CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL 27 APRIL - 6 MAY 2018 - Experience the music adventure
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CANBERRA
INTERNATIONAL
MUSIC FESTIVAL
27 APRIL –
6 MAY 2018
Experience the
music adventure
Concert Calendar
Page
1 OPENING GALA 7.30 pm Friday April 27 Fitters’ Workshop 5
Personal Injury Lawyers 2 DAPPER'S DELIGHT 11 am Saturday April 28 Fitters’ Workshop 9
3 ROGER WOODWARD I 3 pm Saturday April 28 Fitters’ Workshop 11
Instrumental
4 FOUR SEASONS 8 pm Saturday April 28 Fitters’ Workshop 15
5 BACH ON SUNDAY 11 am Sunday April 29 Fitters’ Workshop 19
National Gallery of Australia
6 ENOCH ARDEN 3 pm Sunday April 29 23
in protecting the
Fairfax Theatre
7 CLASSIC SOUVENIR 6.30 pm Sunday April 29 Fitters’ Workshop 27
Starts at
8 FROM THE LETTER TO THE LAW 11 am Monday April 30 31
National Library of Australia
rights of more
9 ISRAEL IN EGYPT 6.30 pm Monday April 30 Fitters’ Workshop 37
10 am,
10 REQUIEM Tuesday May 1 Australian War Memorial 41
11.30 am
11 ROGER WOODWARD II 6.30 pm Tuesday May 1 Fitters’ Workshop 45
Canberrans.
12 GLASS GAMES 12 pm Wednesday May 2 Canberra Glassworks 49
13 ULYSSES NOW 6.30 pm Wednesday May 2 Fitters’ Workshop 52
8.30 am -
–– TASTE OF THE COUNTRY Thursday May 3 Annual Festival Trip 57
4 pm
14 ORAVA QUARTET 6 pm Thursday May 3 Fitters’ Workshop 59
JO
MA
THE ASPIRATIONS OF
R 15
DAISE MORROW
8 pm Thursday May 3 Canberra Theatre 63
At Maliganis Edwards Johnson, we’ve seen
2018 Canbe 16 RETURN TO BASICS 11 am Friday May 4 Canberra Grammar School 65
firsthand how an injury can impact lives. rra
We’ve also seen how proper compensation
Internation
al 17 A SOLDIER'S RETURN 7.30 pm Friday May 4 Fitters’ Workshop 67
can make all the difference. That’s why we’ve
Music Festiv
al 18 I BASSIFONDI 11 am Saturday May 5 Fitters’ Workshop 71
provided more support, more personalised S
PO R
advice, and more understanding to more NSO 19 THE TROUT 3 pm Saturday May 5 Fitters’ Workshop 73
Canberrans since 1985. 20 BEOWULF 8 pm Saturday May 5 Fitters’ Workshop 77
If you’ve been injured and need 21 PETER AND THE WOLF 11 am Sunday May 6 Fitters’ Workshop 81
compensation, there’s one law firm that BARBARA BLACKMAN'S National Gallery of Australia
22 2 pm Sunday May 6 83
means more. FESTIVAL BLESSING Fairfax Theatre
23 FESTIVAL FINALE: SERENADE 6.30 pm Sunday May 6 Fitters’ Workshop 87
Don’t delay. Call MEJ.
02 6257 2999 | mej.com.au
1
Welcome from Message from
ACT Chief Minister Honorary Festival Patrons,
Andrew Barr MLA Major General the Hon. Michael Jeffery and
Mrs Marlena Jeffery
Welcome to the 2018 Canberra International The Canberra International Music Festival Autumn comes around, a little later this year than we were expecting. But when it comes around,
Music Festival, where you can discover your own provides an opportunity for those attending the Canberra changes its colours and we have to change our tune. The tunes come from far afield this
musical adventure. many and varied performances to experience a
year and they delve deep into our collective memory: the sweeping stories of men returning from
Across 10 days, venues across Canberra will wonderful program, exceptional musicianship,
great venues and enjoyment from real and war, and what it means to head back home.
come alive with the sound of the best classical,
contemporary and world music in the Southern close connections between performers and Home is where our roots are, the things who made us who we are, the generations that defined us,
Hemisphere. audience.
named us and gave us history and kinship. The story of Beowulf lifts up a tip of the Anglo-Saxon
With 23 ticketed concerts, site-specific events, As Honorary Patrons, Marlena and I are looking veil, a tale of adventure that is as riveting now as it once was long before someone committed it
musical walks and free sessions, there’s forward to this year’s Festival. It will be performed
to parchment. And Brenda’s story, the story of an Indigenous woman whose lands we share, the
something for everyone. by very talented local, national and international
artists at some of our city’s most iconic venues, story of putting ‘Gambambarawaraga’ to paper and leading us whitefellas through the cycle of the
Canberrans are the happiest, longest-living and set against a backdrop of Canberra’s glorious seasons. She has lifted the tip of an even bigger veil that surrounds this land: the way it changes, the
best-educated Australians and we certainly like autumn hues and colours. way it breathes, the way it burns in the sun and draws from the moon.
our music. With intimate performances in some
of Canberra’s best buildings, this year’s festival This magnificently organised ten day program
How we return to our own sources is the story of this festival. We learn to walk a long way, often
will inspire, educate and uplift. includes Indigenous cultural music, the
ancient traditions of the bard, Baroque and only to find ourselves where we started. We would love to remember those first steps but our gait
The ACT Government is proud to support classical music on period instruments and has shifted, our gaze widened and our stumbles have born fruit. No matter how much was gained,
the Canberra International Music Festival birthday tributes to Claude Debussy and nothing ever remains the same.
and Canberra’s expanded arts scene. As our Leonard Bernstein. This mix of musical styles
city continues to grow, a healthy arts scene is and musicians, involving many of our younger This is a festival for the dreamers, for all those who believe in green sprigs shooting out of age-old
important to add vibrancy to our community up and coming artists, provides an excellent trunks.
and the Festival is an integral part of that. opportunity for all to enjoy a variety of world
This Festival attracts many people from class performances. It also demonstrates that Roland
interstate and I welcome you all to our city. the future of great music in this country is in
You’ve come to one of the world’s best cities good hands.
to visit this year, according to Lonely Planet. Marlena and I are looking forward to this year’s
The Canberra region offers such diverse visitor Festival and the opportunity to share these
experiences, from national institutions to our lovely musical experiences with you all.
award-winning vineyards.
Michael and Marlena Jeffery
I hope you enjoy the 2018 Canberra International
Music Festival and experience Canberra in all its
seasonal beauty.
