TimesLive.co.za: Karen Rutter Reviews 'Hani': 'The Struggle Continues'

[Chris Hani]

TimesLive.co.za

Johannesburg, South Africa

Legacy

Nov 21, 2010 12:00 AM | By Karen Rutter

“It is almost two decades ago that Chris Hani was assassinated. A new opera tells his story, writes Karen Rutter

Writing an opera about assassinated leader Chris Hani sounds a bit like creating a musical about Anne Frank. You know how it's going to end, and it's not pretty.” “But it turns out, we are in good hands. Composer Bongani Ndondana-Breen and librettist Mfundi Vundla have partnered on a production that steers away from the literal, and instead provides a 'meditative excursion', as Vundla puts it. Hani forms part of Five:20, a unique collaboration between the University of Cape Town Opera School, Cape Town Opera and the Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts.

“The work consists of five 20-minute operas written, composed and directed by local opera heavyweights to celebrate the South African College of Music's centenary. Other topics tackled are Saartjie Baartman, Lucy Lloyd and the San Bushmen, xenophobia, and Breyten Breytenbach's prison poetry. 'Hani moves into the world of the unconscious,' explains Vundla. 'It calls upon the spirit of Chris Hani to help us navigate in this new South Africa.' He explains that in African culture, the spirits of the ancestors play an important part in the guidance of those who are still living on earth.”

“Collaborating with Ndondana-Breen, an internationally acclaimed composer whose work has been performed around the world, was a 'stimulating experience', he says. 'We got to be friends. He introduced me to minimalist composers - Philip Glass, Steve Reich. We went back and forth, exchanging ideas. He helped me with the form.'" “Among the composers are Peter Klatzow, Hendrik Hofmeyr, Bongani Ndondana-Breen, Peter Louis van Dijk and Martin Watt. On at the Baxter Theatre from November 21 to 27.”

South African Composer & Choral Director J. S. Mzilikazi Khumalo Born June 20, 1932

[J. S. Mzilikazi Khumalo (b. 1932)]

The South African Composer, Arranger & Choral Director J. S. Mzilikazi Khumalo is also a Professor Emeritus of African Languages. He was born June 20, 1932 and is profiled at AfriClassical.com. In November 2009 AfriClassical linked to an interview with him. At the request of the South African Society of Music, we added this note:

“This interview was published in the academic journal SAMUS: South African Music Studies, Volume 28 (2008), pages 155-168. Copyright over this material is held by the South African Society for Research in Music, and it may not be reproduced without permission. The Society has granted SAMRO permission to put it on their website as a static document, with the proviso that the interview's origins in the journal SAMUS are acknowledged.

Sincerely, Zelda Potgieter, Chairperson: SASRIM"

Here is an excerpt from the interview:

“AN INTERVIEW WITH MZILIKAZI KHUMALO

Ndwamato George Mugovhani

Mzilikazi James Khumalo, Emeritus Professor in African Languages at the University of the Witwatersrand, folksong arranger, choral composer, and choir director, was born on the Salvation Army farm KwaNgwelu, in the Vryheid District of Natal, in 1932. He was the third son of Senior Major A.M. Khumalo, a priest in the Salvation Army and Mrs Ntombizodwa Johanna Khumalo. Throughout his scholastic career he sang in school choirs and thereby learned to read tonic solfa notation. He also learned staff notation through playing the euphonium in the Salvation Army band. Professor Khumalo qualified as a teacher in 1954, and thereafter studied music part-time under the organist Charles Norburn. Besides literary publications, he is a prolific composer whose works include a cantata, and an opera in the African idiom. He retired from Wits in 1998 and is Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors at SAMRO. This interview took place at SAMRO House, Johannesburg.”

