HORIZONS Comes to Cape Town Opera This Month

On Saturday 28 September 2024, the internationally acclaimed Cape Town Opera Chorus will present Horizons at the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch as part of Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees. The distinctly South African programme with musical direction by José Dias, will feature works by fourteen composers including Michael Moerane, Péter Louis van Dijk, Mzilikazi Khumalo, Clare Loveday, Mpumelelo Manyathi and Pieter Bezuidenhout.

The performance spans over 70 years of musical history and encompasses seven of South Africa's official languages. The programme also includes arrangements of indigenous songs, offering a compelling showcase of the nation's rich musical heritage. Says composer Pieter Bezuidenhout, "This music is a roadmap of South Africa’s collective journey, charting the milestones of its shared identity. In every note, one can hear the echoes of history, the pulse of contemporary life, and the whispers of what is yet to come.”  The South African choral landscape is a vast and vibrant expanse, rich in diversity and steeped in history. It resonates with the voices of eleven national languages, each adding its unique melody to the symphony of a nation. "Choral music here is not merely an art form; it is the heartbeat of a people, a living testament to the intricate tapestry of social, cultural, and political threads that weave through the nation’s soul. It is a powerful medium of expression that carries past stories, speaks to the present, and beckons us toward the future,” he added.

From the same generation as Peter Klatzow comes the work of composer Peter Louis van Dijk, Horizons, from which this program takes its name. Horizons is one of the best-known South African compositions internationally, having been originally commissioned for the King Singers’ 1995 South African tour, it has come to be known as one of the best examples of Van Dijk's choral works. Creating a fusion of African melodic and rhythmic patterns that bind seamlessly with the English text that sets the narrative scene for us to follow. This piece encapsulates a great part of the historical narrative of South Africa; the arrival of the colonists and the interaction with the native Khoi-San.

South Africa’s choral music tradition is deeply rooted in collaboration and cultural interpretation, as exemplified throughout the Horizons programme. Composers engage with the rich diversity of the vernacular by arranging and interpreting music that reflects the nation's heritage. The repertoire includes traditional isiZulu and isiXhosa songs spanning over a century, such as Ukuthula, Senzeni Na, and Bawo Thixo Somandla—powerful pieces that have resonated in churches, concert halls, and during protests.

With Horizons, Cape Town Opera extends an invitation to embark on a journey of celebration. It is a homage to the choral traditions and composers who have shaped the nation's identity, a journey through the soul of South Africa, where every voice is a thread in the fabric of its enduring legacy.