Andrew Barr MLA
ACT Chief Minister
Photo: William Hall The position of Artistic Director is supported by ANNA & BOB PROSSER
2 3
FRIDAY 27 APRIL FRIDAY 27 APRIL
Supported by the AINSLIE + GORMAN ARTS CENTRES MALIGANIS EDWARDS JOHNSON presents
FESTIVAL EXTRA CONCERT 1
TALK OF THE TOWN - THE VIOLINISTS
OPENING GALA
Gorman Arts Centre - Main Hall
55 Ainslie Avenue, Braddon
2.00pm | 60 mins
Festival Artistic Director Roland Peelman in conversation with
Tim Fain and Cecilia Bernardini
Meet two major protagonists of the violin: New York based
Tim Fain of Philip Glass fame and Cecilia Bernardini,
Dutch‑Italian specialist of baroque and classical violin.
A discussion on versatility, virtual reality and the rewards
and challenges of classical music in the digital age.
TICKETS $10
The Seasons Fitters' Workshop
Festival Opening - William Barton and Ned McGowan in duet 7.30pm | 115 mins
Philip Glass b. 1957: Chaconne I from Partita William Barton didgeridoo
The Best Festival Ever: Celebrating 25 years Ned McGowan b. 1970: Winter Tones
Peter Sculthorpe 1929–2014: Autumn
Ned McGowan contrabass flute
Tim Fain solo violin
25 years ago, members of the Canberra Anne Boyd b. 1946: Goldfish Through Summer Rain Keiko Shichijo piano
commmunity who shared a love of John Cage 1912-1992: 'Spring' from the ballet The Seasons (1947)
Brendan Clarke double bass
music began presenting concerts in Alistair Anderson b. 1948: When the frosts are setting in Hugh Barrett piano
private homes and embassies. From these Anonymous: Rattlin’ Billie (18th century jig) Mark Sutton percussion
small beginnings, the Festival has grown Anonymous: Rattling Roaring Willy (18th century jig)
into a ten-day event with a national Susanna Borsch recorder
reputation for excellence and innovation. Brenda Gifford b. 1968: Gambambarawaraga (WP) - Beaver Blaze Turner Trebles & Vocal Fry
Kate Howden mezzo-soprano
– INTERVAL –
We think 25 years is worth celebrating. Tobias Cole countertenor
George Frideric Handel 1685-1759: Arias and Duets: Bach Akademie Australia
We are launching a special birthday ‘Oh that I on wings could rise’ from Theodora HWV 68 dir. Madeleine Easton
appeal with the aim of raising an additional ‘Oh Lord whose mercies numberless’ from Saul HWV 53 with
Become a $25,000 for Roland to invest in our 2019 ‘Se bramate d'amar chi vi sdegna’ from Serse (Xerxes) HWV 40
Cecilia Bernadini violin
Simone Vallerotonda theorbo
2019 program.
‘Se in fiorito prato’ from Giulio Cesare in Egitto HWV 17 Alice Giles baroque harp
Festival If you simply wouldn’t miss the Festival ‘As with rosy steps’ from Theodora HWV 68 directed from the harpsichord by
Roland Peelman
each year, or this is your first time and ‘Son nata a lagrimar’ from Giulio Cesare in Egitto HWV 17
Supporter you’ll be back, we would like you to join VOCAL FRY Is funded by ARTSACT
with us to make CIMF 2019 our and presented by
“Best Festival Ever”. ANU SCHOOL OF MUSIC
This concert is supported by BEV & DON AITKIN WP – WORLD PREMIERE
Find out more at cimf.org.au/25years
4 3-12 MAY 2019 5
Betty Beaver and the Festival Blaze Living language
Betty Beaver AM is a stalwart of arts and music in Canberra. A trained Aboriginal language reclamation is fast gaining of Botany Bay down to Nowra and west
cellist and an experienced art entrepreneur, Betty's personal traction in Sydney and the south-east. For some to around Bowral is being taught at La
commitment to art and music have earned her a central place in years it has been unfolding in many public ways Perouse (the northen end of that region), as
Canberra’s annual music festival. Her involvement with the Festival already, such as co-branding of National Parks an outreach from Eora College.
goes back to the very origins of Pro Musica in 1994. or certain places (whether geographical or civic
In Sydney, the last thorough speakers of the
By 2007, the idea had emerged to commission a short piece that would places), all with consultation of local Aboriginal
Dharug language (also called the Eora language
lift the spirit of the Festival’s opening concert, and the idea took hold. authorities. The exciting thing about it is that
since only the mid-1940s) died in the early
In 2017 the Festival commissioned a new Beaver Blaze from Brenda it passes deeper awareness and meaning of a
twentieth century. This language region included
Gifford, proud Yuin woman, for the opening of this year's Festival. This place and the local culture on to all. Language
most of Sydney and the Blue Mountains. Much
was realised with the assistance of a generous anonymous donor and reclamation is not without its politics, but is
Betty Beaver Photo: Peter Hislop effort is being put into the the reclamation of
the Indigenous Composers' Initiative. necessary and welcome.
this language too, in both Sydney central and
At Eora College (an Indigenous College in in Western Sydney. It is one of the most known
Brenda Gifford b. 1968: Gambambarawaraga Suite (WP) - Beaver Blaze Redfern, Sydney) the Wiradjuri language is of Aboriginal languages in the public domain
being taught to those descended from that and includes words such as: wallaby, dingo,
The word Gambambarawaraga means 'seasons' in the Dhurgha language of my mob. The area, which spans between about Dubbo down wombat, and also Coogee (smelly seaweed),
Gambambarawaraga Suite is in 9 sections, consisting of musical responses to the moon and to Albury and east to Lithgow. It's a chance Bondi (wave), coo-ee, and corroboree. So most
various seasons from my South Coast Aboriginal perspective. These movements are connected by for those in the city to learn their language, Australians already speak some Dharug/Eora!
a repeating section based on ‘footprints’ (bardju), which represents my journey/ footprints as a Yuin often after a break of generations. As
woman and represents our own individual journeys – also our collective footprints and the need to Chris Sainsbury
well, the Dharawal language of the region
tread lightly on the earth and treat her with respect. This music was trod first on the coast and in the
bush, and has now come to be scored and played.
Gadhu (Moon)
The moon is an element that works in with the different seasons represented in this piece. eg.
high moon, low tide , good fishing etc.