Tonight.co.za: Mzilikazi Khumalo's 'Princess Magogo Soars into History'

[J.S. Mzilikazi Khumalo]

AfriClassical recently posted a link to a review of the Opera Africa production of Princess Magogo. The music was composed by the South African composer, arranger and choral director J.S. Mzilikazi Khumalo (b. 1932), who is profiled at AfriClassical.com. Today we offer a second opinion of the production:

Tonight.co.za

April 30, 2009

By J Brooks Spector

PRINCESS MAGOGO KADINIZULU 

COMPOSER: Mzilikazi Khumalo

ARRANGER/ADDITIONAL MUSIC: Michael Hankinson

LIBRETTO: Themba Msimang

COMPANY: Opera Africa 

DIRECTOR: Themi Venturas

CONDUCTOR: Vincent de Kort and Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra

DESIGNER: Andrew Verster

WHERE: The Mandela at the Joburg Theatre

WHEN: Tonight at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm

RATING: **** 

“The opera, Princess Magogo, is based on the life of the woman who helped revive the fortunes of the Zulu nation with her music in the hard years after the Bhambatha Rebellion.” “Director Themi Venturas and conductor Vincent de Kort guide the whole production with a clear, unified vision.

Mzilikazi Khumalo has said that he composes so that in their Valhalla… 'the thousands can sing, they can dance and they can celebrate'. He has succeeded. Princess Magogo demonstrates that South Africa holds great dramatic stories that can be worthy inspirations for operatic works - can we some day look forward to operas on such stories, among others, as the tragedy of Saartjie Baartman or the drama of the Treason Trial?”

Mzilikazi Khumalo's Opera 'Princess Magogo' Opens in Pretoria on Saturday

Tonight.co.za

“'Princess' finds her way home 

March 26, 2009

By Diane de Beer

Opera is flying at the moment and one of the most exciting productions is the return of Opera Africa's Princess Magogo, which tells the story of the princess who distinguished herself as the Zulu nation's first female composer. Opening in Pretoria at the State Theatre on Saturday, it first premiered in Durban in 2002. Sandra de Villiers, Opera Africa founder and chief executive, initiated Princess Magogo as an attempt to add an African opera to the traditional European repertoire featured in this country. It is based on the life of Mangosuthu Buthelezi's mother, Princess Constance Magogo ka-Dinuzulu (1900-1984), who was widely recognised as a singer, composer, musician, teacher and political activist. It is a blend of Zulu traditional music featuring the composer's work as well as traditional operatic conventions. Historian Professor Themba Msimang wrote the libretto, while composer Mzilikazi Khumalo was the obvious choice for the score, as he had researched Zulu music for more than 50 years. 'Many of the songs I used in the opera I learnt at my mother's knee,' he says.

Director Themi Venturas teams up with artist Andrew Verster as set and costume designer, Declan Randall is the lighting designer, and they are joined by Dutch star conductor Vincent de Kort and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Venturas says the concept and piece have come a long way. 'It has had two rewrites, new songs and music have been added with some new scenes introduced and others omitted,' he notes. Every time they've reworked the opera, they've developed it further. 'There have been several incarnations,' he adds, with one of its strongest features the fact that Sibongile Khumalo first created the role of the Princess. In this latest version, the lead role will be shared. 'Two impressive new singers will split the role,' he explains. 'Amsterdam loved it, Chicago loved it, Oslo loved it, Soweto loved it … Pretoria is in for a treat.'" [Full Post] [J. S. Mzilikazi Khumalo (b. 1932), South African Composer, Arranger & Choral Director, is profiled at AfriClassical.com] 

Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra Performs Mzilikazi Khumalo's Opera 'Princess Magogo'

[J.S. Mzilikazi Khumalo (b. 1932)]

Joburg.org.za/

City of Johannesburg > News Update

Music is the highlight at the Civic

Written by Thabiso Mphelo

Tuesday, 20 January 2009

From farce to opera, with the internationally acclaimed South African work, Princess Magogo, on at the theatre from 26 April to 10 May. Composed by Mzilikazi Khumalo, the opera pays tribute to the rich musical life and key moments of the late Zulu Princess Magogo ka Dinuzulu, the mother of the prince and politician Mangosuthu Buthelezi. It includes her original compositions and the tale of how she gave up true love for an arranged marriage.

Operatic talent from the Black Tie Ensemble, Tina Mene and Thembisile Twala will alternate in the role of Princess Magogo. Director Themi Venturas teams up with acclaimed artist Andrew Verster on set and costume design, Shembe dancers and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Princess Magogo is at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at 8pm Thursdays and Fridays, and at 3 pm on Sundays. Tickets range from R90 excluding booking fees. [J. S. Mzilikazi Khumalo (b. 1932), South African Composer, Arranger & Choral Director, is profiled at AfriClassical.com] 

Instrumental Versions of Michael Mosoeu Moerane's Songs 'Della' and 'Sylvia' Heard at UNISA

[Fatse la heso; South African Music, National Symphony Orchestra of the S.A.B.C.; Peter Marchbank, conductor; Marco Polo 8.223709 (1994)]

University of South Africa Online

Unisa Composes at the ZK Matthews hall

“On Sunday 2 November 2008, the Department of Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology presented a historic concert, Unisa Composes, in the ZK Matthews hall, with the help of generous sponsorship from SAMRO. Featuring six composers with Unisa associations in a programme of stimulating and attractive contemporary art music, the performances were enthusiastically received by an appreciative audience. The department hopes that this will be the first in a series of such concerts sponsored by SAMRO each year. Michael Mosoeu Moerane (1909-1981), awarded a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of South Africa in 1941, was the first black South African to gain such a degree. In this concert, we heard instrumental arrangements of two songs, Della and Sylvia. “ [Full Post] 

Michael Mosoeu Moerane is profiled at AfriClassical.com The Southern African Music Rights Organization (SAMRO) explains in its biography how Moerane came to compose Fatse la heso, which he wrote during the period of White minority rule: “Moerane was required to present a composition exercise in order to complete his degree, and so composed the symphonic poem, Fatse la heso (My Country), which he completed in 1941, graduating that same year. Three years later, in November 1944, the work was premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in two separate studio performances under the baton of Clifford Curzon, one broadcast by the BBC's Home Service, and the other by its African Service. Fatse la heso was subsequently championed in New York and Paris by the pioneering black American conductor, Dean Dixon.”

Concert Announcement for Mokale Koapeng, South African Composer

Two days ago AfriClassical wrote that two works by the South African composer Mokale Koapeng, Fourever Colourful and Black and White, Prelude No. 2 will receive their premieres in Johannesburg on March 12. The Concert Invitation shown above indicates that the program will begin at 13h20 (1:20 p.m.) and end at 13h50 (1:50 p.m.), in The Atrium at Wits University. Composers whose works will be heard are: Annemari Ferreira, Angie Mullins, Christo Jankowitz and Mokale Koapeng.

Mokale Koapeng, South African Classical Composer

Mokale Koapeng is a South African composer and choral director who was born in 1963. He is a Music graduate of The University of Witwatersrand. Mokale has conceived a long-term project which he calls “A Hidden Cultural Picture”. He came across the phrase on the page devoted to the African American composer Edmond Dede (1827-1903) at AfriClassical.com, where a visitor remarked:

"That is most fascinating - it reveals a previously hidden cultural picture which far too few of our contemporaries could conceive. This suggests a rarely seen dimension to that epoch, and raises a lot of questions."

Mokale explains that "A Hidden Cultural Picture" aims to bring classical music of composers of African descent to the music public in South Africa, in part by incorporating it in established national choral festivals..

In 2000 he was appointed as conductor of the University of Pretoria Chorale. Mokale is also the Music Director of SDASA Chorale, drawn from the Seventh Day Adventists' Student Association. It released the CD Simunye to international acclaim in partnership with a British vocal group, I Fagiolini. The website of I Fagiolini explains the title:

“Simunye is a Zulu word meaning 'we are one' and is the name given to a project developed by I Fagiolini and the SDASA Chorale of Soweto. It resulted in a CD and joint concert tours to South Africa, the UK, Scandinavia and Bermuda.”

I Fagiolini's website provides several glowing comments on the CD from the press:

'This remarkable record' – The Times of London

'Audience smiling from ear to ear with sheer pleasure' - Business Day, South Africa

'Left seduced, enchanted and spiritually moved' – Daily News, South Africa

'A Simunye concert is an unforgettable experience. Don't miss it.' - Classical Music

Brett Pyper wrote the liner notes for the CD and has written additional comments at the website of I Fagiolini, including this overview of the SDASA Chorale of which Mokale Koapeng is Music Director:

“The SDASA Chorale is an amateur gospel group which draws its members from the Seventh Day Adventists' Students Association (SDASA) in Soweto. In recent years it has earned the reputation as one of South Africa's mostly highly regarded Gospel ensembles. The group was selected as the only South African choir to be featured on the main programme of the Standard Bank National Arts Festival in 1996. It has also performed at the Johannesburg Arts Festival alongside the celebrated Wendy Mseleku and Gloria Bosman. SDASA Chorale has performed with Sibongile Khumalo, Mimi Coertsee and shared stage with some of the well-known musicians in the country like Benjamin Dube and Tshepo Tshola. It has performed all over South Africa including Botswana and Lesotho.

