Of the hour

This concert was called Folk and Fantasy and it was at Wesley on a rainy Saturday night and it was far too poorly attended.  This was a real shame.  The group is the Hourglass Ensemble.  They are coordinated by Andrew and include a star-studded international cast playing a challenging, modern chamber repertoire.  An indication of their seriousness is their 2 European tours and 42 commissions since their formation in 2015.  And this concert revisited a performance in the Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House.   Impressive!  HE seem to be a core of 3 players with various invitees, including internationals or players with serious national or international experience.  Tonight, it was 6 players performing new works from 5 Australians (not least Sally Greenaway and Elena Katz-Chernin) and one American.  All lyrical and attractive stuff, some lengthy works, various tunes heard on radio, and one solo piano work by Schumann/Liszt.  We heard some serious chops, too, strings and piano and winds, delicate, careful, accurate, delightfully light when required.  I melted over both strings, violin/viola and cello, and the piano was busy, often busily arpeggiated, and of a wonderful touch.  And flute and Andrew's clarinet/bass clarinet pairing.  The whole was richly varied in tone from differing combinations, a duo, various trios, a piano solo, a final all-in quintet.  There were two Australian premieres, one by Elena Katz-Chernin and a playful US work called Ralph's old records in 5 parts with various revisits to early jazz and blues.  Just delightful and authentically jazzy, if presumably not improvised.  Not all contemporary music is rattles and clatter, although some rattles appeared jokingly amongst the record collection.  This was joyful and often playful and some really star playing.

The Hourglass Ensemble performed music by Anne Cawrse, Richard Grantham, Sally Greenaway, Schubert/Liszt, Elena Katz-Chernin and Kenji Bunch at Wesley.  HC comprised Ewa Kowalski (flute), Andrew Kennedy (clarinet, director), Anna Rutkowska-Schock (piano), Alexandra Osborne (violin, viola) and Andrew Wilson (cello).