Doing pretty well here

This was Canberra Strings at Wesley and they were playing Mendelssohn String Quartet no.2 Amin. Barbara introduced it and it was descriptive. She talked of the influence of Beethoven, the similarity to an earlier song by Mendelssohn seemingly written for an amour, the fugue in the second movement and how it's introduced by viola leading to violin 2 and how it's inverted and how it intensifies as repeating instrumental lines gradually arrive after fewer bars. All interesting. Otherwise, the work took the whole concert and it was a pleasure. Four movements; lovely interplays and great playing all around; varied tempos and passions, but eminently confortable. It's great return to Canberra with stuff like this. Before the concert, hearing of my listens overseas, said "we do pretty well here" and it's true. We do and this was one example. A pleasure.

Canberra Strings comprises Barbara Jane Gilby and Pip Thompson (violins), Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola) and Samuel Payne (cello). They played Mendelssohn at Wesley.

A hopeless case and a great dane

Barbara's title for the concert was so good I could only steal it (as in "Good artists copy; great artists steal" or thereabouts - see link below). Barbara Jane Gilby was playing with Katherine Day and Emma Rayner. The hopeless case was Theodore Kirchner, a German who led a dissolute life of drink, gambling, affairs and inevitable money problems and lost friends, suffering a strike, losing his sight and dying early while being cared for by a student. Schumann and others had raised money to settle his debts, but he just returned to his ways. He was a great arranger and wrote mainly miniatures. We heard his Zwei terzetti for violin, cello and piano. The great Dane was Nils Gade, Danish, well known and influential, living in Germany then returning to Denmark due to war, teaching Grieg an others and writing much including symphonies, concerti and sonatas. We heard his Sonata no.2 Dmin op.21 played on violin and piano. The stories and the contrasts were interesting; the playing was wonderfully capable; the concert was a pleasure throughout. Barbara told how she wishes to present concerts of interest rather than youthful display and this was just that. A great pleasure.

Barbara Jane Gilby (violin) performed Kirchner and Gade with Katherine Day (piano) and Emma Rayner (cello) at Wesley.

Quote investigator on "Good artists copy; great artists steal"

Courting

High courting. It was the second recent performance of Musica da Camera in the High Court Foyer and it was a great success. Barbara J Gilby led us and I had Hayley Manning next to me in the bass end. It's strange how a musician can be non-committal about a performance. It's a hard judge. You judge by your own performance on the day and how you felt you fitted with others. I was reasonably happy but not ecstatic. But the comments were overwhelmingly supportive and the attendance was massive. Perhaps the killer test is the donation bowl on the way out and that was overflowing. And it was recorded by ArtSound and me: an undeniable test for the performers. Suffice to say that on listening back, we were very happy with the result. My guess is that within the bubble (to use the current misleading vernacular) we are intimately involved, deeply committed, immensely aware. On the outside, the slight imprecisions meld together in the multiplicity of a group, and with a bit of reverb and visual presence, it becomes a thing of beauty and music. That's certainly what it sounded like to me in the recording: intense, intelligent, deliberate; even tuneful, musical. That's enough for me. That's one to be proud of. A beautie!

Musica da Camera string orchestra performed under the directorship of BJ Gilby (violin) at the High Court. Bottom end was Hayley Manning and Eric Pozza (basses).

See a video on YouTube

Them changes

The program had to change close to the event for unpredictable reasons but these are professionals and the replacement was great. From Transfiguration to Quintessence. The replacement may not have been quite so adventurous (Schoenberg + Richard Strauss > Mozart + Mozart), but it was lovely music and it was beautifully played. The group was Canberra Strings led by BJ Gilby with members of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra in the High Court foyer and the music was Mozart. So worthy and immensely attractive. First up was the String quintet Gmin, then a swap of players for the Clarinet quintet Amaj. Barbara introduced it with short hints on the various movements: Allegro; Minuet/trio with 3 dissonant chords to listen for; slow with muted strings (other than cello); the final in Gmaj and "quite jolly". The Clarinet quintet was written by Mozart for a friend and was perhaps the first work for this combination. Movements: fast; slow; minuet and two trios (MTMT); slow to upbeat. That one was particularly recognisable in through various movements. I imagine it's an absolute standard of the clarinet repertoire. I missed taking notice of the dissonant chords, but for my jazz ears they may seem fairly tame. I did notice the firm and satisfying cello tone and especially its prominence when the other strings were muted. I loved the clarinet in its attractive lines. To my ears, it was particularly suited to this space, perhaps because it was quite loud and the echo/reverb was significant and enhancing. But a lovely and formidably performed concert in the resonant space of the High Court. Much enjoyed.