A male-voice ensemble comprising nineteen members, the SDASA Chorale has been in existence for fourteen years and is committed to rendering community service. The group often performs for charities, and has initiated projects like visits to prisons and the upgrading of hostels. It is also involved with educational programmes like the Catch Them Young and Project Sunrise initiatives in Soweto. What distinguishes the group further is the fact that it has a number of talented composers within its ranks. The group's repertoire includes original compositions by four talented songwriters, all of whom sing in the group as well: G.M. Mojapelo (regrettably deceased in 1994), Mokale Koapeng, Boyce Monkitsi Seoketsa and Bheka Dlamini. These composers write in widely divergent styles, and the group is renowned for the versatility of its repertoire, while remaining firmly rooted in the bedrock of indigenous church music.”

The CD has 17 tracks, opening with Egolgotha (At Golgotha) and closing with Home. Mokale wrote two of the pieces and arranged a third. All of the tracks can be sampled at the Music section of Amazon.com Brett Pyper comments on the two works Mokale composed, Khutsho and Kgosietsile:

Mokale Koapeng (b.1963) / Roderick Williams (b.1965) – Khutsho
Mokale composed this heartfelt chant for peace in 1988, after years of intense political oppression and resistance in South Africa with no end in sight. When he introduced the piece during one of the first sessions that the two groups spent together, Roddy was moved to write a part for I Fagiolini that would combine Mokale's piece with another chant for peace with a text from the heart of the Western liturgy, the 'Agnus Dei'.
Mokale Koapeng - Kgosietsile (Kingdom Come)
Perhaps the most eclectic of the SDASA Chorale's resident composers, Mokale combines his interest in international gospel and jazz styles with a deep love of indigenous African music. He has based this swinging setting of "the Lord's Prayer" on a shifting whole-tone bass pattern that is typical of traditional Xhosa music. Above this, he has written a sophisticated blend of parts that exploits the respective vocal idioms of I Fagiolini and the SDASA Chorale.

Excerpts from Mokale's bio summarize his many musical works and performances:

Mokale has performed with some of the best known musicians in the country, these include Sibongile Khumalo, Bheki Khoza Motsumi Makhene, Wendy Mseleku, Gloria Bosman, Khaya Mahlangu and many more.

He has directed musical productions like “Rainbow of Hope” (a dance revue by Nomsa Manaka, Wits Theatre 1991), “Swing High, Sweet Gospel” (Arts Alive, 1993/4), “Sellout” (Grahamstown 1995) and arranged the music of Sibongile Mngoma’s performance at the Grahamstown Festival (1997). Mokale founded the Soweto Youth Jazz Orchestra. He toured England and West Africa. He also toured Canada, USA and Wales as the pianist of Imilonji Ka Ntu Chorale Society.

Together with Motsumi Makhene, Sibongile Khumalo and Hugh Masekela, Mokale co-composed the music of “Milestones”, a musical by Mandla Langa. The musical premiered at the Grahamstown Festival and had a run at the State Theatre. The musical won 1999 FNB SAMA’s Best Soundtrack Award.

In October 1999, he held workshops on South African vocal, choral and jazz styles at the Sibelius Academy and the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland.

He developed a concept called “Intyilo Kantu: Melodies of the Wise”. The concept involved a French solo ensemble Musicatreize and the University of Pretoria Chorale. The performances were held at the Standard Bank National Festival, Grahamstown and Octobre -en-Normandie, Rouen, France in 2001.

Together with the University of Pretoria Chorale and the Eastern Cape Philharmonic, Mokale performed the South African premiere of Stanley Glasser’s cantata; “The Chameleon and the Lizard”. The performance was at the 2003 New Music Indaba Festival in Grahamstown.
He composed and conducted the world premiere of “CANTUS IN MEMORIA ‘76”. The work commemorates the 30^th anniversary of events of June 16, 1976.