Hats off to a genius!

“Hats off, the gentleman’s a genius."

This is the famous quote by composer, pianist and critic, Robert Schumann, who in an 1831 review effusively praised the young composer Frédéric Chopin’s talent.

Some 195 years later Chopin's genius has not only spread around the world, but is still admired by music lovers today. Dutch Conductor Conrad van Alphen and Bulgarian pianist Ludmil Angelov will join the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra for the second and final 2026 Summer Season concert in the Playhouse Opera on Thursday 12 March, starting at 7pm.

Angelov, renowned as a Chopin specialist, steps into the spotlight to perform two of the Polish master’s early works, Variations on La ci darem la mano and the Grande Polonaise Brillante. Each demands "high-wire" keyboard pyrotechnics, married to the "bel canto" tones essential to caress Chopin’s far-flung lyrical flights.

Audiences will be transported to an elegant, bygone era with Fauré's enchanting Masques et bergamasques that masterfully blends sprightly dance forms with a touch of wistful nostalgia. The evening ends with the youthful energy, humour and optimism of Beethoven’s Symphony No 2, written in 1801 and 1802. Such was the energy and musical jokes in the piece, it shocked the sensibilities of contemporary audiences and critics. One critic for the Zeitung für die elegante Welt (Newspaper for the Elegant World) wrote, "The second symphony is a crass ogre, a stabbed, unbound writhing dragon that refuses to die."

Tickets from Quicket outlets. There are also park and ride options for patrons from the Upper Highway, Westville, North Coast and Berea. Book bus tickets on 031 369 9438 /info@kznphil.org.za.

The KZNPO season forms an intrinsic part of the orchestra’s ongoing school visits, community engagement, and skills transfer programmes, all geared towards reaching out to new-generation artists and audiences alike.