This
annual concert, held at Vergelegen, just gets better and better each year. This
year the headliners included South African opera diva Pretty Yende. She has starred at nearly all of the major opera houses of the world, including the
Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala (where she is resident), Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin and
the Paris Opera. Bra Hugh Masekela also topped the bill with his brand of SA
jazz and delighted us with his humour and his trumpet. And, yes, he did play
Grazing in the Grass, his #1 smash hit in 1968
Conductor Richard Cock with the Cape Town
Philharmonic Orchestra started with the National Anthem and then continued the programme
with the stirring theme from Star Wars
We were asked to arrive at Vergelegen at 5,
checked in and handed over our passes and then proceeded through Lady Phillips’
magnificent garden to the Manor House
There are huge, ancient camphor trees on the estate
The paying audience is seated on the lawn at the
rear of the concert area
RMB's guests meet on the lawn next to the Manor House and
drinks and canapés are served while we meet and greet
On offer was the appropriately named Starlight
Brut MCC from Villiera. This has an alcohol content of only 9.2%/vol
Smoked salmon canapés
More canapés being served by smiling staff
Rare beef topped with cranberry jelly
Lots and lots of glasses, as there are several
hundred RMB guests. You could also order beer, spirits or Vergelegen wine
The rose garden is a perfect picture this time of
the year
Behind the barrier are the patient ticket holders
who picnic before the concert
RMB guests on the provided chairs
Maestro Richard Cock
RMB welcomes us. All money raised at the concerts
goes to charity
The show began with the impressive Mzansi Youth
Choir
Soprano Pretty Yende
She also sang the famous duet O soave fanciulla from Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème with tenor Stefan Louw. It was very beautiful, she has such range and depth to her
voice
The audience loved Bra Hugh Masekela ...
... and gave him a standing ovation
Mzansi Youth Choir in their colourful costumes
Hugh Masekela captivating us with some classics
and joining in with other members of the cast
The audience is on our feet and rocking with Bra
Hugh
Another Aria from Pretty Yende
She sang "Vilja's Song" from The Merry
Widow by Franz Lehar with help from the audience, who had to join in for a
chorus, loved it and sang along loudly
Not only song, but dance too
with singers performing All about the Bass
The Mzansi Youth Choir gave us some wonderful Cape
songs, including Daar Kom die Alibama, January February March and Laurika Rauch’s
Stuur
Groete Aan Mannetjies Roux
An amazing rendition of Summer Time from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess by Pretty Yende
and Hugh Masekela
and we lit our candles to make it a truly
starlit evening and we sang along to John Lennon’s song Imagine. Very emotional
indeed
Lots of light, bright sides
Raise your candles if you like the song or the
singer
This young man, Jeremy Olivier
(who is a finalist on The Voice SA on Lira's team) sang 'All of Me' beautifully
Bra Hugh doing what he does best, entertaining on
his trumpet
Pretty Yende sings Barcelona with a very talented
young singer, Monde Msutwana, who took Freddy Mercury’s part. She reached notes (and sustained
them) that one did not know were possible
Sadly, this year, we were not given programmes, so
we did not get the names of all the performers, which was a pity
One almost felt the Olympic spirit
The lighting and effects all evening were amazing
and so well choreographed to fit the music
The final encore. Melanie Scholtz belting out a
number
Pretty joining in
and she is joined by Bra Hugh
Bows, loud applause and calls of MORE!
The entire cast takes a bow, including our two
conductors for the evening
This was shameful. Normally, everyone clears up
after themselves, but not this time. We were given rubbish bags and asked to take
everything with us. And this was in the Pound seats and was left by the guests
of RMB
No one rushes to go home, as there is often a huge
traffic jam outside as the concert audience rushes home. So we were invited for
dessert, port, coffee and drinks under the trees. Thank heavens for Uber and our AirBnB in Somerset West!
Assorted macaroons beautifully presented
Boards groaning with dessert options: chocolate
and raspberry tarts, lemon tarts, rather dry red velvet cakes
The amazing, ancient Camphor trees, looking like
Ents under the spotlights
Dismantling the set and some just don't want to
leave
Going home down the pathway between the sculpted antelopes
©
John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus
