Young Mannheim Symphonists National Online Winter Academy 6 - 7 July 2020 Handbook - Directors Rachael Beesley & Nicole van Bruggen - Squarespace

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Young Mannheim Symphonists National Online Winter Academy 6 - 7 July 2020 Handbook - Directors Rachael Beesley & Nicole van Bruggen - Squarespace
Young Mannheim Symphonists
 Directors Rachael Beesley & Nicole van Bruggen

National Online Winter Academy
            6 – 7 July 2020
               Handbook
Young Mannheim Symphonists National Online Winter Academy 6 - 7 July 2020 Handbook - Directors Rachael Beesley & Nicole van Bruggen - Squarespace
Welcome to the Young Mannheim Symphonists National Online Winter Academy
and best wishes to you all for a wonderful time exploring a fresh new historically
informed perspective.

Contents

Zoom Meeting Details .................................................................................... 2
National Online Winter Academy Schedule ................................................... 3
Historically-Informed Performance and the Young Mannheim Symphonists .. 4
  Why Mannheim? ......................................................................................... 4
  Who Are We? ............................................................................................. 4
  What is HIP?............................................................................................... 4
  Style ........................................................................................................... 5
  Instruments ................................................................................................. 5
  What can this teach us about playing in the 21st century?.......................... 6
  Leading & Following ................................................................................... 6
  Research .................................................................................................... 6
Guest Speakers ............................................................................................. 7
  Dr Mario Dobernig ...................................................................................... 7
  Anthea Cottee............................................................................................. 8
  Professor Neal Peres Da Costa .................................................................. 9
YMS 2020 Faculty ....................................................................................... 10
Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra LIVE on Friday 10 July ............. 10
Acknowledgements...................................................................................... 12

Zoom Meeting Details

Monday 6 July & Tuesday 7 July 2020 9:30am-3.00pm

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkdemvrTwpHNL5KFmYldv3JEDiYO63
PZRr

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about
joining the meeting.
Young Mannheim Symphonists National Online Winter Academy 6 - 7 July 2020 Handbook - Directors Rachael Beesley & Nicole van Bruggen - Squarespace
National Online Winter Academy Schedule

MONDAY 9:30    Welcome & Introduction with Rachael Beesley & Nicole van
               Bruggen
        10:00 Presentation ‘The Classical Symphony’ by Dr Mario Dobernig
        11:00 MORNING TEA (recommendation: Apfelstrudel)
        11:30 Q&A Session with Mario
        12:00 Historical Instrument Demonstrations by Nicole van Bruggen
              (clarinet), Jackie Newcomb (bassoon) & Anneke Scott (horn)
        12:30 LUNCH (recommendation: Salonbeuschel mit dumplings)
        13:15 Historical Instrument Demonstrations by Katie Yap (viola), Daniel
              Yeadon (violoncello) & Rob Nairn (double bass)
        13:45 Presentation ‘Skills for Positive Performance’ by Anthea Cottee
        14:45 Q&A Session with Anthea
        15:00 End

TUESDAY 9:30   Welcome & Introduction with Rachael Beesley & Nicole van
               Bruggen
        10:00 Presentation ‘19th Century Performance Practice’ by Dr Neal
              Peres da Costa
        11:00 MORNING TEA (recommendation: Sachertorte)
        11:30 Q&A Session with Neal
        12:00 Historical Instrument Demonstrations by Peter Clark (violin),
              Stephen Robinson (oboe) &, Sally Walker (flute)
        12:30 LUNCH (recommendation: Wiener schnitzel mit sauerkraut)
        13:15 Historical Instrument Demonstrations by Susan Williams
              (trumpet), Nigel Crocker (trombone) & Guy du Blet (timpani)
        13:45 Presentation ‘Comparing & Discussing Interpretations’ by Dr
              Mario Dobernig
        14:45 Q&A Session with Mario
        15:00 End
Historically-Informed Performance and the Young Mannheim
Symphonists
Why Mannheim?

In the south west of Germany on the Rhine River is the city of Mannheim. In the
mid-1700s it was one of the main cultural centres of Europe – a wealthy and
peaceful place where art, science, philosophy and music converged. It was the time
when the Classical-era symphony became established due to the work of
composers such as Franz Richter, Johann Stamitz and others. A young Mozart was
often seen there, as were the poets and playwrights Johann Wolfgang Goethe and
Voltaire.