Canberra Strings performed in the High Court Foyer. CS comprised BJ Gilby (violin, leader), Pip Thompson (violin), Jack Chenoweth and Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola), Samuel Payne (cello) and Eloise Fisher (clarinet).

This is CJBlog post no. 2,100

Prepared

Adhoc Baroque presented its first concert of the year and it was one work: Il giardino d'amore by Scarlatti. It's a work for a small ensemble with two singers, soprano and alto. Greta, soprano, played the part of Adonis to Maartje's alto Venus as they sing of their love and call on nature to witness it. It's a strange experience hearing a soprano as male, but presumably a counter-tenor would have sung it in its early days. Now it's two women, but these are times of gender fluidity so we are prepared. The orchestra was four violins with cello, bass, organ, recorder and trumpet. As I'd expect from Greta, Maartje and Peter, it was a notable team of accompanists led by BJ Gilby. The music is dignified and uplifting and seemed not overly demanding, at least on the instrumentalists, although the voices seemed to have a challenge with intricate, embellished lines. For once, I followed the words (sung in Italian of the time and translated in the program). It was florid and even amusing to a modern reader. who knows not the ways of aristocratic chambers of the time. Thus the disconsolateness of the surroundings, Venus' amorous beauty and Adonis as pitiless and grasping, the loss of interest in the pretty nightingale and cruel depths where she hides. This is tragic while flowery how it does about it but the lovers eventually come together: "come, fly, sweet content, and bring back peace to our hearts". So it worked out for the pair in the end and we left just a little befuddled by the story but nicely satisfied by the performance. Always a pleasure to hear our not at all Adhoc Barockers.

Adhoc Baroque performed Il Giardino d'amore by Domenico Scarlatti at St Pauls Manuka. Adhoc Baroque is Great Claringbould (soprano), Maartje Sevenster (alto) and Peter Young (harpsichord, director) with guests Barbara Jane Gilby, Jack Chenowyth, Pop Thompson and Matthew Witney (violins), Sam Payne (cello), Kyle Daniel (bass), Robyn Mellor (recorder) and Justin Lingard (trumpet).

4>8

The Mendelssohn is a classic of the form and the Spohr is a prelude to it. These are two pieces for 8 string players. Spohr's was written at age 40 when he was well respected; Mendelssohn's when he was just 16. Spohr's is a double quartet, inventive but essentially two string quartets playing together. Mendelssohn's is more a work for 8 players playing together, soaring, lyrical, intricate, as the program says, with exuberant joy. Famous enough that you're expected to remember the first time you heard it. I remember, at least, hearing this group do it some time back at Tuggeranong Arts Centre. The group is a relatively new one, eight strings, professional players from the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, led by BJ Gilby, with various faces mostly from front desks. Impressive. And well presented. Quiet and effective entries and bows. Barbara likes that: you have to be the musician people expect, confident in performance. Her style shows in a presence that's engaging. This was another in the High Court foyer, so a large audience, well versed, frequent attendees, listening with that reverberence of concrete and marble. And the black against the bright, sun-lit, tree-blown windows. Professional, serious but relieved, well punctuated music; phrases and scales dropped from strings like honey; busy and intricate in the passing of passages through the members. I found it fascinating to follow some of these passages, starting with one cello then to the other, through violas to violins and a final exhuberant embellishments on the first violin. Wonderful music in a wonderful space with wonderful local musos. Much enjoyed

Canberra Strings comprised Barbara Jane Gilby, Doreen Cumming, Pip Thompson and Isobel Ferrier (violins), Jack Chenoweth and Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola) and Matisha Panagoda and Julia Janiszewski (cello).

