Blake, Cortes mix pop and opera at the Palace
Mixing pop, rock and classical anthems with rich harmonic vocals, British "boy band" Blake, and popular opera star Cortes, will perform at the Theatre of Marcellus, Emperors Palace, on June 27 and 28.
Blake launched their first album in 2007. The public embraced their debut album immediately, with over 100 000 copies sold in just three weeks, earning the group their first Gold Disc.
The music industry followed in early 2008, when the album received the prestigious Brit-Award for Album of the Year, a huge honour for a group less than a year old.
Since then, their music has achieved remarkable success. Their upbeat version of Swing Low was chosen as the official anthem of the England rugby team for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
In 2008, their highly-anticipated second album, And So It Goes, was released and went straight to number 12 in the UK pop charts and to number one in several classical charts around the world.
Joining Blake on their debut South African tour is Cortes, an Icelandic tenor who was born into a musical family and trained as a singer in Vienna, Copenhagen and London.
He has performed various leading tenor roles in operas, as well as a leading part in The Phantom of the Opera, in London’s West End. His debut album in the UK, titled Cortes, was released on April 2007 and entered the UK classical chart at number one.
Gauteng’s flagship orchestra, The Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, will accompany Blake and Cortes for this line-up of classic crossover singers in the world.
For more information, visit www.emperorspalace.com, or call 011 928 1297.
