Now, for something fantastic...

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Carpe Musicam!’s spring concert theme is Fantasia and what a fantastic fantasia it will be in October.

This is according to conductor, Norman Carless.

"Almost all the music dates from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The two exceptions are the Ode to Joy theme from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony - but with a serious modern twist, and the Classical music mash-up that did the rounds on the internet a few years ago.

"This collection of snippets from favourite classics has been sensitively, yet robustly, orchestrated, and will be performed so that each snippet is given its traditional nuance as far as is possible in the context of the work," Carless says.

Newcomer

An interesting newcomer to the orchestral repertoire is Ted Huggens’ Chorale and Rockout. This has been a wind band favourite since the 1970s, when it was composed. Carpe Musicam! has re-orchestrated it for full orchestra and wordless chorale.

"What was once a magnificent piece of faux Baroque writing has blossomed into a knockout," exclaims Carless.

Carpe Musicam! is always searching for new and interesting ways to bring music to the average music lover.

These concerts feature an enlarged Spanish dance contingent with heels a-stamp and castanets a-clack in España Cañi.

Pan pipes

A totally new sound for Carpe Musicam! will be the pan pipes puffed by conductor Carless in The Lonely Shepherd, made famous by James Last and Georges Zamfir.

And there is more. The music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Vangelis, Bill Conti and Leonard Cohen all feature in this special programme.

Ticket prices are R150 for adults and R50 for under 18s. Pre-show ticket sales at the door (cash only) are planned but, as the available tickets tend to fly off the shelf rather quickly, it would be wise to secure your seat early by booking at www.carpemusicam.co.za.

Refreshments will be on sale at all the concerts, and a few tables for those wishing to bring their own picnic and enjoy it promenade concert style will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the George and Mossel Bay concerts.