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Marian Lewin Huldigingskonsert
23 August 2020 @ 4:00 pm - 30 August 2020 @ 11:30 pm
Amici Strykkwartet: Suzanne Martens (viool), Philip Martens (viool), Karin Gaertner (altviool), Peter Martens (tjello), met gaskunstenaar Eddie Mclean (tjello)
Die onlangse afsterwe van tjellis Marian Lewin word betreur deur alle plaaslike musiekliefhebbers. Sy was allerweë bekend as die doyenne van Suid-Afrikaanse tjelliste.
As orkestjellis, kamermusikus en solis saam met onder meer die SAUK-, die (destydse) Natalse Filharmonie en die (destydse) TRUK-Simfonieorkeste. As dosent was sy ook betrokke by die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand, die Pro-Arte Skool in Pretoria en by die Universiteit van Kaapstad. Vir sowat 38 jaar was Lewin die tjellis van die Alma Musica klaviertrio, waarna sy aangesluit het by die Rosamunde- en Schwietering Stykkwartette, die I Grandi Violoncellisti en die Hermanay Fluittrio. Hierbenewens was haar musisering uitgebrei bo en behalwe hierdie kamermusiekensembles waarvan sy permanente lid was. Vir baie jare was sy die mees gesogte plaaslike geleentheidskamermusikus.
Haar liefde en respek vir haar medemens en haar musiek was deurentyd net so eg as wat dit vrygewig was. Sy was ook geliefd by almal wat aangeraak is deur haar aangename persoonlikheid en voortreflike spel.
Die Amici Strykkwartet is in 2006 gestig, en bestaan uit vier van Suid-Afrika se mees gerespekteerde strykers, en die kwartet word wyd erken as een van ons land se mees svooraanstaande ensembles. Die violiste Suzanne Martens en Philip Martens, altviolis Karin Gaertner en tjellis Peter Martens is almal is bekende bydraers tot die musiektoneel van die Wes-Kaap, en het weinig bekendstelling nodig by Endlersaal-gehore. Vir hierdie konsert word die Amici Strykwartet bygestaan deur gastjellis Eddie McLean as tweede tjellis. Eddie is ook ‘n oudstudent van Marian Lewin, en is tans mede-hooftjellis by die Kaapstadse Filharmoniese Orkes.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) se Strykkwintet in C-majeur (D. 956) word beskou as een van die hoogtepunte van die negentiende-eeuse kamermusiekrepertorium. Die uitsonderlike skoonheid van die werk het vir luisteraars spesiale betekenis, veral gesien in die lig van die komponis se buitengewone musiekproduksie en sy naderende dood in 1828. Benjamin Britten – in sy Aspen-toekenningstoespraak van 1964 – het verwys na “… waarskynlik die enkele rykste agttien maande in die musiekgeskiedenis: die tydperk waartydens Schubert se liedsiklus Winterreise, die C-majeur simfonie, die laaste drie klaviersonates en die Strykkwintet …” en “… die vlak van inspirasie, musikale towerkuns, is bo enige vorm van verduideliking.”
Die Strykkwintet is Schubert se laaste kamermusiekwerk, wat vinng voltooi is in September-Oktober 1828, ongeveer twee maande voor sy dood, maar is eers in 1850 ontdek en vir die eerste keer uitgevoer. Teenoor Mozart en Beethoven se werke vir die strykkwintet, waar ‘n tweede altviool benodig word, verkies Schubert ‘n tweede tjello, wat bydra tot die byna orkestrale klankvolheid van die werk.
Die konsert sal op Sondag 23 Augustus om 4:00 nm uitgevoer word, en sal tot Sondag 30 Augustus aanlyn beskikbaar wees.
