[Daily
Maverick Photo:
Gabisile & Ziyankomo. (Kelebogile Boikanyo and Given Nkosi)]
“With a burst of
new operas like Opera Africa’s newly-premiered Ziyankomo and the
Forbidden Fruit and its young cast of wonderfully talented singers,
South Africa may now be finding its own, distinct national operatic
voice.
By J BROOKS
SPECTOR.
“And for the newest effort to locate that authentic
South African operatic voice, Opera Africa commissioned Phelelani
Mnomiya, the popular gospel composer, to set yet another text by poet
Themba Msimang to music. The result is the haunting work, Ziyankomo
and the Forbidden Fruit. Msimang’s story takes place during the
reign of Mpande, the Zulu king, when two young women in his seraglio
have found other lovers.
“Tragically, the customs of
Zululand condemn the male suitors to death for this transgression of
traditional law. Philosophically, this work is more than just a tale
of the supremacy of tribal law over love. In 'Ziyankomo’s' libretto
the ancestors asks whether ancient customs are really so noble and
right if they have thoroughly tragic consequences. This begins to
sound a lot like a Zulu opera verismo, that late 19th and 20th
century Italian musical movement that interrogated the lives of
ordinary people – their trials, tribulations and dramatic
downfalls.”
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