In Scaling the Heights on March 2, renowned conductor Meir Minsky teams with Russian keyboard wonder Margarita Shevchenko for Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 in an all-Russian programme which includes Mussorgsky’s Night on a Bald Mountain (sometimes titled Night on a Bare Mountain) and the popular Symphony No 5 by Shostakovich.

German maestro Wolfram Christ makes a welcome return to the orchestra following his appearance opening the 1999 Spring Season. The Sublime and the Jovial, his first programme on March 9, features acclaimed young French soloist David Grimal in Brahms’ Violin Concerto, coupled with Mozart’s Symphony No 40 in G minor and a selection of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances.

Bewitching, Wolfram Christ’s second concert on March 16, stars the youthful Israeli pianist Daniel Gortler in Mozart’s great Piano Concerto in D minor, performed alongside popular works by Dvorak’ - his Noonday Witch and the evergreen New World Symphony.

Masekhane, a Celebration of Human Rights on March 23 takes its title from the name of a work for baritone, chorus and orchestra by Surendran Reddy. Raphael Vilakazi and the KZN Chorale team up for this debut performance in a programme that also features Max Reger’s Variations on a Theme by Mozart. Gerhard Geist conducts.

The season closes on March 30 with Naum Rousine on the podium for Russian Fire, an all Rachmaninov programme of the ever-popular Piano Concerto No 2, with keyboard virtuoso Ilan Rogoff in the hot seat and the Symphony No 3.

For the second half of the season, March 3 to 30, the concerts move back to the Durban City Hall and starting time is 19h30. Booking is at Computicket.