The musicians of the Mannheim Court orchestra were talented and precise, and
could handle each new compositional technique that the composers threw at them.
The Mannheim Rocket is an ascending arpeggio that travelled skyward from the
basses to the upper strings, and listeners were stunned to hear the whole orchestra
shift dynamics as a unit in the Mannheim Crescendo or Diminuendo. The
Mannheim Roller is an exciting crescendo effect together with a rising melodic line
over a repeated bass line, and the Mannheim Birds – well you get the idea...

The Young Mannheim Symphonists is so named as a tribute to this rich period in
music history – a time when musicians and composers were considered the
cornerstones of culture, and performing music was an unquestioned part of
everyday life, education and wellbeing.

Who Are We?

The Young Mannheim Symphonists is directed Rachael Beesley and Nicole van
Bruggen – Co-Artistic Directors of the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra
and together with our musicians from the orchestra, we are always adding to our
capacity to provide a fascinating and enlightening educational resource. We believe
that the best way to deepen the appreciation, understanding and experience of
Classical and Romantic repertoire in Australia is to share our knowledge and
passion in a way which is inspiring and empowering, as well as challenging and
completely relevant to contemporary music-making.

What is HIP?

Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra specialises in what is known as
historically-informed performance, or HIP. This is a way of playing that grew from
the Early Music movement in the middle of the 20th-century in Europe, where
music of the past was interpreted and played on instruments and in a style
designed to more closely resemble the sound of when it was written. HIP is a
broadening of this approach, and includes interpreting and performing music written
right up to the beginning of the 20th century and is based on research into the
aesthetics of the period in which the music was conceived and performed, including
locating expressive markings and annotations in original scores and treatises,
comparing these to some of the earliest recordings of Classical and Romantic
repertoire, and identifying supporting evidence in the parallel disciplines of
literature, theatre and the arts.

Style

Understanding changes in performance styles encourages us to investigate how
things might have sounded in the 18th- and 19th-centuries. Secondary sources,
including reviews, articles, textbooks, or letters written by the composers, are a
great resource if approached with an understanding of language and context of the
time, while early recordings provide greater evidence of the use of expressive
techniques. Examining scores, particularly surviving sketches and revisions, also
gives the modern player clues about what was notated, as opposed to what the
musician was expected to already know.

In general terms, historically-informed performance will involve greater degrees of
rhythmic freedom and variation of tempo within a section or movement – this does
not mean playing out of time, but allowing things to ebb and flow in a more
rhetorical way. Musicians may ornament and embellish phrases more than in the
modern orchestra, and in some situations a soloist may improvise more than would
be usual in mainstream classical music.

Instruments

Many instruments from the Classical and Romantic period have survived, and
are either in museums or still being played. Instrument makers around the
world are producing accurate replicas by taking avail of advanced measuring
tools combined with authentic manufacturing techniques and materials.
Learning how to play these earlier versions of the instruments we know well
today, gives the player direct insight as to how things may have sounded at
the time. With gut strings, different bows, fewer keys, no valves, and smaller
bore sizes – the timbre of all instrumental voices is more slender, and there
are more idiosyncrasies to the sounds. The modern instrument is designed to
be homogenous and even across all registers, whereas the earlier models
had built-in quirks and areas creating more prosody in the sound.
What can this teach us about playing in the 21st century?
During YMS programs, you are not required to have an instrument dating from the
time or a replica – known collectively as period instruments. With a bit of practise
and know-how, a modern instrument can also be played in a historically-informed
way. This might involve articulating differently, changing phrasing and sustain, and
– most importantly – opening your ears to new blends of sounds across the
orchestra as a whole.

Playing in a historically-informed way is not a rejection of modern orchestral
playing, but rather a way of increasing your skills and choices as a musician. For
example, an accomplished actor understands the importance of studying the
language, phrases and stories of Shakespeare, knowing that these contain
universal themes still relevant today. Today’s music across all genres has sprouted
and grown in some way from music of the past. The more we can connect the dots
between different periods, the more flexible and nuanced our modern
interpretations will be, regardless of which style we specialise in.

Many professional musicians around the world do specialise in historically-informed
performance, yet this does not mean they are closed to other styles or ideas. Some
will also play on modern instruments in the large orchestras, record film scores,
work with electronics, or be members of contemporary art music ensembles.

