Free concerts for lovers of the classics

THOSE who can’t resist the magic of classical music will jump at the chance to attend two free concerts at the Hilton Arts Festival on 17 and 18 September.

The Music of Chopin will feature renowned concert pianist, Christopher Duigan, on Saturday, 17 September at 10am. The second concert, Two Guitars, will be performed by acclaimed guitarists, James Grace and Jonathan Crossley, on Sunday, 18 September at 2pm. The two concerts form part of Duigan’s Music Revival, which aims to create new audiences through innovative presentation and programming featuring a broad and eclectic taste in music.

In The Music of Chopin, Duigan will perform the music of the French-Polish pianist and composer, Frédéric Chopin. The programme features a representative selection of the composer’s music: the Ballade No 3, Scherzo No.1 and nocturnes, mazurkas and waltzes. Duigan will also discuss the insight he gained into Chopin’s life and music when he visited the Chopin Museum in Warsaw, Poland, last year.

A Steinway Artist, Duigan has devoted much of his time to the study and performance of Chopin’s music in his professional career over the last 25 years. He was invited to give two recital programmes of the composer’s music at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in 2010 to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

In Two Guitars, celebrated guitarists James Grace and Jonathan Crossley will present an innovative and varied programme of original works for two guitars by composers, including the Italian, Ferdinando Carulli, and Julio Cesar Oliva from Mexico, as well as arrangements of works by Manuel de Falla and Manuel Maria Ponce, among others.

Both concerts will be held in the Chapel at Hilton College. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance online at www.hiltonfestival.co.za