Renowned jazz maestro Mduduzi Makathini had left Fort Hare University for a new stint in KZN.
To capture it off, he recently held his last concert at the institution.
Featuring Jacques du Plessis, Angela Kobus, Hayley White and Jo Stemmet, Symphony of Keys sees a range of orchestral music classics presented on stage with a simple setup of four keyboards and eight hands.
“It was such fun the first two times and it was so well received,” says White, who teaches various instruments and music as a subject at Hudson Park High School.
“People kept asking us when we’d do another show, so here we are.”
Du Plessis says the volume of music written for four pianists is another factor that makes the group eager to perform more concerts.
“There’s a lot of music written for eight hands and we could keep going forever,” said Du Plessis, who teaches at Stirling High School.
“Because there is such a wide range of compositions, we’re playing all new music in this show and I think, at least for me, it has been the most challenging of the three concerts so far.”
Comprising a collection of music that spans four centuries, Symphony of Keys Opus 3 includes compositions from Dahl, Beethoven, Holst, Bach and others.
“It’s the first time we’re doing music from the baroque period so that’s been quite challenging; all the pieces are quite hectic. We’re presenting a vast range of styles.
“We wanted variety so we have a good mix of different styles. Every piece has its own mood,” Du Plessis explained.
For White, Stemmet and Kobus , one of their favourite compositions to perform is Danse Macarbe.
“It’s a really fun piece to play. It’s about Death calling people from their graves to dance at midnight.
“I think for us three it’s between that and the Holst, but Jacques [Du Plessis] loves Bach because Bach is a genius,” Stemmet, who is the Selborne College
“We’re playing all new music in this show and I think, at least for me, it has been the most challenging of the three concerts so far.”