Bardju (Footprints)
I’m standing at the headland/ cliff at Wreck Bay, facing the sea, the cemetery to my right, Summer
Cloud Bay to my left. In winter I feel the bite of the cold wind in my bones, in spring I feel a light
breeze caress my skin, in summer I feel the heat from below rise up and hit me.
Dhugawara a (Winter)
Standing on the headland of the cliff at wreck in winter , with a strong wind hitting me and below
the waves hitting the rocks relentlessly and loudly, the 8 bars of 3 triplets represent this.
Dhugawara b (Winter) Handel: A Man of the Theatre
Bardju (Footprints)
Gambambara (Spring)
T here is no denying that Handel was a man of
the theatre. In the local opera house of his
birth place Halle and subsequently in a number
By the time he was invited to London, he had
proved himself a true master in the genre with
Rinaldo, produced in a mere two weeks during
By whispering the word Gambambara we invoke the spirits of spring. of Italian opera houses (Florence, Rome, Venice) the 1711 season. The scene was thus set not
Bardju (Footprints) he learnt the trade. This involved anything only for a successful run of opera productions
from dealing with opera stars, castrati or non- in London, but also for Handel to take up
Galaa (Summer) castrati, coping with the local organisation residence in the English capital. By 1719 Handel
A tribute to beautiful summer, a light breezy song praising her. or lack thereof, delivering parts on time for had become the music director of the newly-
Gadhu reprise rehearsal, trying to please a local audience and founded Royal Academy of Music, specifically
last but not least keeping track of the finances in to present Italian opera on the London stage.
Orchestration assistance by Chris Sainsbury, who stayed close to my concept and knows my order to live another day. His first opera Almira, Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt)
sounds. Thanks to cousin Wendy for your cultural guidance and help with language. in Italian, gave the then 20-year old composer a is one of the works dating from this period, while
Brenda Gifford first taste of success in front of a home crowd. Serse (Xerxes) represents Handel’s 1737 come-
6 7
back after what seems to have been a stroke. The bravura aria 'Se bramate' from the SATURDAY 28 APRIL
But before health issues intervened, the sheer beginning of Act II in Xerxes could be described
fickleness of the opera business urged a career as the dramatic counterweight to 'Ombra mai
switch of sorts: his re-invention as a composer fu' that starts Act I. People were scathing at the
of oratorio in the English time about the opera’s CONCERT 2
language. It involved
a shift from pagan
libretto and demeanour,
but ever since its
DAPPER'S DELIGHT
stories from antiquity to belated revival in the
Biblical settings (which early 20th century,
pleased London’s Jewish the work has been an
community no end), and enduring success.
a greater involvement of
The remaining arias all
chorus scenes.
stem from two of Handel’s
Nevertheless, whether most beloved oratorios:
in Italian opera seria Saul and Theodora.
or dramatic English Saul was Handel’s
oratorio, the aria Faustina Bordoni and Senesino, by Antonio Maria Zanetti first collaboration with
marking each pivotal Charles Jennens. The Black And Grey Fitters' Workshop
moment of dramatic insight into the dramatis crucial role of David was given to a countertenor A tune from John Playford’s Dancing Master of 1686
11.00 am | 70 mins
personae remained the vehicle of choice for in order to convey all the powers of persuasion Once I loved a Maiden Fair
celebrity singers. Tonight’s selection could be and charisma, and arouse Saul’s jealousy. His A 17th century bittersweet song of love abandoned
described as a showcase of what Handel could aria 'O Lord whose Mercies numberless' is The Grey Joak, Blue Joak, Yellow Joak, Widow’s Joak Susanna Borsch recorders
provide for both the male and female alto. followed by the sound of his lyre: the mystic Some very different tunes from 18 century collections, all having the title “Joak”
th Adrian Brown
powers of a harp solo. Fortune My Foe – Come Live With Me And Be My Love anglo concertina and voice
The star power of castrati in 17th and 18th century
Possibly the most popular English song after Greensleeves, with its antidote...
opera was legendary and the success of Handel’s As for Theodora, Handel has been quoted as
operas depended largely on their involvement. saying "The Jews will not come to it because it Lillys And Roses - Saddlers Wells – The Bashful Swayne
When Handel embarked on Julius Caesar, it was is a Christian story; and the ladies will not come Three tunes taken from Henry Playford’s Dancing Master, the third edition.
Francesco Bernardi aka ‘Senesino’ who was to because it is a virtuous one." Yet, written as late Sir John Barleycorn
sing it. The title role in Xerxes was initially sung as 1750, it became his favourite work, the result An arrangement of this popular folksong as a tribute to the 70’s band “Traffic”
by Gaetano Majorano, known as ‘Caffarelli’. Both of a drawn-out labour of love. ‘Oh that I on wings Ten Thousand Miles Away
commanded vast fees and were known for being could rise’ goes to the heart of the work’s piety, An early Sea Shanty referring to the distance between England and Australia
‘difficult’, sometimes substituting their own the martyr Theodora’s impassioned plea for – INTERVAL –
arias and not averse to crudely upstaging fellow the soul to be set free. Earlier in the work her Grey And Black (M. Clarke, S. Bottomley)
performers. Caesar’s aria in the beginning of Act Christian friend Irene sings ‘As with rosy steps’, A cover of a beautiful song by the English rock band “Tempest” from 1973
II 'Se in fiorito prato' is just such a an aria that defies description, Three Hornpipes
starring moment. After having fallen one of the supreme examples of A selection of triple-time hornpipes from Playford’s Apollo’s Banquet of 1701
head over heels for Cleopatra’s Handel’s ultima maniera, a tribute Blanket Fair, or the History of Temple Street
charms, the aria gives the singer to the Christian faith as the great A Broadside Ballad commemorating London’s “Great Frost” of 1684
a solo violin to compete with, the light of dawn from a composer Sybelle
musical equivalent of the Roman who is gradually going blind in the “Sybelle”: an English form derived from an aria in Lully’s opera Atys
hero’s desire and competitiveness. twilight of his career.
St James’ Frolick
The duet at the end of Act I 'Son A 17th century Broadside ballad concerning a London barber and his client...
Roland Peelman
nato a lagrimar' is a touching
Bedlam
farewell by the two lovers Cornelia
Cecil Sharp’s pianoforte arrangement of this beautiful folk song
and Sesto forcibly separated by
Oh Oh Antonio (C. W. Murphy, D. Lipton)
Roman political manoeuvres. It is
A 1908 English music-hall song made popular by the Australian Florrie Forde
the kind of piece that will guarantee
Caffarelli, by Pier Leone Ghezzi
the audience’s return after interval! THIS CONCERT is supported by LYNDALL HATCH & ROBIN GIBSON
8 9
Vernacular: adj. and n. SATURDAY 28 APRIL
...that writes, uses, or speaks the native or indigenous language of a country or district.