Program:
Franz Schubert
Strykkwintet in C-majeur D. 956, op. posth. 163
I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Adagio
III. Scherzo. Presto – Trio. Andante sostenuto
IV. Allegretto
Kunstenaars:
Suzanne Martens studied violin at the University of Pretoria under Prof. Alan Solomon, where she obtained BMus and BMus Hons degrees. She furthered her studies in Holland under Jan Repko (Academie Minerva, Groningen) and in Austria under Lavard Skou-Larsen (Mozarteum, Salzburg),
where she was also a member of the Salzburger Musici Chamber Orchestra. She subsequently obtained an MMus degree in Chamber Music at Stellenbosch University. Suzanne was the winner of the ATKV Forté competition (Now Musiq) and the University of Natal 75th Anniversary prize. Suzanne held the position of associate concertmaster at the New Arts Philharmonic Orchestra Pretoria until June 2000 and is a founder member of the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa. In 2001, she was appointed concertmaster at the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, a position she later resigned from to take up a lectureship at the Stellenbosch University. Suzanne has been appearing as guest leader of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra since 2005. She is an active chamber musician and is currently a member of the Amici String Quartet, the Quartet of Peace, and the Lyric Trio. She was a member of the Rosamunde Quartet (1995-2007) and the Schwietering Quartet (2001- 2005). She recently premièred the violin concertos of three South African composers, Allan Stephenson (2009), Thomas Ranja (2010) and David Earl (2011, double violin concerto with Farida Bacharova).
Philip Martens obtained his BMus Honours degree at UCT in 2002 under Jürgen Schwietering and Farida Bacharova. He has featured as a soloist with the Cape Town Baroque ensemble and Camerata Tinta Barocca. Philip was also privileged to attend master classes with Benjamin Schmid at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He has been a full-time member of the first violin section of The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CTPO) since 2002 having has co-led the orchestra on numerous occasions including during the 2016 Show Boat tour to Nuremberg, Germany. He has recently been appointed associate concertmaster of the CTPO and frequently appears as guest concertmaster as a result thereof. He is also the Artistic Director of his newly formed company, Martens Music. Philip’s hobbies include 4×4 off-road driving, auto mechanics and the design and installation of kitchens!
Karin Gaertner was principal violist with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. She studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and completed her performance diploma at the conservatoire “Claudio Monteverdi” in Bolzano. She was regularly engaged by the “Orchestra del teatro lirico di Cagliari” (Sardinia, Italy) and “Orchestra Haydn” (Bolzano, Italy).
Peter Martens holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Cape Town and a PhD from Stellenbosch University where he studied in his formative years with Dalena Roux before continuing his studyies with Heidi Litschauer at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 1993 Peter returned to South Africa and took up principal positions with the New Arts Philharmonic Pretoria and the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra before moving to Stellenbosch University where he is currently Director of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival. He is a member of the Amici String Quartet, enjoys chamber music with amongst others, Leon Bosch (double bass), David Juritz (violin), Benjamin Schmid (violin) and Leslie Howard (piano), and has performed with the Brodsky String Quartet in London. He has participated at festivals in Russia, Holland, Salzburg, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Portugal and has performed in the U.K. and U.S.A. Many South African composers have written works for him, the most notable being that of the the Cello Concerto by Allan Stephenson, which he recorded for Meridian Records with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra. Peter recorded the Bach Cello Suites and Beethoven Cello Sonatas for TwoPianists Records.
Eddie McLean began cello lessons at the of age 7 with Cheryl de Havilland. His teachers have included Magdalena Roux, Barbara Kennedy, Anmari van der Westhuizen and Marian Lewin. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics. He has appeared twice with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1995 and 1998 Youth Music Festivals. He was a member of the Sontonga Quartet which toured the Netherlands, Germany, Slovenia, the United States and Australia and in 2007 he lead the cello section of the Britten-Pears Aldeburgh Festival Orchestra. He has given recitals with pianists Albie van Schalkwyk and Jose Dias and has recently played as a member of the Proteus Quartet. He studied in America and returned to South Africa in 2007 and the following year joined the CPO. In 2009 he studied in Salzburg as part of his master’s degree and rejoined the CPO in November that same year.