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If classical music sets your heart soaring, you’ll want to pencil in Sunday, 15 November and Sunday, 22 November 2026 at St Thomas’ Church in Musgrave.
During these two afternoons, renowned organist Dr Christopher Cockburn will present two recitals featuring works by German composer Josef Rheinberger.
The concerts commemorate the 125th anniversary of Rheinberger’s death in Munich while also paying tribute to the late Mervyn Payne - the longtime St Thomas’ organist whose dedication helped preserve the church’s instrument for future generations
Each concert begins at 3pm, with an illustrated pre-concert talk at 2.30pm if you’re keen to learn more about the composers and music.
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Discover the music of Josef Rheinberger
Rheinberger is perhaps best known to choral singers for Abendlied, but his contribution to organ music extends far beyond this celebrated work. He composed 20 organ sonatas, admired for their technical mastery, formal structure, and expressive Romantic character.
His music brings together the warmth and emotion of the Romantic period with intricate counterpoint and a dignified organ style.
“There is no justification for music without melodiousness and beauty of sound... music never ought to sound brooding, for, basically, it is the outpouring of joy, and even in pain knows no pessimism,” Rheinberger is quoted as saying.
Cockburn’s two programmes each feature one of Rheinberger’s sonatas, alongside works by composers whose music connects with the German composer or the sonatas themselves.
The selection ranges from the solemn Passacaglia in D minor by German Baroque composer Dietrich Buxtehude – a form also used in the final movement of Rheinberger’s Eighth Sonata – to the playful Scherzino by Horatio Parker, one of Rheinberger’s American students. The programme also includes a virtuosic Toccata by Seth Bingham, who studied under Parker.
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A tribute to a Durban music legacy
The concerts honour Mervyn Payne, who served as organist at St Thomas’ Church for many years before his death last year. Payne and Cockburn shared a longstanding association through the Royal School of Church Music, and Payne invited Cockburn to perform at the church on several occasions.
According to the concert organisers, Payne understood the unique value of the church’s organ and played an important role in ensuring it was preserved and maintained for services and performances. These recitals are dedicated to his memory.
Cockburn is well known across South Africa as an organ recitalist and accompanist. After completing a master’s degree in organ performance at the University of Cape Town, he continued his studies in London, earning a Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists.
He later served as Director of Music at Grahamstown Cathedral and lectured at Rhodes University before moving to Durban in 2003 to take up a lectureship at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He earned a doctorate in musicology from UKZN in 2008 and has since retired from the university, returning to Makhanda.
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What you need to know
- Dates: Sunday, 15 November | Sunday, 22 November 2026
- Times: Pre-concert talks at 2.30pm (approximately 20 minutes) | Concert at 3pm
- Venue: St Thomas’ Church, Musgrave, Durban
- Tickets: R120 for adults; R100 for concessions; R180 for a season ticket covering both concerts
- Bookings: Prebook via Quicket for 15 November or 22 November | Buy tickets at the door
- Extra: Books from the Denis Hurley Centre’s Street Lit project will be on sale.
Whether you’re a devoted organ music enthusiast or curious to experience the instrument in a concert setting, these recitals offer an opportunity to discover Rheinberger’s music while celebrating the legacy of a musician who helped keep Durban’s organ tradition alive.
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