...of arts native or peculiar to a particular country or locality. CANBERRA TIMES presents
CONCERT 3
I n musical circles, 'vernacular' can be used to
describe music and specifically song that by
reason of popularity becomes 'representative
From the middle of the 17th century, tunes from
Playford’s Dancing Master and other tune
books were immensely popular, both as music ROGER WOODWARD I
of the people'. Although naturally encompassing to dance to, and as popular song tunes to play
them both, vernacular is a broader term than on a variety of instruments. In fact, over the 77
either 'folk' or 'popular' music. In music history, years of its publication, we can almost speak of a
it includes all music that traversed the artificial country-dance craze, which must have provided
a welcome alternative to the stiff formal dances
barriers between art and popular music and, in
of the elite.
the present day, would also include recorded
music that has found its way into the popular Other tunes from our programmes come from
tradition. the 17th century Masques and 18th century ballad
operas. We also make arrangements of dances
It is within the depths of the bubbling caldron and tunes of a rustic or popular character from
of 16-18th century English popular music what might be termed art music sources.
that we wish to explore, imagining a musical
antechamber positioned somewhere between Different versions of the same tunes are found
in many sources, showing signs of a continuous
the theatre and the street. We use the striking
state of flux (for example in the modernisation
instrumentarium of the anglo concertina –
of modal tunes over the course of the many
Claude Debussy 1862-1918: Fitters' Workshop
surely one of the most portable and versatile Estampes L100 (1903):
editions of The Dancing Master). 3.00pm | 100 mins
keyboard instruments ever invented – and the Pagodes – Soirée dans Grenade – Jardins sous la pluie
recorder, an instrument that emerged around This, together with the lack of notated (Pagodas – Evening in Granada – Gardens under rain)
harmonisation, confounds ideas of a Roger Woodward AC OBE piano
1500 and was popular with both the alta
'definitive version' and challenges our notions Images Book 1 L110 (1904-1905):
cappella as well as the chamber ensembles of
of authenticity. By using an ‘inauthentic’ Reflets dans l'eau – Hommage à Rameau – Mouvement
singers and instrumentalists. Our aim is to find
instrumentation, we are forced to concentrate (Reflections in the water – Homage to Rameau –Movement)
interesting programmes for this unusual and
on engaging the minds of listeners with our Images Book 2 L111 (1907-1908):
effective combination, looking first at material
arrangements and performance more than Cloches à travers les feuilles – Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut
existing in both high and low cultural sources.
on reconstructing the physical aspects of an
– Poissons d'or
Broadside ballads formed an early movement of ‘authentic’ performance.
(Bells through the leaves – And the moon sets on the temple ruins
popular music, in that they were song texts, of a In literature 'in the vernacular' could refer to a – Goldfish)
variety of natures, written to popular melodies. text, or poem rendered in a language understood
In an age with no recorded music, they were by the population at large, rather than the – INTERVAL –
a unique way of spreading the latest songs small section who were able to read classical Frédéric Chopin 1810-1849:
throughout the population. They were sold in languages. Similarly, we hope our arrangements
towns and villages, often being performed on Études op. 10:
and performance do likewise and will open our
the street by the vendors themselves. chosen repertoire to new audiences... No. 1 in C major No. 7 in C major
No. 2 in A minor No. 8 in F major
No. 3 in E major No. 9 in F minor
Dapper’s Delight: the combination of classically trained recorder player Susanna
No. 4 in C-sharp minor No. 10 in A-flat major
Borsch and the recorder maker and concertina player Adrian Brown. Their obtuse
musical backgrounds provide the inspiration and gel for their musical collaboration, No. 5 in G-flat major No. 11 in E-flat major
which has resulted in three widely acclaimed albums: Indoors (2011), Disguisings No. 6 in E-flat minor No. 12 in C minor
(2014) Vernacular (2017). They have given concerts in many European countries and
this is their first tour of Australia. www.dappersdelight.com
This concert is supported by MARGARET & JOHN SABOISKY
10 11
Claude Debussy, style and substance From Study to Étude
S tyle, according to Proust, is not a matter of
technique but a matter of vision. If winning
the coveted Prix de Rome as a 22-year-old is
permutation. By going inward into the quality
and nature of the sound itself, Debussy found
a way of constructing music that upended the
T he piano’s development from the days
around 1700 when Cristofori built a
mechanism of hammers striking the strings
When the musical instinct drives the fingers
rather than the other way around, a new genre
can excite an audience and be useful to a great
anything to go by, Debussy certainly had plenty formalistic traditions conditioning the ears of is one of the great technological stories of pianist.
of technical skill early on. But vision? In its strict the average 19th century listener. By exploring the Western music history. By the time J.S. Bach
meaning this implies ‘seeing’, the ability to sheer physicality of perception and the subtle played one of Silbermann’s instruments in The new pianos needed champions, and
perceive something either real or imagined in process of aural association and seduction he Potsdam in 1747, the man who had spent his the likes of Erard and Pleyel found just their
great detail and use that as a guiding principle to created a new sense of form and flow allowing life on organs and harpsichords was convinced man when a young Pole arrived in Paris and
build a more elaborate and possibly new picture for repetition, variation, contrast, movement of the piano-forte’s worth and future. The rest, enchanted the Paris salons with a poetic touch
of the world. What Debussy saw and heard – from and space within a framework often defined as they say, is history. The instrument called and a freedom of playing (rubato) that seemed
his early but short-lived obsession with Wagner by something akin to the golden section. The ‘fortepiano’, comprising five octaves, built with novel at the time. Chopin's first collection of 12
to the wonders of the world brought to Paris musical impressions that are formed along a wooden frame and using two strings per note, Études stems from his last years in Poland as a
for the great 1889 exposition – have become the way build an imaginary story for the senses became the dominant keyboard instrument very young man prior to the 1831 invasion and his
commonplace now: Japanese woodcuts, rather than a narrative for the brain. The musical in the second half of the 18th century. By 1820 earliest days in Paris, where they were published
Javanese gamelan, Chinese lacquer art, Persian result has a temporal and tactile quality, all the makers in France and England were expanding in 1833. Ordered not chromatically as in Bach’s
artefacts and much more. Such treasures more so since the specific characteristics of its range up to seven octaves, and Well-tempered Clavier, but in
added spice and flavour to an already luxuriously the instrument or the space are crucial to the were experimenting with steel harmonic sequence based on
sophisticated artistic scene dominated by such way the sound evolves. In other words, style frames and steel strings. Most related keys (starting in C major,
poets as Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Verlaine and itself became the new substance, rendering importantly, Erard had adopted moving to A minor, then E major,
painters by the name of Monet, Manet or Renoir, the Germanic division between ‘idea’ and the ‘double échappement’ etc., landing finally in C Minor for
to mention just a few. Whilst poets blurred their ‘technique’ utterly irrelevant. mechanism in 1821 which allowed the last Étude), the collection
mind with absinthe and dived into the periphery The obsession with sound, sonority and ‘timbre’, rapidly repeated notes, and thus clearly salutes Bach by extending
of human consciousness, the painters drew now enshrined in the activities of IRCAM at created an opportunity for a new the German’s iconic first prelude
Turner’s vision to its inevitable conclusion by the Centre Pompidou in Paris, has never been level of virtuosity. arpeggio idea across the entire
redefining object/subject through the human exclusive to the French, but French musicians keyboard and concentrating on
eye and its relationship with the changing light and scientists did lay a strong foundation for the The new instruments, louder nimble chromatic finger-crawling
of day. For Debussy, too, nature had become a empiricist approach to music. While Bach wrote and more robust than their Chopin by Bisson, 1849 for the second one. The famously
canvas of the mind. The subtle tactile nature of two volumes of ‘The Well-tempered Clavier’, a predecessors, but now simply hackneyed third Étude is a slow
the instruments, the texture, transparency and work of practical, formal and didactic genius, his called ‘pianos’, created a buoyant market for melody, the notation and speed of which gave
sonority of chords or melodies, their seductive contemporary Rameau wrote at least a dozen manufacturers who would ship their products Chopin much headache, as the sketches reveal.
