Da Capo!

Da Capo! – which means “go back to the beginning” – was the opening concert of the latest Franschhoek Chamber Music Festival. The first work, “Passacaglia” by Halvorsen, is based on a harpsichord suite by G.F. Handel and is a triumphant overture to the sublime music that follows. Anton Reicha’s first wind quintet is a great opportunity for the flute, oboe, clarinet and French horn to take centre stage. Reicha hails from the time of Beethoven and shares the same harmonic language. Mozart’s iconic clarinet quintet needs no introduction as it rightfully assumes its place as one of the most admired pieces of chamber music ever written.