Sydney Arts Guide
From the first notes to the final susurrations of the orchestra, this was a wonderful performance.
The choir displayed the expertise and discipline for which it is known and, despite the heat, the orchestra were an integral part of the pieces in which it participated.
The opening item, ‘Is it nothing to you?’ by Ouseley was notable for its crisp, clear finish and beautiful articulation – I could actually follow the text from listening to the singers! This was followed by the harmonically beautiful ‘Caliganaverunt oculi mei’ by Victoria and the moving ‘Vide homo by di Lasso’.
The Australian premiere of James MacMillan’s ‘Tenebrae factae sunt’ was a tour de force. Again, the excellent diction of the choir was appreciated as it enabled a full enjoyment of this complex piece. The reverberating finale was, as described in the program notes – “a roar of agony”, which reached into one’s heart.
The composer himself was present for the world premiere of ‘Nasce la gioia mia’. This is an adaptation developed for the Sydney Chamber Choir from an earlier work Missa Solis – Requiem for Eli written after the death of the composer’s son. It was a change to hear a treatment of grief and immortality that was not liturgical in origin and yet fitted with the liturgical works of the program, which were drawn from the Holy Week services. The intensely personal nature of the particular grief that was behind this work was apparent and added to its impact.
The last item was Heinrich Schulz’s ’7 Last Words’. The integration of the choir and orchestra in this piece displayed the skills and expertise of both singers and players, including a promising countertenor in Chris Hopkins. Some highlights from the wonderful string playing included the violas and their notes of grief, in the Woman, behold thy son! … Behold, thy mother! movement, and the wonderful denouement of the last movement, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, when the strings alone finish the work. The ‘ethereal’ singers, Megan Cronin and Liane Papantoiniou, also deserve a mention, not least because singers in that range seem rare these days.
Special mention must be made the of excellent program notes, which revealed a depth of scholarship that certainly enriched my enjoyment of the concert.
The concert, ‘Seven Last Words’ with the Sydney Chamber Choir and the Sydney Camerata Chamber Orchestra, was performed at the Great Hall, Sydney University on the afternoon of Sunday 24th March 2013.
The choir displayed the expertise and discipline for which it is known and, despite the heat, the orchestra were an integral part of the pieces in which it participated.
The opening item, ‘Is it nothing to you?’ by Ouseley was notable for its crisp, clear finish and beautiful articulation – I could actually follow the text from listening to the singers! This was followed by the harmonically beautiful ‘Caliganaverunt oculi mei’ by Victoria and the moving ‘Vide homo by di Lasso’.
The Australian premiere of James MacMillan’s ‘Tenebrae factae sunt’ was a tour de force. Again, the excellent diction of the choir was appreciated as it enabled a full enjoyment of this complex piece. The reverberating finale was, as described in the program notes – “a roar of agony”, which reached into one’s heart.
The composer himself was present for the world premiere of ‘Nasce la gioia mia’. This is an adaptation developed for the Sydney Chamber Choir from an earlier work Missa Solis – Requiem for Eli written after the death of the composer’s son. It was a change to hear a treatment of grief and immortality that was not liturgical in origin and yet fitted with the liturgical works of the program, which were drawn from the Holy Week services. The intensely personal nature of the particular grief that was behind this work was apparent and added to its impact.
The last item was Heinrich Schulz’s ’7 Last Words’. The integration of the choir and orchestra in this piece displayed the skills and expertise of both singers and players, including a promising countertenor in Chris Hopkins. Some highlights from the wonderful string playing included the violas and their notes of grief, in the Woman, behold thy son! … Behold, thy mother! movement, and the wonderful denouement of the last movement, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, when the strings alone finish the work. The ‘ethereal’ singers, Megan Cronin and Liane Papantoiniou, also deserve a mention, not least because singers in that range seem rare these days.
Special mention must be made the of excellent program notes, which revealed a depth of scholarship that certainly enriched my enjoyment of the concert.
The concert, ‘Seven Last Words’ with the Sydney Chamber Choir and the Sydney Camerata Chamber Orchestra, was performed at the Great Hall, Sydney University on the afternoon of Sunday 24th March 2013.
Sounds Like Sydney
Last week, Sydney Camerata commemorated its third anniversary with a concert they called Metamorphosen,which culminated in the eponymous work for 23 strings by Richard Strauss.
The resonant intimacy of North Sydney’s Independent Theatre was well suited to the size and sound of this ensemble, which chameleon like re-configures itself to adapt to what is being performed.
