And there was...
- Yolanda Botha
- Jan 18, 2018
- 2 min read
Classical Sounds
Helderberg Dutch Reformed Church, situated on the foot of the beautiful Helderberg mountain in Somerset-West, held their third ‘Klassieke Klanke’ concert on the 30th of October 2016. With a program consisting of everything from Grieg’s Peer Guynt, Delibes’ Flower Duet to Elvis Blues’ Seëngebed vir Afrika and Ukuthula, the program provided something for everyone to enjoy.
Helderberg organist, Yolanda Botha, initially considered the idea of having a free classical concert, utilizing solo and ensemble music, in a bid to share some of the church music that is performed at the early service called the ‘Klassieke diens’ with the rest of their macro congregation. The program strived to present both the talent of fellow congregation members, as well as showcasing the organ’s versatility as solo- and ensemble instrument.
When Botha shared the concept with her fellow musicians and worship team, everyone was so taken with the idea that things quickly escalated into a need for a concert quality: classical choir-, solo- and instrumental music. Obviously, the “kantory” (church choir) under Johlané van Niekerk, who performs during the Classical service throughout the year, was also approached to partake.
Soon, the selection of works for the hour long program demanded more instrumentalists than the regular group provided. To help in this regard, friends, family, family of friends and friends of family were asked to join in and voilà, the concert ended up with an ensemble numbering 9 and the organ rounding it off to 10.
Due to the popularity of the concerts and the great turnout it generated, many other musicians and singers have since volunteered to join in this musical banquet, where classical and church music is performed in order to bring praise to Our Father in the way the players know best: beautiful music! The biggest challenge for future Classical Sound concerts will be how to fit everyone in next to the organ on the gallery.
Comments