Leading & Following
One of the most immediate and obvious differences in being part of a HIP
orchestra, is that if there is a conductor at all, they may also be playing as well as
leading. This means that each member of the group takes on a greater
responsibility for ensuring the direction and ensemble is united. In a section of
similar instruments, each person leads, and each follows. A cooperative and
collaborative approach to music making ensures that everyone’s musical opinion is
important and is heard. Music is a language and we can learn to communicate and
understand the rhetorical gestures present in this style of music.

Research
We will present seminars about the history of the symphony, performance styles
and performance psychology, and will be showing instrument demonstrations from
principal musicians from ARCO. Listen, take notes, and ask questions – this is the
opportunity to give your music making some context and background. Research
into historical playing techniques inevitably involves more than checking Wikipedia
or Google – you will be encouraged to think about what new connections can be
established between music, visual art, literature, science, language and other
happenings of the day.
Guest Speakers
Dr Mario Dobernig

On a global quest to make a musical difference, innovator Mario Dobernig is fast
emerging as one of the most inspiring conductors of his generation. Whether it be
on the classical concert platform or the unconventional wonderland of electronic
dance music his energy and passion for music is infectious. Mario is Artistic
Director and Conductor in Chief for the Art of Sound Orchestra and Victoria Chorale
and has conducted among others the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Kapfenberger
Symphoniker, Orchestra Capella Calliope and at prestigious venues in Europe, the
Middle East, China and Australia. His discography includes online releases for ABC
Classics and he has been a featured guest on various radio programs around the
globe. He was awarded his PhD in 2014 and also holds multiple Master and
Bachelor Degrees.

Mario has produced a number of highly successful festivals in many cities and
countries (Australia, Austria, China, Germany, Italy, Finland) and also organises
unique cultural exchange tours for music and cultural groups between Australia and
his other native Austria.

Mario is very much looking forward to these two days of musical discovery,
enjoyment and fun with his young colleagues at the Australian Romantic &
Classical Orchestra’s Young Mannheim Symphonists.
Anthea Cottee

Anthea began her musical life as a violinist and viola player, and then commenced
her studies with Janis Laurs at the University of Adelaide. She then studied in
London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Stefan Popov on modern
cello, and Anthony Pleeth on baroque and classical cello.

                                                Anthea regularly performs on a
                                                variety of instruments from
                                                modern, baroque and classical
                                                cello to other instruments including
                                                the viola da gamba and basse de
                                                violon. She enjoys the challenges
                                                of exploring these different
                                                instruments, and the changes of
                                                nuance and colour they bring to
                                                the music. She has appeared as a
                                                soloist on both baroque cello and
                                                gamba for the Australian
                                                Brandenburg Orchestra, where
                                                she has been a regular member
                                                since 1998, and has performed as
                                                principal cellist for Sydney
                                                Philharmonia, Opera Australia,
                                                Australian Haydn Ensemble, and
                                                Orchestra of the Antipodes for
Pinchgut Opera, and the Hobart and Brisbane Baroque Festivals. In addition to her
work in Baroque and Classical performance, Anthea toured with Circa for their
acclaimed program ‘Il Ritorno’, and also premiered ‘Gouttes d’un sang etranger’ for
Viola da Gamba and Saxophone by Felicity Wilcox as part of the Vivid Festival.

In addition to her playing career, Anthea completed a degree with honours in
Psychology at the University of Sydney, adapting and researching the Mindfulness
Acceptance Commitment Approach for young musicians. She is currently a
provisionally registered psychologist, training in a variety of settings including
Headspace and Northside Hospital, and is currently working with Veretis
Psychology (formally Insight Elite Performance Psychology).
Professor Neal Peres Da Costa

DipEarlyMus Guildhall MMus City Uni
London PhD Leeds BMus (Hons)
Associate Dean Research
Professor of Historical Performance