Opening the concert with Frank Bridge’s 3 Idylls for String Quartet was the Sydney Camerata String Quartet comprising Freya Franzen and Clare Miller, violins, Neil Thompson, viola and founder of the ensemble, cellist Mathisha Panagoda. Their technical and musical talent is undisputed. But this was an especially informed performance because earlier this year, several of the musicians travelled to Aldeburgh, on the east coast of England, home of Benjamin Britten to participate in the workshops run by the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme. In fact, this year, the entire Australian string contingent of the Britten-Pears orchestra was made up of Sydney Camerata players. Immersed in ‘Brittenalia’ , the programme focuses on workshopping the music of Britten and of those around him.
Frank Bridge was Britten’s very first composition teacher, long before Britten went to study at the the Royal College of Music in London. The two had much in common – they held similar political views, they were both pacifists, and they both played the viola. When Britten and Peter Pears set sail for Canada in 1939, Bridge saw them off and presented Britten with his own, fine Italian viola, wishing them not only bon voyage, but bon retouras well, since Britten and Pears were finding the prevailing social atmosphere in England uncomfortable. Bridge, then aged 60, died two years later without every meeting his protege again.
Concert Master of Sydney Camerata, Liz Gormley, then took the stage with guest artist and Associate Principal oboist of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Shefali Pryor and ripieno Camerata section for an energised performance of JS Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin BWV 1060.
Fulfilling their mission to nurture the development of Australian composers, Sydney Camerata formed themselves into the unusual mix of a septet with mezzo-soprano Anna Dowsley, conducted by Luke Gilmour, to perform Andrew Howes’ ’3 Pieces after Yeats’. Howes is a graduate of the Conservatorium High School in Sydney, and is presently studying composition at the Royal College of Music in London, on a full scholarship.
Finally, the climax of the evening with Strauss’ Metamorphosen. This epic and poignant symphonic poem is resplendent with Strauss’ endlessly cascading phrases and brocade of harmonies. It was written in 1943 as a testament to loss – his own advancing years ( he was to die 2 years later) and the devastation of German culture during World War ll. Strauss was particularly distraught by the bombing of the Bavarian National Theatre, home of the State Opera, where Strauss himself was principal conductor from 1894 to 1898. It was also the venue of the premiere of his opera Capriccio, and of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, The Mastersingers and Die Walkyrie.For Metamorphosen, Sydney Camerata was augmented by several fine young musicians from interstate.
There was a palpable sense of personal loss and anguish in their playing as the ensemble dedicated their performance to violinist Richard Pollett who was tragically killed in a road accident earlier during the week. The 25 year old, was a finalist in the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards last year and was a friend and mentor to several of the players.
Sydney Camerata is no average 3 year old. In 2010 the core ensemble won the Music Viva Award for Chamber Music; they have made recordings, run their own concert series and perform regularly with other ensembles. With their abundance of talent, innovative programming, ambition and ability to work at full pace, it will be a pleasure to watch them mature.
The resonant intimacy of North Sydney’s Independent Theatre was well suited to the size and sound of this ensemble, which chameleon like re-configures itself to adapt to what is being performed.
Opening the concert with Frank Bridge’s 3 Idylls for String Quartet was the Sydney Camerata String Quartet comprising Freya Franzen and Clare Miller, violins, Neil Thompson, viola and founder of the ensemble, cellist Mathisha Panagoda. Their technical and musical talent is undisputed. But this was an especially informed performance because earlier this year, several of the musicians travelled to Aldeburgh, on the east coast of England, home of Benjamin Britten to participate in the workshops run by the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme. In fact, this year, the entire Australian string contingent of the Britten-Pears orchestra was made up of Sydney Camerata players. Immersed in ‘Brittenalia’ , the programme focuses on workshopping the music of Britten and of those around him.
Frank Bridge was Britten’s very first composition teacher, long before Britten went to study at the the Royal College of Music in London. The two had much in common – they held similar political views, they were both pacifists, and they both played the viola. When Britten and Peter Pears set sail for Canada in 1939, Bridge saw them off and presented Britten with his own, fine Italian viola, wishing them not only bon voyage, but bon retouras well, since Britten and Pears were finding the prevailing social atmosphere in England uncomfortable. Bridge, then aged 60, died two years later without every meeting his protege again.
Concert Master of Sydney Camerata, Liz Gormley, then took the stage with guest artist and Associate Principal oboist of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Shefali Pryor and ripieno Camerata section for an energised performance of JS Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin BWV 1060.
Fulfilling their mission to nurture the development of Australian composers, Sydney Camerata formed themselves into the unusual mix of a septet with mezzo-soprano Anna Dowsley, conducted by Luke Gilmour, to perform Andrew Howes’ ’3 Pieces after Yeats’. Howes is a graduate of the Conservatorium High School in Sydney, and is presently studying composition at the Royal College of Music in London, on a full scholarship.
