During the first half of the programme entitled, 2 Blondes - 1 Piano, the audience can look forward to enjoying Beethoven's Sonata in D major, Mendelssohn's Andante and Variations and a selection of Hungarian Dances by Brahms. Three Improvisations on a Dutch folk song by Arnold van Wyk are also included. After intermission, the 'Blondes' will captivate the audience with their signature Beatles and ABBA medleys, as well as a special Boland Blues medley.
The success story of these two dynamic musicians started back in 1981 when they were B.Mus students at the University of Stellenbosch. Able to play classical and light music and being tasked with organising concerts for the annual carnival, they decided to do something different - to play the music of the Beatles on two pianos. The concert was an instant success and paved the way for many sold-out performances thereafter.
Says Elna, "From the Beatles concert in the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch, we created many other concerts played on two pianos - Bach, Beatles and Blondes, Beethoven & Abba, Verdi & Lloyd Webber, Tchaikovsky & Queen.
After their studies, Zorada and Elna's careers took them in different directions and it was not until 2006 that the two pianists teamed up again. Says Zorada, ‘A friend of us, Marna du Toit, wanted to revive the Beatles concerts and contacted us. She attended the concerts as a student and her wish was to present them as fundraising concerts for missionaries in Sri Lanka. Elna found old programmes of our Beatles concert and we simply started again (without sheet music, because we do all the arrangements in our heads). Everything was still there, 25 years later. All the keys, links, twists and turns, as if we played it yesterday!’
Since then, the 'Blondes' have for the past ten years captivated thousands of adoring fans and and continue to make new ones with their sparkling stage personalities and brilliant playing.
The concert at Nederburg in Paarl is presented in the music room of the beautiful Nederburg manor house and starts 17h00. Tickets include sherry on arrival, sparkling Nederburg Brut poured during interval, plus acclaimed Nederburg wines served with a delicious finger after the concert.
Bookings at R250 per person can be made by sending an email to concerts@distell.co.za or by calling +27.21 877 5123 during office hours.