By Jacques Marais
The Karlsruhe Concert Duo from Germany has travelled the world and has been to over 70 countries – on all seven continents. Reinhard Armleder, cellist, and Dagmar Hartmann, pianist, are the two members of this musical duo.
During their first tour in South Africa, 11 years ago, they fell in love with the country and said that they “have always found a very interested and enthusiastic audience” in it. Now they have returned to take the podium at the Musikhaus W. Heuer in Stellenbosch for the third time on 7 April.
The exciting programme consists of pieces from the likes of Beethoven to Gershwin. “We would like to strike a bridge from the classical to the romantic to the modern, from the composers of the first half of the 20th century,” they said.
The duo says that they are genuinely happy to be able to perform in South Africa, despite the pandemic. For most of us, the virus has stopped all music and placed a long rest on the world as we knew it. Armleder and Hartmann’s stories are no different. Although they have used this time since the middle of last year to expand their repertoire, they have not been on any concert tours at all.
When asked what advice they would give to other musicians, especially in the time of the pandemic, they replied, “We would like to advise you not to be discouraged, to work constantly on your instrument and to develop yourself further.” The duo also mentioned going to live concerts, speaking to professionals, practising, taking part in masterclasses – a few of which they have offered and are planning to offer – and setting goals. “As a musician, you never stop learning, you learn for a lifetime. We still do this with enthusiasm and great joy.”
They are hopeful of finding many guests at their performance on 7 April. Contact Musikhaus W. Heuer to grab your tickets for R180 each, only 35 tickets are available. The show starts at 19:00 on 7 April.