Finally, the climax of the evening with Strauss’ Metamorphosen. This epic and poignant symphonic poem is resplendent with Strauss’ endlessly cascading phrases and brocade of harmonies. It was written in 1943 as a testament to loss – his own advancing years ( he was to die 2 years later) and the devastation of German culture during World War ll. Strauss was particularly distraught by the bombing of the Bavarian National Theatre, home of the State Opera, where Strauss himself was principal conductor from 1894 to 1898. It was also the venue of the premiere of his opera Capriccio, and of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, The Mastersingers and Die Walkyrie.For Metamorphosen, Sydney Camerata was augmented by several fine young musicians from interstate.
There was a palpable sense of personal loss and anguish in their playing as the ensemble dedicated their performance to violinist Richard Pollett who was tragically killed in a road accident earlier during the week. The 25 year old, was a finalist in the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards last year and was a friend and mentor to several of the players.
Sydney Camerata is no average 3 year old. In 2010 the core ensemble won the Music Viva Award for Chamber Music; they have made recordings, run their own concert series and perform regularly with other ensembles. With their abundance of talent, innovative programming, ambition and ability to work at full pace, it will be a pleasure to watch them mature.
Funkified Entertainment
When we were thinking of stand-out Sydney musicians of 2010, we really couldn’t look past exceptional classical group, Sydney Camerata. Formed in 2008 by Sydney musician Mathisha Panagoda and led by the extraordinary violinist Liz Gormley, Sydney Camerata was founded with the aim to ‘nurture and promote Sydney’s finest emerging string players and composers’. The result: a collective of incredible young musicians with a refreshingly energetic take on classical performance.
And what a year this group have had! Sydney Camerata have organised and performed four highly-acclaimed public concerts over the past eight months, each featuring the full string orchestra (see these performances here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sydney-Camerata-Chamber-Orchestra/175571421435). Their chosen repertoire ranged from Mendelssohn and Dvorak to Britten and Piazzolla, as well as premiering a number of works by young Australian composers, one of which (Cliff Kerr’s ‘Degustation’) was commissioned for recording. The group were also invited to perform live-in-the-studio for 2MBS FM earlier in the year . Currently embarking on a tour to North Queensland, the Sydney Camerata are performing an exciting series of concerts as a quintet, performing works including Piazzolla’s ‘Libertango’, Britten’s String Quartet No.3 and more.
However, possibly their greatest achievement to date is their winning performance of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Souvenir de Florence’ at this years Musica Viva, where they were awarded first place for the highly competitive Chamber Music category.
With even more concerts planned for 2011, and an exciting tour in the works, this group is definitely one to watch.
And what a year this group have had! Sydney Camerata have organised and performed four highly-acclaimed public concerts over the past eight months, each featuring the full string orchestra (see these performances here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sydney-Camerata-Chamber-Orchestra/175571421435). Their chosen repertoire ranged from Mendelssohn and Dvorak to Britten and Piazzolla, as well as premiering a number of works by young Australian composers, one of which (Cliff Kerr’s ‘Degustation’) was commissioned for recording. The group were also invited to perform live-in-the-studio for 2MBS FM earlier in the year . Currently embarking on a tour to North Queensland, the Sydney Camerata are performing an exciting series of concerts as a quintet, performing works including Piazzolla’s ‘Libertango’, Britten’s String Quartet No.3 and more.
However, possibly their greatest achievement to date is their winning performance of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Souvenir de Florence’ at this years Musica Viva, where they were awarded first place for the highly competitive Chamber Music category.
With even more concerts planned for 2011, and an exciting tour in the works, this group is definitely one to watch.
Australian Stage
The recently formed Sydney Camerata Chamber Orchestra chose Paddington’s Uniting Church for its concert last Saturday December 19, and it is indeed the perfect setting for an ensemble of this size; with beautiful sandstone walls and extremely high ceilings, it offers the perfect acoustic.
Under the direction of artistic director Mathisha Panagoda, the concert included music ranging from Torelli’s seventeenth-century violin concerto Opus 8, no.8through to Copland’s twentieth-century masterpiece‘Appalachian Spring’, and whilst the concert was a little on the short side, it made up for this in the quality of musicianship and commitment to the music. The performers clearly enjoyed themselves and the audience caught their enthusiasm early on in the evening. Also pleasing to see was the relatively young age of many in the audience – even some children – who seemed as enthralled with what they were hearing as their parents and grandparents.
The evening started out with the aforementioned Torelli violin concerto and soloist Liz Gormley achieved a light and buoyant tonal quality throughout, quite at home with the improvisatory style of this music. All members of the ensemble communicated well with one another, playing with commitment and enthusiasm and just as you thought the first movement had ended, did you realize that the entire piece was in fact over; a swift little concerto of less than ten minutes.
The following piece was the first movement of the Mendelssohn Octet in E flat major, written in 1825 when the composer was only sixteen. The Camerata played the ‘allegro moderato con fuoco’ brilliantly and I could hardly believe that the number of players for this piece was the same as the previous one. With eight musicians only, the ensemble produced a full-bodied, rich, warm tone belying the size of the group and played with such musicality that when the piece ended, the lack of the second, third, and fourth movements was disappointing; I can only hope that their next performance of the octet will be the entire piece!