qualities ‘in the moment’ – these became his music theory books based around the principle to every corner of the globe, for piano teachers Each number has a distinct idea and motoric
guiding vision. Led by the ear first and foremost, of ‘le corps sonore’ (the ‘sonorous body’). (who else would instruct the daughters of the device that propels the idea. The collection
rooted in the sheer physicality of sound, Debussy Rameau’s reasoning and finely attuned musical aspiring middle classes?), for the educational opus 25 continues this line of thinking, starting
reinvented Rameau’s findings for an audience ear thus laid the foundation for systematic repertoire (Mozart or Beethoven Sonatas were in A-flat Major with accompanying arpeggios
steeped in symbolist poetry and ‘impressionist’ analysis of sound as a natural phenomenon. mostly beyond the average learner), and last against melody and bass played by the little
painting. Debussy: musicien français. The realisation that any given resonating body but not least for publishing companies, enjoying fingers, notoriously daunting pieces with parallel
Substance, the product of logical thought and consists of a series of overtones and that this their first real sales boom. Minor masters such as thirds (no. 6), sixths (no. 8) and octaves (no. 10),
rational deduction, had led Western music forms the basis of harmony and colour paved Cramer, Clementi and Czerny produced volume and again finishing in C minor with double-hand
down the path of dialectic discourse, brilliantly the way for orchestration as we know it and for after volume of bite-sized exercises, studies and arpeggios.
demonstrated by the first Viennese school: much of what is going on in music nowadays. For learning pieces, rarely longer than two pages and
Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Subsequent Debussy, the ‘corps sonore’ of choice was the each concentrating on a particular aspect of These twenty four Études became a benchmark
generations continued the principle of classic piano. From the moment his right foot pressed piano technique. 200 years of mindless piano for generations of pianists and aspiring
development within an increasingly complex down the pedal, a world of sonorities opened up, pedagogy was suddenly set in motion! Yet we pianists across the globe. There are many fine
harmonic field. In the hands of Wagner and often prompted by one note, one chord or one ought to be grateful for the likes of Chopin, Liszt recordings, but to hear all 24 Études in concert
his followers, this principle had become an improvisatory flourish…. and Schumann, who understood that each remains an utterly thrilling experience.
endlessly strung out game of modulation and Roland Peelman technical feature also contains a musical idea. Roland Peelman
12 13
SATURDAY 28 APRIL
PRINCIPALS presents
CONCERT 4
Achieve brand leadership FOUR SEASONS
www.principals.com.au
Canberra Seasons artwork - courtesy of artist Mick Ashley
Ross Edwards b. 1943: Fitters' Workshop
Harp Mantras
8.00pm | 110 mins
Mary Finsterer b. 1962:
Four Interludes (WP) Tim Fain solo violin
Festival Strings
Camille Saint-Saens 1835-1921:
dir. Roland Peelman
Danse macabre op. 40 (arr. T. Peemoeller)
Seven Harp Ensemble
– INTERVAL – dir. Alice Giles AM:
Alice Giles
Max Richter b. 1966: Ingrid Bauer
Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons Jacinta Dennett
Spring 1 Autumn 1 Genevieve Lang
Tegan Peemoeller
Spring 2 Autumn 2
Laura Tanata
Spring 3 Autumn 3 Esther Wong
Summer 1 Winter 1
Summer 2 Winter 2
Summer 3 Winter 3
This concert is supported by PERONELLE & JIM WINDEYER WP – WORLD PREMIERE
Principals is an approved supplier to the Federal Government, Department of Human Services Creative Panel (strategic brand, marketing
and communication) and the NSW Government Performance and Management Services (Corporate strategy, business strategy and planning). 15
The Seasons Ross Edwards: Harp Mantras
O
SPRING, old-English Spring, related to Germanic root spring-/sprung- etc, meaning jump, leap. ne of Australia’s best-known composers, Harp Congress we agreed that we should aim to
Spring first refers to a place of rising from the ground, the source of a well or river. Its second meaning Ross Edwards has created a distinctive draw the audience into a numinous atmosphere
highlighting the harp’s ethereal qualities”.
