Years
2019 2018
Jan & Clara Hugo
2018-03-22

A unique concert of piano solo works, opera and art songs

22 March 2018

Odeion

19:30

Lyrical soprano, Clara Hugo, was born in 1993 and started her musical education at the age of seven. She sang in the Maitrise de Paris choir under the direction of Patrick Marco and participated in numerous concerts with the Orchestre de Paris and the Orchestre Lamoureux in prestigious halls in Paris, such as Salle Pleyel, Chatelet Theatre and Salle Gaveau. She has worked with John Axelrod, Christoph Eschenbach and sang Fauré's Requiem with Mathieu Romano. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Operatic singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Mendelssohn-Bartholdy” (Leipzig), where she studied with Regina Werner-Dietrich, Carola Guber and received further guidance from Philipp Moll, Jeanette Favaro Reuter and Alexander Schmalz. She specialized in 19th century singing technique and aesthetic under the guidance of Peter Berne. She received masterclasses from Donna Brown, Malcolm Walker and Valérie Guillorit. She took part in productions of Die Zauberflöte by Mozart and Das Wildschutz by Lortzing with the conductor Matthias Foremny and stage director Matthias Oldag. She sang the solo soprano part of La Petite Messe Solennelle by Rossini and received a prize for her execution for Bach Cantatas in Leipzig. She performed at the Gewandhaus with the Cappuccino Orchestra and debuted in 2016 at the Leipzig Opera House in the roles of Barbarina and the first maid (Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart). She gives regular recitals together with the pianist Jan Hugo.

Pianist Jan Hugo, born in 1991 in South Africa, studied at the Accademia Pianistica Internazionale in Imola (Italy) and at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Mendelssohn-Bartholdy” (Leipzig). He has received guidance from Boris Petrushansky, Leslie Howard, Michel Dalberto, Cyprien Katsaris, Vovka Ashkenazy, Joaquin Soriano, Robert Levin, Graham Scott, Adam Wodnicki, Jin Ju, Piero Rattalino, Riccardo Risaliti, Hortense Cartier-Bresson, Alan Fraser, Joseph Stanford, Gerald Fauth, Christian Pohl, Piotr Palezcny, Christopher Elton and Ronan O'Hora. He is a prizewinner of many competitions, such as the Alkan-Zimmerman International Competition, Royal Overseas League International Competition, SAMRO and UNISA national competitions. He has played at the MITO and Edinburgh festivals, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), in the Sala Mozart (Bologna) and at the TivoliVredenburg (Utrecht). He has performed with the Cape Town Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic, Leipzig Philharmonic under the baton of Arjan Tien, Alexander Rahbari, Leslie Dunner, Bernhard Gueller, Giedre Slekyte, Daniel Boico, Sebastian Lang-Lessing and German Guttierez. He performed on the straight-strung concert grand made by Chris Maene and is passionate about historical instruments. His first CD was released in November 2017. Upcoming performances include recitals for the Wagner Society (Cape Town) and the Verbania Festival.

PROGRAMME

Joseph Canteloube: Extracts from Chants d'Auvergne
Frédéric Chopin: Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31
Franz Liszt: Die Lorelei; Die Drei Zigeuner
Giacomo Puccini: Si, mi chiamano Mimi from La Bohème
Franz Liszt: Un Bal from Symphonie Fantastique
Igor Stravinsky: No Word from Tom from The Rake's Progress
Claude Debussy: Air de Lia from L'enfant Prodigue
Poissons d'or from Images
C'est l'extase; Green and L'Ombre des arbres from Ariettes oubliées
Alexander Scriabin: Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
Gioacchino Rossini: Bel raggio Lusinghier from Semiramide
Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12

ADMISSION

  • R140 (adults)
  • *R100 (pensioners)
  • *R80 (UFS staff)
  • *R60 (students, learners and block bookings of 10+)

Tickets available at Computicket or online at http://online.computicket.com/web/

*Please note that tickets for pensioners, students, learners and UFS staff can only be purchased at a Computicket outlet (Shoprite Checkers) or at the doors since a valid card or ID has to be presented to qualify for the above mentioned discount.

ENQUIRIES

Ninete Pretorius (tel. 051 401 2504 / pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za)


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Stefan Velkov Guitar Recital

19 April 2018

Odeion

19:30

Bulgarian-born Stefan Velkov was introduced to music since earliest childhood. His official training in music theory, piano and guitar started at the age of seven.

Stefan received his first music degree as a guitar and light music performer from the Bulgarian State Conservatoire (later renamed to Bulgarian Academy of Music). At this stage (the late seventies of the 20th century) the guitar in Bulgaria was still regarded mostly as a light-music instrument. That is why it was included as a study subject only within the Light Music Department of the Conservatoire. The interest and the knowledge of the classical guitar was still at its infancy, but its popularity was growing fast. This made it necessary for the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture to make a historic decision: for the first time in Bulgarian music history, a decision was made to send a young Bulgarian guitarist to Germany to receive a proper music degree in classical guitar and to return to Bulgaria and introduce classical guitar as a subject at the Bulgarian Academy of Music.

After competing with all the most talented guitarists of the country, Stefan won the competition which enabled him to receive a master's degree in classical guitar from the Berliner Hochschule fur Musik Hanns Eisler. He completed his studies in guitar, piano and composition with a special reward of the Hochshule as one of the five best students. During his studies he also won the competition for the best guitar composition.

During his studies abroad (1981 - 1988) Stefan met and had masterclasses with most of the best guitar professors and guitar maestros of our time: Maria-Livia Sao Marcos (Switzerland/ Brazil), Costas Cotsiolis (Greece), Dieter Kreidler (Germany) and Leo Brouwer (Cuba).

In 1986 he was appointed as the first classical guitar lecturer at the Bulgarian Academy of Music and chairperson of the guitar festivals and competitions. This was the time when his own active concert career began. Stefan's repertoire includes most of the great masterpieces ever written for this instrument, but he became more and more known for his own compositions for guitar which, according to critics, outshine the best known masterpieces created for classical guitar.

Stefan’s arrival in SA (1991), coincided with the search of the Free State Musicon for a qualified guitar lecturer in order to introduce the subject classical guitar as part of its music training programme. He was offered the position of senior guitar lecturer at the Musicon which he holds until present day. During this time he also taught at the University of the Free State (1992 - 1999).

Stefan has given concerts in Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, England and South Africa.

PROGRAMME

  • Velkov: Summer Dream
    From the golden heritage of the classical guitar:
    • Villa-Lobos: Prelude
  • Two Magnificent Arpeggios
    • Giuliani
    • Brower
  • Two Romantic Pieces:
    • Velkov: Serenade
    • Velkov: Adagio (The Magic Of Love)
  • Velkov: Bulgarian Suite for Guitar
    • I Bulgarian folk dance
    • II Bulgarian folk-singing
    • III Bulgarian folk dance in 7/8
    • IV Bulgarian folk-song
    • V Bulgarian folk dance in 9/8
  • Velkov: Tango
  • Velkov: Two Modern Dances
  • Velkov: The Wild Horse

ADMISSION

  • R120 (adults)
  • *R80 (pensioners)
  • *R70 (UFS staff)
  • *R50 (students, learners and block bookings of 10+)

Tickets available at Computicket or online at http://online.computicket.com/web/

*Please note that tickets for pensioners, students, learners and UFS staff can only be purchased at a Computicket outlet (Shoprite Checkers) or at the doors since a valid card or ID has to be presented to qualify for the above mentioned discount.

ENQUIRIES
Ninette Pretorius (tel. 051 401 2504)

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