A return to old haunts

Musica da Camera played the High Court on Sunday and it was a return to an old venue. MdC is in its 40th year this year and they played the first concert held in the High Court, well before the recent series that has continued since Canberra's Centenary year. I'd heard that from an original member of the group, but on the day, I also heard it from a friend who I know otherwise who had attended that first concert. Circles within circles. It was the Running Festival that day, so access was a chore, but the audience was a nice size and the acoustics were flattering - just a nice degree of reverb where we were located. MdC was also celebrating the launch of its first CD (again, after 40 years) but I've mentioned the CD in another post. For this concert, MdC invited several CSO members: Barbara Jane Gilby (CSO concertmaster), Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (CSO violist and soloist for two works) and Kyle Ramsay-Daniel (CSO principal bass). The program was varied although had a melancholy tinge. Vivaldi (Concerto in G All Rustica) started it all with a lively spin, but then Hindemith Trauermusik was the first to commemorate a death. Then Elgar Serendae for Strings livened things up a little but Puccini Crisantemi memorialised another death. Then two recent Australian compositions: James Grant Waltz for Betz was a waltz offered to his wife for a Valentine's Day (lots of bass pizz and pretty solo melody line) and Graeme Koehner Whirling dance was polyrhythmic modernist work (I liked this one but not too easy to follow, especially while transposing up the sub-low-E notes on bass). Then, as encore, Morricone Gabriel's oboe (theme from The Mission), everyone's memorable favourite. That's the sort of composition you could retire on. Lucy played the solo parts on Hindemith and Grant. Barbara led from the first violin seat (standing like the higher strings and Kyle). Kyle just stood beside me a blasted his way through the music with some great reading and convincing playing. So that's what it takes to be a principal bass. He did a great job. We'd played the program through on Friday and I'd preferred that take, but others didn't agree. It just shows how we judge group performances by our performance. But what a pleasure to play with these professionals and this excellent string orchestra and to play in the High Court to a generous audience. And thanks to Karina who organises this concert series.

Musica da Camera performed at the High Court. Invited guests were Barbara Jane Gilby (musical director), Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola soloist) and Kyle Ramsay-Daniel (bass).

A blessed Easter 1

This is a blessed Easter in Canberra: we can hear both Bach Passions. The first was a grand affair, St Matthew Passion at St Christopher's at Manuka with 31 musicians in two orchestras and ~140 singers from two choirs. The musicians were from Canberra Symphony Orchestra and the like with BJ Gilby and Pip Thompson as the two orchestra leaders. The choirs were Canberra Choral Society and Australis Voices (one of the Woden Valley Youth Choir family). The whole was conducted by Andrew Koll of local Canberra Bach Ensemble fame with solo vocalists Robert Macfarlane, Jeremy Tatchell, Greta Claringbould, Maartje Sevenster, Christopher Roach and Andrew Fysh and a series of choir members playing smaller parts (identified when in character with a coloured scarf). St Matthew's is big regardless, but this was unabridged, totalling 78 movements, variously chorales or recitative or aria, in two parts with an interval. 3.5 hours in the original German. There was a script and translation projected but it wasn't always easy to read. Impressive and demanding, even for audience. But the time went. I loved the returning choruses, the voices were sometimes startling, always reverent, relevant. The Evangelist holds it together by telling the story, but what a job. Robert McFarlane was hugely impressive in this role. It's a story we know well enough, although spread over 3 hours there were features and references that I didn't know so well, so educational too. Other than the basses on stools or Pip or Barbara who occasionally stood, or a peak at the solo Viola da gamba down the aisle, I could see little. But then I mostly watch the bassists anyway. They were Kyle Daniel and Isabella Brown, both of CSO. Mostly it was delicious Bach contrapuntal fare but just once I was aghast, well into the first part with reference to Hell. It was bass hell: a very long fretful passage of semiquavers. But they pulled it off. Otherwise, I noticed how cleverly Bach expressed the plot or theme of a chorus in his writing. Somewhere in the second part I realised how effective it was then I heard it ongoing. And that haunting chorus that recurs, sung by both choirs (is it Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder or part thereof?) that just has your skin squirming with its simple beauteous melody and deep intimacy. Just a stunner. A fabulously successful outing for this work of great genius. Congratulations to all. Now for Bach's other survived passion on Good Friday...

JS Bach St Matthew Passion was performed at St Christopher's Manuka Canberra Choral Society and Australis Voices, two orchestras led by Pip Thompson and BJ Gilby with solo voices Robert Macfarlane (Evangelist), Jeremy Tatchell (Jesus), Greta Claringbould (soprano), Maartje Sevenster (alto), Christopher Roach (tenor) and Andrew Fysh (bass) under Andrew Koll (conductor).

