Great Classical Music Concert – featuring Beethoven, Mozart and Martinu – with visiting Romanian violist from Mafeking at Maitisong on September 19^th, Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock.

Maitisong is the venue for this exciting concert in which Gudrun Weeks and David Slater, both familiar classical musicians in Gaborone, will be joined by Ioan Ignat, formerly of Bucharest, to bring us music for violin, viola and piano. They will raise funds for Botswana’s Kagisano Society’s Women’s Shelter Project.

Ioan Ignat has played in many ensembles, first in Romania where he went to school and received his masters at the University Ciprian Porumbescu in Bucharest in viola and violin. He then played in the ensemble of Army Doina Bucharest from 1975 to 1986; was member of Opera Bucharest for two years, recorded opera, symphonic and traditional Romanian music, both classical, contemporary and modern, as well as managing the ensemble of Army Doina Bucharest from 1986 to 1994. That was the year he arrived in South Africa, collaborating with Cape Town Philharmonic and Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. In Mmabatho he played with the National Chamber Orchestra of South Africa from 1996 to 2000. At present he is viola and violin teacher in Mmabana Foundation for the South African Music Education Trust. He has been preparing students for the Trinity College of Music Examinations with high results.

Gudrun Weeks started her musical career at the Conservatory of Music in Munich in 1954, continuing in New York with Dorothy DeLay from the Julliard School of Music; with Robert Koff of the Julliard String Quartet and Ivan Galamian at Meadowmount School for strings. She played with the West Chester Symphony, an opera orchestra and the National Orchestral Association in NYC, before auditioning with the Kansas City Philharmonic. She took graduate courses at the Kansas City Conservatory while playing in the symphony. In 1965 she helped to start up the Eugene Symphony in Oregon and led the orchestra as concertmistress for four years. After moving to Vermont she was part of a team, which started a music school in Brattleboro in 1972. She has played in many ensembles all over New England, mainly the Vermont Symphony and its quartet for seven years, which toured the state regularly. She has concertized in Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka and in Botswana for these last thirty years. The BDF snatched her up upon arrival here and she had to take on all of the twelve string players, teaching them from scratch, a wonderful initiation into Botswana life.

Everyone knows David Slater from his phenomenal Maitisong Festivals held each year out of the cultural center at Maru a Pula School. He has moved on, now running his own business called David Slater Music, organizing concerts and coaching his up-and coming voice students, some of who are now world-class singers. He has conducted the yearly choral concerts accompanied by musicians from Johannesburg and he has inspired some young conductors, as well as commissioning music for the concerts. Gaborone has felt his touch in many an artistic happening. This time David will be collaborating with Gudrun in an early piano and violin sonata by Beethoven, Opus 12, No.2 in A Major and being the orchestra in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, K 364 in E flat Major.

Mozart was influenced by the Mannheim Court Orchestra on his tour of Europe of 1779 when he wrote this great masterpiece. The ‘Sinfonia Concertante’ was a favoured form there and in Paris and Karl Stamitz wrote several for violin and viola. The concerto and the symphony were blended in a new manner in Mannheim. Mozart, hoping desperately for a position, turned down in Munich as well, was procrastinating his return to Salzburg, a rather provincial place to which his rather severe father was urging him to return to take up an organ position. After being in Italy with his favorite teacher he wrote: “I never cease to grieve that I am far away from that one person in the world whom I love, revere and esteem most of all”. Several movies have taken his second movement, the very impassioned Andante, for their theme. The two voices dialogue with surprising melodic twists, with a gorgeous cadenza (free solo voices) topping it off. The third movement is a Presto, very lively in rhythm, joyful and fun. The work is like a double concerto with orchestra.

Bohuslav Martinu is the third composer of the afternoon concert, not so well known but a very prolific Czech composer of the 20^th century, born in 1890 in the village church tower, where his father was watchman. He had to climb 193 steps down to school each day!  He began to compose by 1900 and his first violin recital was 1905. He entered Prague Conservatory but literature and theatre really interested him more and he was expelled for “incorrigible negligence”. He wrote every kind of music, an amazing quantity, but he lived in great poverty in Paris for 17 years until he had to escape the Nazis who had blacklisted him. Always composing, going south to Lisbon in 1940, he managed to get papers for New York, though he spoke no English. A commission from Koussevitzky led to his First Symphony and soon four more symphonies, plus numerous chamber works and concertos followed. He lived in New England, but his heart was in Czechoslovakia and he wrote the famous “Memorial to Lidice” after the Nazi massacre there, with dissonant and forceful language. The Communist invasion of Czechoslovakia prevented him from accepting a professorship in Prague. While teaching in Rome he discovered the concerti grossi of Corelli and Vivaldi and wrote in the neoclassical style with 20^th century polyphony. His individual style developed with 18^th century toccata elements, which gave great drive to his music along with his melodic spontaneity. The piece chosen is a duo for Violin and Viola called “Madrigals”, which demonstrates this well.

The Women’s Shelter Project is now in its 12^th year. Its publications and crafts made by the women will also be on sale. The Friends of the Women’s Shelter will be providing food and drinks after the concert.

Contacts:  use of photo by Ulf Nermark, he has the rights to it, call him on 7130-6860

Maitisong, Rosalyn Beukes; David Slater Music; and Gudrun Weeks gudrunweeks@yahoo.com or 392-5005 // 7142-0976

The Botswana Amateur Arts Festival with the help of Maitisong is a platform for the amateur arts of Botswana to thrive. A day filled with cultural events enough to satisfy even the largest appetite

The Botswana Amateur Arts Festival is a unique opportunity to see raw dramatic talent at its best. The festival engages the youth allowing for them to tell their stories to us. It is a competition that allows the participating schools to let the students’ write, direct, act, manage and finally present a finished product to you the audience. 

The Participating schools Maruapula High school, Gaborone Senior Secondary School, Rainbow High School and Saint Josephs College will engage you with their breath taking performances. And also impress our judges Gaolope Busuhi, Dr Jean-Rauol Austin de Drouillard and Dr Connie Rapoo.

The Botswana Amateur Arts with the help of Maitisong will also have workshops geared at improving the level of the participants in a dramatic sense. The workshops will be run by experienced and knowledgeable people in their various disciplines including Miss Ayanda Khala, Mr Bonny Banks, Dr F.K Omeregie and the Maitisong crew. 

  

Times for the performances

Maruapula High School- 08:50

Rainbow High School – 13:10

PRIZE GIVING AND BAAF AWARDS 15H00

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  REDHA's GISELLE

An extraordinary DANCE EVENT ...

YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS IT !

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