartók’s most popular piece.
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. This work is from more than 100 years ago (but only just), though what modern classical composition has been more influential? And what could be further from the so-far solely mellifluous 20th-century works already presented, like those of Gershwin, Ravel, and Bernstein?
More South African works. Of the 76 works programmed in the last year-and-a-half, only one was composed by a South African (“MaSisulu Sinfonia” by Bongani Ndodana-Breen). By comparison, half of the programmed works are by composers from only two countries: Germany and Russia. The community activist Nigel Branken threw this disparity into sharp relief in a Facebook post after a recent visit to the JPO.
Arvo Pärt: Symphony No. 4, “Los Angeles”. Ndodana-Breen’s piece is also the only piece that was written in this century, and by a living composer. Pärt’s symphony is imbued with grave dignity of the spiritual sort to which his fans are accustomed, as well as of a political kind: his dedication to the Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky is in defiance of Putin and his authoritarian regime.
Brahms: Symphonies. This may seem contradictory to my suggestions above. To clarify, I’m not complaining about works from the 19th-century German tradition (which I love), but only looking to hear more from outside of it. A performance cycle of Brahms’s four symphonies would be one of the most thrilling possibilities imaginable. (Why not throw in the four concerti as well?)
Haydn. Anything — ANYTHING!!
Beethoven. Next year is Beethoven’s 250th birthday, and it’d be a great chance to play through the symphonies and piano concertos that the JPO hasn’t performed yet since the relaunch. Or why not just do them all, all over again?
Wagner and Verdi. The KZN Philharmonic recently held a concert with the South African soprano Cecilia Rangwanasha — whom I was lucky enough to hear at the finals of the Unisa International Voice Competition last year — where they performed highlights from Tannhäuser and La forza del destino. Would we could have such an evening in Johannesburg! (Next year is the 150th anniversary of the premiere of Die Walküre, and to not perform the thrilling Ride of the Valkyries would seem like a great opportunity missed.)
Mozart: Cosí fan tutte overture. We’ve already had the overtures of Figaro, The Impresario, and Don Giovanni. This would be the sweetest cherry to top it off.
Sibelius: Symphony No. 7. We’ve already heard his plangent second symphony twice, but this seemingly more modest work is also more impressive, and, to my mind, an even greater achievement.
Mahler. So far as I know, the JPO has never performed a work by Mahler. The second symphony may be a good place to get a Joburg audience started with the Viennese master, but the numbers of players (and singers) required may overwhelm some. The fourth is a great alternative.
Clara Schumann: Piano concerto in A minor. CEO Bongani Tembe has admirably worked to engage a number of accomplished woman conductors for JPO performances. However, only one female composer’s work has ever been performed: the flute concertino by Cécile Chaminade. Schumann’s compositions are often likened to her husband’s, but she may surprise many listeners with a musical voice all her own.
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending. Next year is the centenary year of this evergreen delight, and a celebration of the milestone (with the right soloist) should prove a hit with audiences as well.
Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions for the JPO programmers.
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