Music excellence

The Charl du Plessis Trio is made up of Steinway artist Charl du Plessis (piano), Werner Spies (bass) and Peter Auret (drums) playing Du Plessis signature arrangements of music by Bach, Vivaldi alongside jazz masterpieces by Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck and Chick Corea.

For the past 14 years, Christopher Duigan’s Music Revival has delighted classical music fans with performances by the best musicians in the country, and this year’s Marriott Classic Music Festival in Franschhoek continues that tradition of excellence, from Friday October 21 to Sunday October 23.

The festival gets under way with Sonatas for Violin and Piano, with Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra concertmaster Patrick Goodwin (violin) and Reese Barkhuizen (piano), at 7.30 pm on Friday October 21 at the NG Church. They will perform Mozart’s Sonata in E minor, Beethoven’s final Violin sonata op. 96 and Edvard Grieg’s Sonata no. 3 in C minor.

Andulucian Nights, featuring guitarists, James Grace and Saudiq Khan at 11.30pm, on Saturday October 22, at the NG Church, with flamenco-inspired classics by Isaac Albeniz, Joaquin Turina and Joaquin Rodrigo, and a contemporary mix of popular Spanish music by Paco de Lucia, Al di Meola and the Gypsy Kings.

In an ongoing exploration of Beethoven’s sonatas at the Franschhoek Music Festivals, Duigan plays three Beethoven sonatas in the NG Church, at noon, on Sunday, October 23. They are the Sonatas in F op.10 no. 2, the popular Moonlight op. 27 no. 2 in C-sharp minor and op. 109 in E.

Music by Schumann from his Noveletten op. 21 and Brahms Intermezzi Op 118 complete the selection. Tickets for the NG Church concerts are R100 and can be booked through webtickets or bought the door.

Duigan will also be performing a Candlelight Soiree in the Café Bon Bon at La Petite Dauphine at 6.30pm for 7pm, with 20 short popular piano solos, including the Rondo all Turca, Clair de lune, Rustle of Spring, Minute Waltz, Liebestraume, and Greig’s Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, in this intimate evening.

Closing this year’s festival will be a programme of Baroque Swing performed by the Charl du Plessis Trip, at 12.30pm for 1pm, on Sunday, November 23.

The Bon Bon Finale will take place in the Café Bon Bon at La Petite Dauphine. Steinway artist Charl du Plessis (piano), Werner Spies (bass) and Peter Auret (drums) will be playing Du Plessis’ signature arrangements of music by Bach, Vivaldi alongside jazz masterpieces by Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck and Chick Corea.

The trio has just released their first international album Baroqueswing Vol. II on the Swiss records label Claves, and regularly tours to China, Holland and Switzerland.

For information and to book, visit www.musicrevival.co.za