A graduate of the University of Sydney, the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
(London), the City University (London) and
the University of Leeds (UK), Neal Peres Da
Costa is a world-renowned performing
scholar and educator. He is Professor of
Historical Performance within the Historical
Performance Division (which he founded
and of which he was Chair from 2006-2016)
and Program Leader of Postgraduate
Research at the Sydney Conservatorium of
Music. His monograph Off the Record:
Performing Practices in Romantic Piano
Playing (New York: Oxford University Press,
2012) is hailed as a book that ‘no serious pianist should be without’ (Limelight,
2012) and honoured as ‘a notable book’ on Alex Ross’s 2012 Apex List. In 2012, it
was the subject of a five-part series broadcast by ABC Classic FM during the
Sydney International Piano Competition and an interview with Christopher
Lawrence for the ABC Classic FM Music Makers programme. During 2015-16 Neal
was a chief editor (with Clive Brown and Kate Bennett Wadsworth for the new
Bärenreiter Urtext performing edition of the complete Brahms chamber works for
one solo instrument and piano) which has received critical acclaim. Bärenreiter
have commissioned Neal (with Clive Brown) to produce editions of the Beethoven
and Eberl Sonatas for violin and piano. Neal has recently received prestigious
Australian Research Council (ARC) funding for a three-year Discovery Project
(2017-19) for performance research in 19th-century piano playing.
YMS 2020 Faculty
Rachael Beesley    Strings / Director         Sally Walker          Flute
Nicole van Bruggen Woodwind /                 Stephen Robinson      Oboe
                   Director                   Jackie Newcomb        Bassoon
Peter Clark        Violin                     Graham Nichols        Horn
Jessica Oddie      Violin                     Roman Ponomariov      Horn
Deidre Dowling     Viola                      Anneke Scott          Horn
Simon Oswell       Viola                      Richard Fomison       Trumpet
Katie Yap          Viola                      Leanne Sullivan       Trumpet
James Bush         Violoncello                Louisa Trewartha      Trumpet
Dan Curro          Violoncello                Susan Williams        Trumpet
Dr Daniel Yeadon Violoncello                  Nigel Crocker         Trombone
Rob Nairn          Double Bass                Guy du Blêt           Timpani
Dr Emma Sullivan Double Bass                  Brian Nixon           Timpani
Chloe Ann Williamson Double Bass              Scott Weatherson      Timpani

Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra LIVE on Friday 10 July
Melbourne Digital Concert Hall
Friday 10 July 2020 | 8.30pm (AEST)
Live-streamed
Ticket price: $20.00
plus a $4.00 charge for Credit Card Fees, Streaming costs etc

Cavatina is a charming and impassioned program for strings from the Mannheim
Court and the Classical and early Romantic eras with works by Mozart, Richter,
Rossini and the young Mendelssohn. Beethoven’s lyrical Cavatina is at the heart of
the program performed on period instruments by principal musicians of the
Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra.

"When I think of the Cavatina, it still brings a tear to my eye.” – Beethoven

BOOK NOW
ARTISTS                                     PROGRAM
Australian Romantic &                       Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-
Classical Orchestra                         1791)
Rachael Beesley | Violin                    Divertimento in F Major KV.138
Anna McMichael | Violin                     Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789)
Simon Oswell | Viola                        Sinfonia à Quattro in B-flat Major
Katie Yap | Viola                           Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Natasha Kraemer | Cello                     Cavatina from String Quartet No.13 in
Emma Sullivan | Double Bass                 E-flat Major op.130
                                            Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
                                            String Sonata No. 1 in G major
                                            Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
                                            Sinfonia No. 10 in B minor

Once you have purchased your tickets from Melbourne Digital Concert Hall, you will
receive the following instructions on how to attend:
    1. Go to watch.melbournedigitalconcerthall.com
    2. Log In to your account in the top right corner
    3. Click on the My Tickets icon next to Login/Logout
All your concert tickets will be there with a countdown. Click watch when it is
concert time.
Acknowledgements
Australian Romantic & Classical            Australian Romantic & Classical
Orchestra is supported through the         Orchestra’s 2020 Concert Season is
COVID-19 pandemic by the City of           supported by the NSW Government
Sydney’s Cultural Resilience Fund          through Create NSW

Principal Sponsors
Paul Salteri AM & Sandra Salteri

The Co-Artistic Directors’ Patrons         Principal Cello Chair Patrons
Robert Albert AO & Elizabeth Albert        Kim Williams & Catherine Dovey
Roxane Clayton
Ian Dickson & Reg Holloway                 Principal Double Bass Chair Patron
Martin & Susie Dickson                     Mary Vallentine AO
Humanity Foundation & Talya Masel
H G McGregor                               Principal Clarinet Chair Patron
Skyblue Australia                          Professor Richard Kefford AM
Anonymous

We would also like to acknowledge our annual donors to the Australian Romantic &
Classical Orchestra and the Richard Gill Memorial Fund, details of which can be
found on our website.
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