By the time the box office at the Jo’burg Promusica Theatre opened at 15:00 on 6 November, tickets were sold out, a limited number of extra chairs had to be carried in, and the foyer was buzzing with anticipation. The occasion was the Rand Symphony Orchestra’s final performance of 2011, our Richly Romantic Concert.

At three-thirty, Orchestra members filed on-stage to be met by an auditorium filled with an enthusiastic audience. Never had we played to a full hall before. Our musical director and conductor for almost 25 years, Bernard Wozny, came onstage, bowed, turned to the Orchestra and raised his baton. The music began.

Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture was greeted with appreciative applause, then Bernard led our lovely soloist, Zanta Hofmeyr, on-stage. She was dressed in a gown the rich colour of ripe raspberries, and with her long black hair, she was beautiful.

Zanta performed Henryk Wieniawski’s F sharp Minor Violin Concerto, a premier performance in South Africa, sympathetically accompanied by the Orchestra. This complex and extraordinarily difficult work floated through the auditorium, rich, passionate, tender, and exciting. Zanta earned every moment of the standing ovation she received, her performance was dazzling.

During the interval, the foyer was filled with delighted audience members, exclaiming over Zanta’s superb playing and how beautiful the music was. Zanta and musicians from the Orchestra mingled with the audience, sipping wine or coffee and enjoying the positive comments coming from all directions.

The bell sounded at the end of interval. Those who had meandered outside returned to the hall, while Orchestra members hurried backstage, where we unpacked and tuned our instruments. Soon we were all on-stage again, with the full hall hushed and waiting for our Conductor, Bernard Wozny, to re-appear and the music to begin once more.

The fourth movement of Brahms’ Fourth Symphony ebbed and flowed, brass, woodwind, strings and timpani blending and taking turns, weaving a tapestry of emotions from joy to triumph to tragedy, passion, determination and farewell.

The final movement of Dvořák’s New World Symphony went equally well, a sweeping summary of Dvořák’s musical tour of the United States of America, a fiery and passionate end to our Richly Romantic Concert.

The hall erupted with applause and, while we stood behind him, Bernard Wozny accepted a standing ovation on behalf of the Orchestra. We are all still basking in the glory of the afternoon.

We thank Mont du Toit Kelders for their generous sponsorship of Zanta Hofmeyr’s performance.

Our thanks go to SAMRO for their substantial sponsorship. Their message to the Rand Symphony Orchestra read: “In the year that SAMRO celebrates 50 years of creating value for the creators and users of music we are proud to be a sponsor of the Rand Symphony Orchestra. We wish all the participants in the Richly Romantic Concert success in hosting a wonderful and music filled event.