Cape Town ensemble creates an explosion of joy of Mozart’s Magic Flute.

At this Festival concert, The Magic Flute – Impempe Yomlingo, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s irresistible music has been adapted for a marimba orchestra and firmly rooted in the African sound universe.

The artists in the South African theatre company Isango Ensemble come from the townships outside Cape Town and have specialised in transforming and updating classical works by placing them in an African setting. The ensemble has received prizes and standing ovations worldwide for their performances and are now visiting Oseana with the concert version of Impempe Yomlingo (‘The Magic Flute’ in the African language xhosa).

Vibrant percussions and rich vocal harmonies adds a new, explosive pulse to Mozart’s magnificent opera and turn the Queen of the Night and the rest of the opera’s immortal tunes into a unique musical experience. The ensemble have had great success with their performance in London’s West End, Paris, and Tokyo. At this year’s Festival, Isango Ensemble will also perform the work A Man of Good Hope at the National Stage, Bergen.

‘Leaves you with a rare sense of life-enhancing joy’ Sunday Times

‘Packing enough energy to power a couple of national grids, and enough decibels to lift several roofs’  The Times 

The Magic Flute by WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791), arranged by Mandisi Dyantyis

Isango Ensemble

Scandinavian premiere

See also: A Man of Good Hope