8th CPO International Summer Festival to Feature Paganini of the Trumpet

Other soloists in the festival line-up are pianist Anton Nel and violinist Vesko Eschkenazy. The CPO's principal guest conductor, Martin Panteleev, will conduct all three symphony concerts (all of which place in the City Hall at 8pm) and one concert at Kirstenbosch at the end of the festival.

Nakariakov, who has been called the Paganini of the trumpet, has been hailed by critics abroad for his svelte tone and jaw-dropping technical fireworks. He'll be heard in the Arutunjan Trumpet Concerto on Thursday 6 February. Also on the programme will be Berlioz Roman Carnival overture and the Symphony No 5 by Tchaikovsky.

Entitled 'Magical Mozart', the concert on Thursday 13 February features works only by the great composer and will see the welcome return of Anton Nel. He will play the Piano Concertos no 24 in C, K491, and no 21 in C, K 467. Completing the programmes are the Magic Flute overture and the Symphony no 41 ('Jupiter').

On Thursday 20 February, Vesko Eschkenazy, concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (and brother of Panteleev), will play the Lalo Symphonie espagnole. When the pair played together in Durban recently, they brought the house down! The CPO will also play the overture to Benevenuto Cellini Overture by Berlioz and the Symphony no 5 in D minor by Shostakovich.

In addition to this, the CPO will play at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on Sunday 23 February at 17.30. Eschkenazy is the soloist in the Bruch Violin Concerto, which forms the centerpiece of a concert which includes works by Rossini, Smetana and Liszt.

New subscriptions for the three-concert season and single-seat sales are available at Computicket. Prices range from R130 to R195 and subscriptions attract a 20% discount, along with the opportunity to win dinner with maestro Panteleev on 19 February at the Miller's Thumb in Tamboerskloof.

The concert at Kirstenbosch does not form part of the subscription series. Tickets for this and can be obtained from Webtickets at R120 for adults, R80 for those between 6 and 21, and R105 for Botanical Society members. For more information, go to www.cpo.org.za.