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Maria Kearns
Outdoor fairy lights, people queuing at food stalls feverishly trying to work out if they’ll have enough time to finish their meal before the show starts, seasoned attendees arriving with their own patio cushions clutched to their chests… That’s right, it’s time for the annual Maynardville Open-Air Festival.
This year’s event opened on Wednesday the 22nd of January with an ambitious concert featuring two very promising young musicians playing pieces by Tchaikovsky.
As tours go, this one was fairly short, but our TOUR DE TCHAIKOVSKY was certainly enjoyable.
The evening started with Ethan Lawson’s rendition of the Rococo Variations for Cello, accompanied by perennial favourite Elna van der Merwe on piano. Lawson’s approach clearly impressed the crowd. One particularly intricate section elicited a (perhaps too-loud) ‘Oooh, he’s good’ from an appreciative audience member behind me.
Gerhard Joubert’s rendition of the Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor was a transportive delight, and Ms. Van der Merwe delivered another masterclass on piano with the orchestra part.
We were treated to a delightful encore in the form of Tchaikovsky’s Valse Sentimentale. Though it was written for piano solo, the piece is a popular choice for other instrumentalists, and the piano and cello duet performed by Joubert and Lawson proved to be a glorious success (and suited the summer evening’s ambiance perfectly).
The evening was such a hit that even the park’s resident hadedas showed their appreciation by breaking into their infamous fortissimo chorus —thankfully after the final bars of one of the pieces.
The Maynardville Open-Air Festival, featuring THE TEMPEST (directed by Sylvaine Strike), CAPE TOWN OPERA SINGS SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK, and SUNDAY IN YHE PARL WITH SONDHEIM, will be running at the Maynardville Park in Wynberg until the 8th of March 2025. Bookings through Quicket. Parking available at Simon van der Stel Primary School at a R50 flat fee.