Music from the Silk Road

Join us at Northwards House, Parktown on Sunday, December 1st, at 3 PM for an afternoon in the company of the world’s most beautiful cello music.On Sunday, December 1st, at 3 PM we welcome to Northwards House the celebrated musicians Berthine van Schoor (cello) and Megan-Geoffrey Prins (piano). They will be presenting a recital entitled Music from the Silk Road, featuring works from such culturally diverse countries as China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey.

A graduate of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria, cellist Berthine van Schoor has numerous performances with orchestras to her credit. Since her return to South Africa in 2000, Berthine has established herself as a teacher with a successful studio to her credit. A frequent faculty member of the International Academy of Music in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Italy, she has performed solo recitals in Italy, as well as India, where she has presented master classes in recent years. Local festival appearances include the Wakkerstroom Music Festival, Aardklop, Klein Karoo Klassique, as well as the National Arts Festival in Makhanda.  

Named the 2019 Standard Bank Young Artist for Music, pianist Megan-Geoffrey Prins has achieved remarkable successes in music competitions and performances alike. He was awarded top prizes in the 2017 SAMRO Overseas Scholarship Competition, the 5th UNISA National Piano Competition as well as the inaugural Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival Competition, amongst others. Prins obtained degrees from the University of Stellenbosch and the Cleveland Institute of Music (USA), receiving the Arthur Loesser Memorial Prize, and the Judith Kaplow Prize for Uncommon Creativity. He currently serves as piano lecturer at the University of Pretoria.

The Silk Road was a far-reaching network of trade routes active from the 2nd century BCE until the mid-15th century, connecting vast regions of Asia with East Africa and Southern Europe. Using an intricate web of land and sea routes, it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the Eastern and Western worlds. The Silk Road began in north-central China, extending westwards from the ancient Chinese commercial centres along the Great Wall of China, across the Pamir Mountains, through Afghanistan, and into the Levant and Anatolia. Other routes extended through Persia (modern day Iran), India, and over the Caucasus Mountains. It had a total length of about 6,400 km.

This programme takes the listener on an exotic and imaginary journey through several countries of the ancient Silk Road, with music rich in colour, texture, and style, like an intricately woven magic carpet. From delightful miniatures by César Cui, Akhmet Zhubanov, and Arno Babadjanian (whose beautiful piano trio was recently performed by the Wits Trio at Northwards House), to a set of Georgian Folk Songs by Sulkhan Tsinstsadze, and Fazil Say’s monumental “Four Cities” Sonata, taking the listener on a musical journey around four cities in Anatolia, this programme is sure to enchant Johannesburg audiences.

Join us at Northwards House, Parktown on Sunday, December 1st, at 3 PM for an afternoon in the company of the world’s most beautiful cello music.

Tickets, as always, are available at Quicket.

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