Laying claim

It was a big claim to make (and presumably a playful throw-away) that this was "one of the most beautiful pieces ever written" but it was lovely and the playing was easily up to it. This was a group led by BJ Gilby performing Brahms Clarinet Quintet Bmin Op.115 at Wesley. I left with Pip and she said playing chamber music with friends was the best way to spend an afternoon. I could understand that whether the music is best ever or not. But how nice was this? The gentle interplay of a string quartet with the oddly insistent and unrelenting tone of the clarinet. I hear clarinets often enough but here it was frequent and prominent and that tone was so diverse from the strings: sustained but fatter, rounder, touching on mediaeval I thought. And the playing was lovely, not unexpectedly. Relaxed and easy but done with awareness and care. Barbara is leading us in MdC at the moment and I'm seeing her approach to preparing a group: slowly, highlighting surroundings and other players and understanding how the lines fit together, interweave, respond to each other. Not at all bull-at-gate, take it from the top. The performance was like this. Clear in intent, spacious and ready for changing lines and leads. So, if it was the most beautiful music eva, maybe so, but I just sunk into the pleasure of an afternoon of melody and interplay done with thought and awareness. That's my greatest ever.

Eloise Fisher (clarinet), Barbara Jane Gilby and Pip Thompson (violins), Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola) and Samuel Payne (cello) performed Brahms at Wesley.

AdHoc Baroque-ry

These are busy weeks towards Christmas. Mine was last weekend with NCO and Maruki. For Pip and Michelle and Clara it was this weekend, with 2 concerts (that I know of) on the Sat and Sun. This one was by the delightfully named AdHoc Baroque playing a program of Venetian music, of Galuppi and Vivaldi. Galuppi was from Burano, one of the Venetian islands, and became maestro di musica at the Mendicanti orphanage. Vivaldi is famous for his time at the Pietà orphanage as maestro di coro. The orphanages were the centres of music-making in Venice at the time (~1700s) and Vivaldi's is especially famed to these days. AdHoc got together a fascinating concert of music of the era, partly sung by Greta and Maartje, but with the addition of an additional 10 singers for the ladies of the Pietà choir. This was a very female event with 12 singers, 8 instrumentalists and Peter as the only male. It was something like this at the orphanages which were primarily female, orphaned or otherwise. The males of the time were sent to work from early age, 10+, and the women were otherwise entertained. But perhaps the most intriguing thing was the singing. The choir sang in SATB format, like the orphanage choirs of the time, so some women were singing the TB (=tenor, bass) lines. Most likely they sang tenor and bass an octave higher (although some women sing tenor in today's choirs). So the pitches would have been closer and the chords inverted differently, any part may have taken the top line and perhaps some women had to transpose from bass clef. All interesting. I listened but didn't particularly hear it as different from a standard women's choir although I did notice a few close pitches. Another muso said much the same. But it was clear and pretty in the higher pitches with only the bass and viola da gamba reaching any depth. Otherwise, I was sitting behind BJ Gilby, so taking a lesson in bowing and expression, and right next to Julie and Chayla, so hearing the glorious trumpet and oboe parts. So the balance was odd, but I took a break from watching bass. The main work was Vivaldi Gloria RV589. Otherwise Vivaldi Nulla in mondo pax sincera and Galuppi Confitebor tibi Domine and Ave regina coelorum. A beautiful program and some glorious performances. AdHoc in name only; glorious in performance.

AdHoc Baroque performed Vivaldi and Galuppi at St Paul's. AdHoc Baroque comprises Greta Claringbould (soprano), Maartje Sevenster (mezzo-soprano) and Peter Young (organ, director) with instrumentalists Barbara Jane Gilby and Pip Thompson (violins), Michelle Higgs, Clara Teniswood (cello), Rachel Walker (viola da gamba), Hayley Manning (bass), Julie Watson (trumpet) and Chayla Ueckert-Smith (oboe) and ladies of the Pietà (the choir) Susannah Bishop, Pip Brant, Michelle Eddy, Emma Griffiths, Vanessa Hooley, Alice Richardson, Carolyn Strange, Sarah Sutcliffe, Veronica Thwaites-Brown and Rachel Walker (vocals).

