Opera in Stilbaai

Wat ‘n aand!

Juan en Reuben

   Wat 'n aand!

Wie  sou van ‘n pianis, ‘n twintig jarige sopraan, ‘n bas uit Kwazulu Natal ‘n wêreldklas vertoning van operamusiek  in Stilbaai verwag het?

The Musical Society couldn’t have picked a more suitable concert to break the musical silence of the previous two years. Covid , that affected each one of us , was forgotten for this special evening of operatic arias.

Reuben Mbonambi (bass).  After completing a B.Tech. in Business Management, he embarked on his current studies at UCT Opera School, where he is in his final undergraduate year. He has performed as bass soloist for many choirs nationally, and won several prizes in the International Voices of South Africa competition including first prize for the African Section in 2020. He is presently in big demand and performs online, in opera and regularly as a recitalist where his diverse repertoire is amply displayed.

Estella

Estella Aleknaviciute is ‘n twintig jaar-oue sopraan afkomstig van Lithuanië in Sentraal Europa. Sy was net 15 jaar oud toe sy met haar opera en viool-studie begin het in Latvië aan die Jazeps Medins Kollege waar sy in 2020 gegradueer het. Terwyl sy daar was het sy by baie internasionale kunsfeeste dwarsoor Europa opgetree in ‘n verskeidenheid van genres. In 2021 het Estella ingeskryf by die UCT Operaskool vir verdere operastudies. Die Stilbaai operaliefhebbers het nou die geleentheid gehad om hierdie vars jong sopraan te hoor sing!

Juan Burgers

Juan

trained as a singer and concert pianist at the University of Pretoria, completing his studies at the University of Cape Town. He has won distinction as a singer, pianist, choral director, conductor, vocal coach and teacher. 

In 1983 he was appointed Conductor of the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School. In Durban he served as Director of the Durban Philharmonic Choir, he worked on more than 200 productions with the KZN Philharmonic, including operas, musicals and major concert works.  In 2016 Burgers was appointed head coach at Cape Town Opera and in 2019 founded the Ubuntu Opera Company in Cape Town.

Die keuses van die  arias was uitstekend,  die simpatieke en komplementerende  begeleiding van Juan Burgers, die ryk  basstem van Reuben Mbonambi en die liriese stem van Estella Aleknaviciute, het gesorg vir ‘n onvergeetlike aand. Elkeen teenwoordig het hulle ten volle oorgegee aan die interpretasies  en foutlose  uitvoering en voortreflike begeleiding van Juan Burgers. Die staande toejuiging van ‘n betrokke gehoor, wat in vervoering geluister het na die stories waarvan gesing is, het getuig van die geslaagde uitvoerings.

The carefully selected programme was just right in length. The selected songs were emotionally packed and diverse with a lot of evergreen “ hits” in between. The first half of the programme consisted of arias underlining the meaning and spiritual importance of Easter in the Christian faith. The last part of the programme was devoted to well known, tearjerker songs like If ever I would leave you from the film Camelot. and the evergreen Ol' Man River from Porgy and Bess which Reuben sang to perfection! 

Reuben en Estella het om die beurt opgetree, maar aan die einde van die program, twee klassieke duette gesing: La ci darem la mano van WA Mozart  en Lippen schweigen deur Franz Lehar wat beide groot byval gevind het by die gehoor. Die sangers het agterna vertel hoeveel die gehoor se luide waardering hulle getref het. 

Die meeste van die gehoor was traag om huis toe te gaan, maar kon  darem met die troos gaan dat nog heerlike konserte vir hierdie jaar beplan word. Dankie aan die knap span van die Musiekvereniging , wat dit moontlik maak om gehalte optredes na Stilbaai te bring!

Esmarie