is the season after winter and before summer, in which vegetation begins to appear, astronomically sound world which seeks to reconnect music
extending from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice (French printemps, German Frühling, with elemental forces and restore its age-old Edwards' compositions include four
Italian primavera, Dutch lente). association with ritual and dance. symphonies, the violin concerto Maninyas and
SUMMER, Old English sumor or sumer of Germanic origin (French été, German Sommer, Italian Harp Mantras was commissioned by the Seven the internationally acclaimed Dawn Mantras,
estate, Dutch zomer). The season after spring and before autumn, when the weather is warmest, Harp Ensemble (SHE) to open the World Harp which ushered in the new millennium from the
astronomically from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox. Congress in Sydney in 2014 in the Sydney Town sails of the Sydney Opera House. His recent
Hall. That performance included didjeridoo Oboe Concerto was rapturously received at its
AUTUMN, Middle-English autumpne, from Latin autumnus (American fall, French automne, German world premiere performance by Diana Doherty
performer William Barton. For this performance
Herbst, Italian autumno, Dutch herfst). The season between summer and winter, astronomically and the Sydney Symphony and its U.S. premiere
the SHE uses a dawn chorus from the
extending from the September equinox to the winter solstice. Figuratively: a period of maturity or by Doherty, The New York Philharmonic and
CD A Madrigal of Magpies recorded by
incipient decline. Lorin Maazel. He is currently working on a
Andrew Skeoch and Sarah Koschak. Of Harp
WINTER, from the Old-English winter, a nasalized form of the Indo-European base wed-, wod‑, Mantras Edwards writes: 5th Symphony commissioned for the Sydney
ud-, meaning wet (French hiver, German Winter, Italian inverno, Dutch winter). The fourth and Symphony Orchestra.
“When Australia’s unique Seven Harp Ensemble
coldest season of the year, astronomically extending from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox. invited me to compose a work to open the World
Figuratively: in reference to old age, or to a time of affliction or distress.
Roland Peelman
Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre op. 40
C
The Human Seasons – John Keats omposed by Saint-Säens in 1874, Danse begins with twelve single notes that represent
Four Seasons fill the measure of the year; Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves macabre is known as a tone poem for the twelve strokes of midnight, followed by the
orchestra and solo violin. Less known is the arrival of Death (the tritone interval), before
There are four seasons in the mind of man: His soul has in its Autumn, when his wings
fact that its earliest version was an art song for the dance begins. By using specific muffling
He has his lusty Spring, when fancy clear He furleth close; contented so to look
piano and solo voice, based on the legend of techniques, the harp can mimic the sound of
Takes in all beauty with an easy span: On mists in idleness—to let fair things
the Dance of Death: each year at midnight on the xylophone used in the orchestral version to
He has his Summer, when luxuriously Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook:
Halloween, Death appears calling the dead— imitate the rattling of skeleton bones. Towards
Spring's honey'd cud of youthful thought he loves He has his Winter too of pale misfeature, the end of the piece, there is an abrupt change
To ruminate, and by such dreaming high Or else he would forego his mortal nature. young and old, rich and poor—to rise up and
of texture which represents dawn breaking, a
dance for him.
rooster crowing, and the skeletons returning to
Like the original tone poem, Tegan Peemoeller's their graves (and closets) for another year.
The Acton Birdwatchers’ Ode to the Four Seasons – RF Brissenden
arrangement for the Seven Harp Ensemble
In summertime we’ll take our ease And then by winter’s fire-side blaze
Upon the lawns beneath the trees We’ll quaff mulled claret as we gaze
And watch the skirts get shorter; On every well-filled sweater; Max Richter
And as trim pairs of hot-pants pass
Salute them with a spritzy glass
Of hock and soda-water.
And drink a toast to John Keats,
Who said: Heard melodies are sweet,
But those unheard are sweeter.
T he German-British composer sound artist
Max Richter has become an influential voice
in post-minimalist music and in the meeting of
been hailed as a major departure in the Vivaldi
catalogue, even though about 75% of Vivaldi was
discarded and replaced by looping techniques.
Then as the leaves begin to fall But come the champagne days of spring, contemporary classical and alternative pop His immersive 8-hour long Sleep project was
For burgundy and port we’ll call When corks go pop and sweet birds sing since the early 2000s. He studied composition first performed in September 2015. “I think of
To give our hearts new vigour, And all the world is mating, at the Royal Academy in London and then it as a piece of protest music,” Richter has said.
So we may have the strength to see We’ll take our bottle and our glass with Luciano Berio in Italy. Unusually prolific, “It’s protest music against this sort of very super
Autumnal clothes from neck to knee And join the ladies on the grass – he writes for stage and screen and devises industrialized, intense, mechanized way of living
Enfold each lovely figure. That is, if you’re still waiting. major musical projects and installations. His right now. It’s a political work in that sense. It’s a
Four Seasons ‘re-composition’ from 2012 has call to arms to stop what we’re doing”.
16 17SUNDAY 29 APRIL
MUSICA VIVA PRESENTS
BACH AND HIS WORLD CONCERT 5
His life, his work, his music.
BACH ON SUNDAY
TICKETS
musicaviva.com.au/tafelmusik
1800 688 482
No booking fees through Musica Viva
ticketek.com.au | 1300 795 012
TAFELMUSIK BAROQUE ORCHESTRA
LLEWELLYN HALL, ANU SCHOOL OF MUSIC
THURSDAY 24 MAY 7PM
Musica Viva
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750: Fitters' Workshop
Amadeus
Actus Tragicus BWV 106, ‘Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit’
Society
11.00am | 75 mins
Sonatina
Chorus: ‘Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit’ Bach Akademie Australia
Arioso (tenor): ‘Ach Herr, lehre uns bedenken’ dir. Madeleine Easton
THEME & VARIATIONS PIANO SERVICES Aria (bass): ‘Bestelle dein Haus’
Chorus, Arioso (soprano): ‘Es ist der alte Bund’
Daniel Yeadon cello piccolo,
solo viola da gamba
Proud sponsor of the 2018 Canberra International Neal Peres Da Costa continuo
Aria (alto): ‘In deine Hände befehl’ ich meinen Geist’
Music Festival, Theme & Variations Piano Services
is once again delighted to be this year’s piano partner. Arioso & Chorale (bass, alto): ‘Heute wirst du mit mir im Richard Fomison baroque trumpet
Working behind the scenes with the artists and Paradies sein’ Susannah Lawergren soprano
event organisers, they are providing and servicing Chorus: ‘Glorie, Lob, Ehr' und Herrlichkeit’ Tobias Cole alto
the Steinway concert grand for your enjoyment.
Sonata in G minor for viola da gamba no. 3 BWV 1029 Richard Butler tenor
Established in 1985 by concert technician Vivace — Adagio — Allegro Andrew O’Connor baritone
Ara Vartoukian OAM, Theme & Variations
Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 BWV 1047 Andrew Fysh bass
continues to offer the highest quality service
including tunings, repairs, restoration, sales Allegro — Andante — Allegro assai
and hire of pianos. Their team has indisputable Kantate BWV 175, ‘Er rufet seinen Schafen’
expert knowledge of every aspect of pianos.