Indulgence

Barbara Jane Gilby introduced the Mozart by saying we should ignore the images and pre-conceptions of Mozart, formed by film, TV and the rest, and listen to his music. That's how we'll best know him. They were about to play Mozart String Quartet no.4 Gmin K.516. It was written late in his life. Things weren't going well and his mood was sombre. Barbara's notes observe that the introduction to the fourth and final movement summarises his melancholy, but that the listener is finally sent away in a happy frame of mind. Also to note was Mozart's contrariness, so this work was written in five voices as in the Baroque, despite most German writing of the time being in 4 voices. Whatever, this was a strong concert out of the CSO and some younger performers, not least Sarah, just 15 , in her first performances on her second instrument. And mozart is always so pleasurable that you can sink into his comforting melodies and just indulge and so I did.

The Canberra Strings Ensemble performed Mozart String Quintet in Gmin K.516 at Wesley. Performers were Barbara Jane Gilby and Pip Thompson (violins), Lucy Carrigy-Ryan and Sarah Zhu (violas) and Samuel Payne (cello).

A drive in the country

I'd forgotten how pleasant a drive in the country can be. These days my country drives are on highways, multiple lanes, quick but industrial. AdHoc Baroque were reprising the performance that I missed the other week but this one was at Gunning. Gunning is little and very pretty with its period architecture. It's just off the Hume but, from Canberra, a country drive through Sutton and Gundaroo. The day was clear and warm and calm and the road was quiet. A pleasure. I arrived to find a wildly cute little church (St Edmund's Anglican, 1863) and a bevy of locals in attendance. Then the music. The second Australian performance of Brunetti Stabat Mater (the first was by AdHoc a few week before) and probably only the 4th or 5th performance in the modern world. Leader Peter Young had obtained a copy of the original manuscript from Viennese YouTube performers who had used manuscript copies from a local library (Zentral Universitatsbiblioteck, Zurich). Not available in commercial or other editions, so not widely performed. Brunetti was the feature. The rest of the program was religious music of the era, Scarlatti Salve Regina, Charpentier Magdelena lugens (sung by Maartje) and Stradella O vos omnes (sung by Greta). All written for female voices and small forces that suited AdHoc Baroque, with its soprano and alto pairing up front and a few strings and organ. The strings were Clara on cello, the CSO pairing of Barbara Jane and Pip on violins and Michelle joining on viola for the Brunetti. And Peter leading from organ keyboard, of course. This is such delightful music with various lively solo passages or dolorous with the themes of the dying Jesus and the accompanying women - Mary and Magdelene. The title of the concert was Mater Dolorosa. For once I followed the words and attempted the Latin/English translation. It was worthwhile and revelatory to understand the theme as it passed through various stanzas and associated emotions. Such dignified music, sometimes uplifting or dolorous or heart-rending, sometimes playful with counterpoint or fugue, not least from the vocals, always immensely beautiful. This music is always an intellectually satisfying and emotional delight and with AdHoc we have a group that is expanding the repertoire through Peter's extensive editing of original scores. A local treasure.

AdHoc Baroque performed Brunetti, Scarlatti, Charpentier and Stradella at St Edmund's Anglican Church at Gunning. AdHoc comprised Peter Young (director, organ) with Greta Claringbould (soprano), Maartje Sevenster (mezzo-soprano), Barbara Jane Gilby and Pip Thompson (violins), Michelle Higgs (viola) and Clara Teniswood (cello).

Antipodes

Barbara Jane Gilby noted one of her sayings "No practice is ever wasted". She was introducing the Canberra Strings, a new string quartet formed to visit New Zealand as musical ambassadors. Another earthquake intervened and the tour was called off at the last minute, but at Wesley we got to hear a program of modern Australian music prepared for this tour. The music was from 1912-2002. The composers were Alfred Hill, Peter Sculthorpe and Graeme Koehne. The music was widely varied. I also enjoyed hearing these players, who I've heard mostly in the context of a symphony orchestra, so a big group, in the intimate setting of a string quartet. Each individual with his/her own independent role and leading statement, but all merged into a compositional unity. And each with a clear voice, emerged from the melded symphonic tone. The Alfred Hill was from the Carnival, so light and pleasurable. The Sculthorpe was anything but. His String quartet no.6 was dedicated to Bonny Drysdale, a friend recently deceased. It is sombre, with movements marked Lento molto, Lento and Lento. There was some intriguing harmonic colour here, painful statements from the various strings, some rhythmic interest, but heavy going. I enjoyed the Koehne most, Whirling dance, from his String quartet no.2 Shaker Dances, all odd times and mingling tempos and simple joys. You could feel the interest and raw newness of this group with music that seemed still new and developing and this was part of the excitement. They formed in October at the request of government, so this is a business proposition amongst the artistic purposes, but no loss there (much music is and has to be). I enjoyed this immensely and look forward to future outings, for the players and the localness and the interesting music they unearthed, but also for the exposed musicality of the string quartet format.

