Head down to the Sanders - South Africa showroom on Sunday 21 September and an afternoon of mischief, mayhem and marriage will be your reward! Sanders, in association with Cape Town Opera ((CTO) and Fine Music Radio, have teamed up to present an afternoon soirée and sneak preview of the upcoming Le Nozze di Figaro.
Performers in this brand-new production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s comic masterpiece of impetuous love will be presenting a short programme of some of the most popular arias in this opera to the accompaniment of pianist Este Visser.
An afternoon of delightful music, delicious wine and snacks and the chance to hear some of the superb voices of the CTO is in store as the artists take to the stage in full costume and persona! The elegant high ceilinged showroom in Salt River is the perfect venue for the soaring voices of these talented performers.
The artists performing are: baritone Mandisinde Mbuyaswe as Il conte di Almaviva and recently returned from Munich where he performed as Mandela 3 in the CTO production of Mandela Trilogy; Soprano Siphamandla Yakupa is a versatile performer whose last role was Clara in Porgy and Bess and will be playing Susanna; tenor Lukhanyo Moyake has delighted audiences as Goro in Madama Butterfly and now takes the stage as Basilio. Soprano Arline Jaftha has travelled the world with the CTO and as La Contessa di Almaviva is sure to thrill; Currently part of the CTO Studio baritone Mandla Mndebele recently performed in Nelson’s Mass and takes the role of Figaro while mezzo Pelisa Myendeki presents Marcellina having last played Madame de Croissy in The Dialogues of the Carmelites.
Those that know the opera will understand why it is apt that the preview takes place at a bedding store! Sanders offers a range of beautiful duvets, bedding and bed linen and is known as the softer side of German engineering and, with Figaro hiding under a sheet in the production, what better place than to be able to take a peep beneath the covers.
One of the great jewels of comic opera, The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) is a maze of unexpected twists and turns, mistaken identities, disguises and deceptions. The biting social satire tells of a servant, Figaro, who outwits his master, Count Amalviva, when the latter decides to claim his feudal right to have his way with Figaro’s virgin bride on her wedding night.
The afternoon will be in two parts, with the first half being songs from the opera and the second half featuring lighter more contemporary music.
“We are proud of our association with Cape Town Opera and presenting this appetizer for a new production is a privilege. Last year’s event was a huge success and the intimate space of our showroom was very social, allowing the audience to network and interact with the performers. It is one of our objectives to offer our clients an opportunity to attend unusual events in this environment and we hope to offer more during the year, ” says Jens Reverchon, Director of Sanders – South Africa.
Le Nozze di Figaro will be staged at the Artscape Opera House accompanied by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday 18th October, Wednesday 22nd + Thursday 23rd October, Saturday 26th October, Sunday 27th October (Matinee). Directed by Christine Crouse,conducted by Jeremy Silver, with set and costume designs by Michael Mitchell, this is a production not to be missed. www.capetownopera.co.za