Recitative (tenor): 'Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen'
With an impressive showroom and workshop Aria (alto): 'Komm, leite mich'
in Sydney, you will find pianos for every Recitative (tenor): 'Wo find ich dich?'
budget, with delivery to all areas.
Aria (tenor): 'Es dünket mich, ich seh dich kommen'
Contact us today. Recitative (alto, bass): 'Sie vernahmen aber nicht' NEAL PERES DA COSTA
and DANIEL YEADON
Aria (bass): 'Öffnet euch, ihr beiden Ohren'
appear courtesy of the
Chorale: 'Nun, werter Geist, ich folg dir' SYDNEY CONSERVATORIUM
OF MUSIC
1300 886 053 This concert is supported by MARJORIE LINDENMAYER
www.themeandvariations.com.au
18 19Bach on Sunday (Peace and joy) which transforms the tone and Thomaskirche. In this position, Bach began
F
texture of the ensemble, ending with a threefold the massive undertaking of writing five annual
or all the squillions of words written about abound about the third sonata being a re-
angelic ‘Amen’. cycles of Cantatas. In March 1725 he lost his
Bach’s tenure in Leipzig, his commitment to working of a concerto for two traverso flutes.
regular librettist which forced him to break off
the Lutheran service, his brilliance as a keyboard Whatever their origins might be, all three sonatas The dizzying heights of the clarino or baroque
the series and make other arrangements for the
player, or his grand compositional ventures such are works of great eloquence and concerted trumpet in its top register also created new
period after Easter. Bach then collaborated with
as The Well-tempered Clavier, The Art of the elegance. Indeed, the intricate energy of Bach’s opportunities. Whether written for the court
the Leipzig-born poet Christiane Mariane von
Fugue, the Cantata Cycles and more, we should concertos is in the air in the opening Vivace of trumpeter in Köthen, J.L. Schreiber, or J.
Zeigler (1695 – 1760), and in that same year set
never underestimate his ear for characteristic the third gamba sonata, and its Adagio cantilena Altenburg whom he heard in Weissenfels in
music to nine of her texts, including the cantata
instrumental colour and his uncanny ability to seems tailor made for the affectionate and 1713, Bach did not shy away from stratospheric
Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen BWV 175.
extract both subtle and strikingly original effects ‘human’ quality of the solo gamba. Throughout virtuosity if he felt like it. What is required for
from the instruments and players at his disposal. the work the cembalo part combines the left the F-trumpet part in the Second Brandenburg The work is written for the first Tuesday after
All the works in this concert (with one stand-out hand basso continuo with a treble part that Concerto has daunted many players over the Pentecost, still celebrated as Whit Tuesday in
exception) explore pithy writing for instruments responds to and interweaves with the gamba. last 200 years. Yet, in combination with flauto, Lutheran Germany during Bach’s time – and first
that two decades on would be relegated to the By the third movement the cembalo truly leads violino and hautbois as part of a concertato performed on 22 May 1725. The text combines
dustbin of history: the and the two instruments group, the instrument shines like no other. the Gospel words of John 10: 1-11 (Jesus as the
recorder or Blockflöte, merge into something that Composed around 1717/18, the concerto Good Shepherd) through all seven movements
soon to be abandoned is greater than the sum of adopts the simple Italian three movement with von Zeigler’s poetic commentary on the
for the traverso flute, its three parts. style and throws the four instruments around parable of the sheep called by name but fleeing
and the viola da gamba, in playful semi-quaver fashion as he nearly from the stranger. Framed in three large sections,
A pair of gambas (12 the cantata contrasts the idyllic world of Jesus
losing its distinction in always does in the key of F. But the effect is
strings in total) combined as shepherd with a loyal flock of listeners against
the simplified harmonic simply miraculous. He completed a fresh copy
with a pair of recorders those who do not yet hear the good news.
progressions of mid-18th of the manuscript of all six Concertos himself
supported by basso
century ‘galant style’, and sent it to the Margrave of Brandenburg with Bach begins each section with a recitative and
continuo form the basis
in favour of the four- the following grovelling handwritten dedication: employs unusual and contrasting instrumental
of the early cantata
string violoncello which, backing for each of the three main arias. Three
Gottes Zeist ist die
incidentally, had long “ (…) rendering my most humble duty recorders accompany the opening recitative
allerbeste Zeit BWV 106.
found comfort between to Your Royal Highness with the present and aria, painting a pastoral scene (‘He calls his
The 22-year-old Bach
the legs (da gamba) Concertos, which I have adapted to sheep by name'). The second aria (the arrival
could not have chosen a
instead of on the shoulder several instruments; begging Your of the shepherd), is a bourrée for the tenor solo
more suave, comforting
(da spalla) or on the arm Thomaskirche Leipzig (1749) Highness most humbly not to judge with an obligato part for the violoncello piccolo.
or peaceful combination
(da braccio). their imperfection with the rigour of that The full strings component finally enters before
of instruments for what is
discriminating and sensitive taste, which the bass aria paints Jesus’ victory over the grave.
Once a great favourite at the 17 century French essentially a funeral cantata transformed into a
th
everyone knows Him to have for musical Here two trumpets conjure up the world of the
royal court, the viola da gamba with its six or picture of Paradise - the earthly Paradise we lost
works, but rather to take into benign Devil as well as Jesus’ victory in battle. The final
seven strings, fretted neck and wider body and the Heavenly Paradise awaiting us. Death
consideration the profound respect and 4-part chorale bundles all of these forces in a
opens up interesting harmonic resonances, not as a tragic end but as a blissful sleep waiting
the most humble obedience which I thus glorious setting of 'Komm, heiliger Geist'.
subtleties of tone and articulation that made it for eternal salvation. In this cantata, written
attempt to show Him.”
