World Symphony Series Summer Season ~ COncert 1

KZN Philharmonic concert-goers will welcome the return of Daniel Boico to open the Winter Season with music by Beethoven, Dvořák and Mendelssohn. Beethoven’s Egmont Overture was written in the aftermath of Napoleon’s invasion of Vienna in 1805 and the Austrian Capital’s failed rebuttal in 1809. It was the opening item to incidental music for an 1810 revival of Goethe’s drama about the 16th-century Count Egmont’s campaign to liberate the Netherlands from Spanish oppression. Beethoven’s mighty overture, embraced by posterity as a symbol of defiance against oppression, swiftly took its place in the international concert repertoire.

In 1879, Dvořák received two letters within a span of four days, each independently proposing that he write a violin concerto. His first correspondent was his Berlin publisher, Fritz Simrock. The second was Dvořák’s Czech compatriot Karel Halíř, one of the most famous violinists of the day, who hoped ‘you will soon write a violin concerto, which I must certainly play first.’ Dvořák obliged, and the work was completed in September. Halíř’s teacher, Joseph Joachim, recommended that the work be rewritten. Again, the composer complied and, as early as Spring the following year, came forth with a radically revised rendering of the concerto. Joachim was pleased with the new version, but due to heavy commitments, he did not express this until two years later. The concerto finally premiered in October 1883, not with Halíř nor with Joachim, but with František Ondříček as soloist. Elvin Ganiyev, the award-winning Azerbaijani-Turkish violinist, is sure to thrill our audience.

The swift gestation of Brahms’ Third Symphony took place in the idyllic Rhine valley. Composed in the Summer of 1883, it is widely regarded as a masterpiece of late Romantic music. It is admired for its distilled clarity, intense melodic beauty, and its seamless melding of personal reflection with classical structure.

Date: Thursday, 11 June 2026
Time: 19:00
Venue: Playhouse Opera Theatre, 231 Anton Lembede Street, Durban
Tickets: Season Tickets available through our office on 031 369 9437/8 or info@kznphil.org.za

Single tickets available online through Quicket or at the door

Book tickets to the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2026 Winter Symphony Season Concert 1 https://qkt.io/Hs7Gbv

We look forward to sharing an evening of beautiful music with you!