Following the Mendelssohn octet was ‘Down Tango’d’, a delightful little morsel if oddly named - I would love to know the origin of the title - written by Australian composer Stephen Yates. This was a nice addition to the progam, not only for the quality of the music making, but also because it is good to hear music belonging to our own place and time. A surprisingly tonal composition, ‘Down Tango’d’ fitted nicely alongside the other compositions and demonstrated the versatility of the orchestra.
The final choice for the evening was Aaron Copland’s ‘Appalachian Spring’, written originally as a ballet score in 1944 and achieving enduring popularity ever since. The story told is a ‘spring celebration of the American pioneers of the 1800s after building a new farmhouse’ and under conductor Luke Gilmour the Camerata successfully captured such images. This piece included a piano which was easily heard alongside the other musicians – not always the case when piano meets orchestra – and following the reflective opening of clarinet and strings, I found myself drifting off into mountain ranges and open spaces. The playing was in turns gentle and thought provoking, then energetic and rhythmic and the perfectly in tune playing of the small wind ensemble (clarinet: Rowena Watts, flute: Lina Andonovska and bassoon: Tamasin Meller) amongst the strings evoked clear images of the American landscape. It was so nice to experience this music live and feel the vibrancy of the performance and the energy of the musicians – quite a different experience to listening in the confines of one’s lounge room.
This concert was a success and if any criticism were to be made, it would be about the length of the program. Whilst some say a short concert is a good concert, the quality of the music making and the deliciousness of the Camerata’s warm, full bodied sound - not to mention the fantastic repertoire - had me longing for at least another fifteen minutes in which to turn off the outside world and gently drift away …
Under the direction of artistic director Mathisha Panagoda, the concert included music ranging from Torelli’s seventeenth-century violin concerto Opus 8, no.8through to Copland’s twentieth-century masterpiece‘Appalachian Spring’, and whilst the concert was a little on the short side, it made up for this in the quality of musicianship and commitment to the music. The performers clearly enjoyed themselves and the audience caught their enthusiasm early on in the evening. Also pleasing to see was the relatively young age of many in the audience – even some children – who seemed as enthralled with what they were hearing as their parents and grandparents.
The evening started out with the aforementioned Torelli violin concerto and soloist Liz Gormley achieved a light and buoyant tonal quality throughout, quite at home with the improvisatory style of this music. All members of the ensemble communicated well with one another, playing with commitment and enthusiasm and just as you thought the first movement had ended, did you realize that the entire piece was in fact over; a swift little concerto of less than ten minutes.
The following piece was the first movement of the Mendelssohn Octet in E flat major, written in 1825 when the composer was only sixteen. The Camerata played the ‘allegro moderato con fuoco’ brilliantly and I could hardly believe that the number of players for this piece was the same as the previous one. With eight musicians only, the ensemble produced a full-bodied, rich, warm tone belying the size of the group and played with such musicality that when the piece ended, the lack of the second, third, and fourth movements was disappointing; I can only hope that their next performance of the octet will be the entire piece!
Following the Mendelssohn octet was ‘Down Tango’d’, a delightful little morsel if oddly named - I would love to know the origin of the title - written by Australian composer Stephen Yates. This was a nice addition to the progam, not only for the quality of the music making, but also because it is good to hear music belonging to our own place and time. A surprisingly tonal composition, ‘Down Tango’d’ fitted nicely alongside the other compositions and demonstrated the versatility of the orchestra.
The final choice for the evening was Aaron Copland’s ‘Appalachian Spring’, written originally as a ballet score in 1944 and achieving enduring popularity ever since. The story told is a ‘spring celebration of the American pioneers of the 1800s after building a new farmhouse’ and under conductor Luke Gilmour the Camerata successfully captured such images. This piece included a piano which was easily heard alongside the other musicians – not always the case when piano meets orchestra – and following the reflective opening of clarinet and strings, I found myself drifting off into mountain ranges and open spaces. The playing was in turns gentle and thought provoking, then energetic and rhythmic and the perfectly in tune playing of the small wind ensemble (clarinet: Rowena Watts, flute: Lina Andonovska and bassoon: Tamasin Meller) amongst the strings evoked clear images of the American landscape. It was so nice to experience this music live and feel the vibrancy of the performance and the energy of the musicians – quite a different experience to listening in the confines of one’s lounge room.
This concert was a success and if any criticism were to be made, it would be about the length of the program. Whilst some say a short concert is a good concert, the quality of the music making and the deliciousness of the Camerata’s warm, full bodied sound - not to mention the fantastic repertoire - had me longing for at least another fifteen minutes in which to turn off the outside world and gently drift away …
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