very compatible with the lute, and particularly when he was still organist in Mülhausen, Bach
the bass-lute or theorbo. As late as 1735 not only shows his taste and compositional By the end of May 1723, Bach had moved to Roland Peelman
Telemann published 12 solo Fantasias for the skill, he displays a profound understanding of Leipzig to take up the position of Kantor at the
instrument (re-discovered in 2015). Bach wrote history, reflected in the cantata’s idiosyncratic
three sonatas specifically for it a few years later structure and choice of texts. With Old
but otherwise reserved the instrument for very Testament quotations for the first part, he
special pieces and occasions such as the aria restricts himself to lower voices interweaving
‘Es ist vollbracht’ in his St John Passion or the stern old-style motet fugato as a symbol for
Cantata 106 that starts today’s concert. ‘der alte Bund' (the old bond), until the soprano Save the Date: 3-12 May 2019
Only the first of the three gamba sonatas
voice heralds the voice of Christ and announces www.cimf.org.au/25years
the New Covenant. The work can thus finish in
is preserved in an Autograph, and theories
the spirit of Luther’s Chorale ‘Fried und Freud’
20 21Sharing SUNDAY 29 APRIL
In association with the NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA
CONCERT 6
the best of ENOCH ARDEN
Canberra’s
arts and
culture with Franz Schubert 1798-1828:
Impromptu op. 90 no. 4 in A-flat Major (D. 899/4)
National Gallery of
Australia,
710,000
Fairfax Theatre
Johannes Brahms 1833-1897:
3.00pm | 75 mins
Intermezzo op. 117 no. 3 in C-sharp Minor: Andante con moto
John Bell AO OBE narrator
readers*
Richard Strauss 1864-1949:
Simon Tedeschi piano
Enoch Arden, op. 38 TrV 181
melodrama on a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
per month.
canberratimes.com.au This concert is supported by HARRIET ELVIN & TONY HEDLEY
Source (Readership) : emma Dec 2017
VR4326680
23Richard Strauss: Enoch Arden
melodrama on a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
E noch Arden is a melodrama for narrator and
piano, written in 1897 by Richard Strauss to
the words of the 1864 poem of the same name
Like many a compositional project, Strauss’s
Enoch Arden was inspired not so much by purely
artistic goals as by more practical considerations:
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. in order to solidify the composer’s friendship
and beneficial professional relationship with
These days the term 'melodrama' refers to the actor Ernst von Possart, a popular and
a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and powerful figure renowned as a master of poetry
characters in order to appeal to the emotions; recitation, who in 1896 helped Strauss obtain
but the French word mélodrame, combining the the prestigious position of chief conductor at
concepts of music and drama, referred originally the Munich Opera. To return the favour, Strauss
to a technique of combining spoken recitation sought a suitable poem to which to compose a
with pieces of accompanying music. By the early piano accompaniment that he could perform Richard Strauss in 1904. Photo by Edward Steichen
19th century this practice was well established, in together with Possart. Enoch Arden was one of meantime married and brought up Enoch’s Philip’s theme sinks and fragments with his
opera and elsewhere. In addition to the operatic Tennyson’s most popular narrative poems (two children together with one of their own. “dark hour, unseen" in the woods, but returns
silent films were made of it, in 1911 and 1915), and to chime the merry wedding bells when Annie,
Strauss’s score provides a short prelude and
Strauss’s setting achieved his goals admirably. despairing of Enoch’s return, later agrees to
He and Possart toured extensively together, several brief interludes that articulate the
become his wife. Enoch’s theme shadows him
performing (in German translation) to large and passage of time or changes of scene. The
throughout his wanderings and undergoes the
appreciative audiences. prelude music returns when the stranded Enoch
most extensive transformations, as for instance
recalls images of his home, including the “low
Tennyson’s poem tells a story of three childhood when Annie misinterprets a dream-vision of
moan of the leaden color’d sea" (suggested by
friends in a small seaside village whose destinies him “under a palm tree” as signifying that his
the surging G minor scales of the piano’s left departed soul has gone to rest among the
are poignantly entwined in a manner perfectly hand). Most of the music, however, is designed heavenly host, or later at the opening of Part 2,
calculated to appeal to Victorian bourgeois to accompany portions of the recitation. Here when he is watching wearily on the shore of his
sensibilities. The orphaned “sailor’s lad”, Enoch, the reciting text is carefully coordinated with desert island for the sight of a sail. The three
has a touch of Heathcliff about him; reserved the piano accompaniment, and sometimes main character-motives are all dramatically
yet passionate, his “large gray eyes and weather- accented syllables are aligned with the developed and intertwined at the emotional
beaten face" exert an irresistible romantic downbeat or the middle of a measure. But since climax of the poem, when Enoch looks in, silently
appeal on young Annie Lee, “the prettiest little the text is recited rather than sung, the speaker and unseen, at the domestic idyll of Annie, Philip,
damsel in the port”. Their playfellow, Philip Ray is able to declaim with a natural flexibility of and the children gathered about them.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1869). (“the miller’s only son”) grows up to see Annie rhythm and accent unavailable to the singer of
Photo by Julia Margaret Cameron courted by Enoch and married to her, while he While successful with the public at the time that
lieder or of opera.
must look on disconsolately. Driven by the need Strauss wrote it, Enoch Arden fared less well over
use of melodrama by Mozart (Zaïde), Beethoven to provide for his family in the wake of a period Each of the three main characters is given a the years with music critics, who considered it
(the grave-digging scene in Fidelio) and Weber of misfortune, Enoch enlists with a merchant distinct leitmotif when first named, one after slight and lacking in melodic development. But
(the incantation scene in Der Freischütz), piano- another, each in a different key and with a frank as the soundtracks of film and television dramas
vessel bound for China. On the voyage back he
accompanied melodramas were composed by naiveté appropriate to their initial childish state. have gained critical respectability, so interest
is shipwrecked and subsists for a dozen years as
Liszt, Schubert, and Wagner, among others. A Annie’s consists of a gently sinuous chromatic has revived in a performance genre that is not
a Crusoe-like castaway on a desert island. When
decade after Enoch Arden Schoenberg sought turn-figure in G, Philip’s a simple triplet idea unallied to that of the audiobook. In recent years
Enoch is at last rescued, he returns to his village
an even closer integration of speech and music in E, and Enoch’s a more energetic, leaping the work has attracted some notable names
a ghost of his former self, recognized by no one.
with the notated Sprechstimme (‘spoken voice’) gesture in E-flat with an accented dissonance. both as speakers, including Dietrich Fischer-
in his Gurre-Lieder and Pierrot Lunaire. Copland’s Where once Philip had crept away unseen These principal leitmotifs are transformed and Dieskau, Michael York, Claude Rains and Patrick
Lincoln Portrait is in effect a mélodrame, into the “hollows of the wood” after glimpsing developed in the style of modern music drama, Stewart, and as pianists, including Glenn Gould,
as is Poulenc’s Babar, and Sculthorpe used Enoch’s courtship of Annie Lee, now Enoch even though long stretches of unaccompanied Emanuel Ax and Marc-André Hamelin.
accompanied speech to highlight dramatic finds his ultimate redemption in remaining recitation break up the music into small
With acknowledgements to James Pritchett
moments in his cantata The Great South Land. invisible to Annie and Philip, who have in the sections. and Thomas Grey.
24 25You can also read
