A perfectly organised ‘Valentine under the Stars’ concert, held last night at The Castle, our country’s oldest building, paid tribute to the 100 year anniversary of the establishment of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, which performed a programme of music related to love and romance.

With not a breath of wind, and a sky lit with stars and a full moon, the open-air concert in The Castle astounded the attendees, for its excellent quality music, not only by the orchestra conducted by Brandon Phillips, but also by the three soloists Colin Lee, Nash Reed, and Selim Kagee, as well as striking teenage violinist Donné  de Kock.   The sound quality was perfect, with no wind noise on the microphones, nor music notes flying away when there was the slightest breeze.

The concert was organised by Barbara Lenhard, powerhouse driver of publishing company Opulent Living with her partner Florian Gast, which recently opened Opulent Living Experiences events company.  Orchestra CEO Louis Heyneman gave Barbara the green light to participate in the special concert.  Comfortable chairs were set out in the courtyard of The Castle, decorated with hearts on red ribbons, and most of the 600 attendees would have had a perfect view of the stage and would have heard the music perfectly.  Songs performed included ‘Dein ist mein ganzes Herz’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘The first time ever I saw your face’, the ‘Blue Danube’ waltz, ‘Granada’, and ‘Something Stupid’.

The first concert of the then-named Cape Town Municipal Orchestra took place in the City Hall on 28 Continue reading →