The Canberra Strings are Barbara Jane Gilby (violin), Pip Thompson (violin), Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola) and Alex Voorhoeve (cello). They performed at Wesley.

Chalk & cheese

BJ Gilby had a busy week: CSO on Wednesday and Thursday; practising with NCO on Friday then performing on Sat; finally performing again on Sunday. Maybe others had it so busy and maybe that's the life of a professional muso, but I understood the busyness of that program. Music like this takes preparation, it's not just a matter of turning up to the job on the day. Only Barbara knows the other work put in behind the scenes, to learn parts and to rehearse various groups. I just know because I attended four of these events: CSO Thurs; NCO practice Friday; NCO performance Saturday; Romance & Revolution Sunday. R&R was one of a series of concerts in the theatre at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre. This concert was two groups playing two works: Shostakovich Piano trio E minor Op.67 then Mendelssohn String octet Eb major Op.20. Chalk and cheese, really. The first was heavy, post-war, influenced by loss and tragedy; the second was lively, the work of a 16-year old (!), joyous, busy, alive with hopes for the future. It's not surprising that the first was played by young performers: Aaron Chew, Helena Popovic and Olivia Thorne; youth often takes on the big thorny issues. The second was performed by the seasoned professionals. It's sometimes thought that older generations have seen and digested loss and survive notwithstanding. Whatever, the older group played the lighter music, busy and complex as it was. I much enjoyed the 1944 Shostakovich for its Jewish folk themes and frenzied dances. This was a modern piece that came alive to me with this rendition, just three parts, clear and well spoken. The Mendelssohn presented as two string quartets arrayed side to side but this was far more complex than shared parts from mirrored quartets. There were lines that passed throughout, harmonies shared and played with, at one stage an endless line played in harmony throughout. This was youthful, joyous, energetic and the octet played it with charm and understanding. So this was two halves of an unmatched orange, but fascinating for that very thing. Great playing throughout, intimate and close (we were in the front row), diverse and inventive. Great little concert.

Romance & Revoluation was staged at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre. Aaron Chew (piano), Helena Popovic (violin) and Olivia Thorne (cello) performed Shostakovich. Barbara Jane GIlby (violin, leader), Pip Thompson, Jack Chenoweth and Isobel Ferrier (violins), Caroline Suthers and Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (violas) and Patrick Suthers and Matisha Panagoda (cellos) performed Mendelssohn.

Which is it?

For me it was Llewellyn 2, my second performance in Llewellyn Hall. For everyone else it was Llewellyn 3, National Capital Orchestra playing Beethoven's Triple Concerto with our soloists Barbara Jane Gilby, David Pereira and Edward Neeman, with a featured extra work with Stephanie Neeman. The rest of the program was Haydn Symphony no.49 "Passion" (named by his publisher but reasonable enough; apparently his only symphony in Fmin) and an intro with Beethoven Fidelio Overture. The four-handed Neeman performance was a little extra, not requiring orchestra and using the Steinway readied for Beethoven: Martin Wesley-Smith My brother Jack. I spoke to Edward about this after the concert. It's a work in 17 (12-5) with canon-like melodies from each performer (perhaps each hand) featuring snippets from Frere Jacques. No wonder this was my favourite, especially given my recent interest, if not success, in polyrhythms. Otherwise, I fell in love with the classical dignity of Haydn, so that was my other favourite to play (other than movt.2 which is a killer). But I couldn't help but enjoy both Beethovens. Fidelio was all bluster and drive from the top. The Triple was a pleasure, to play and to listen to, for I did get time in this one to listen. The lines that moved from cello to violin were clever things; the odd rhythmic interplays of piano and violin were perplexing; the virtuoso cello lines were stunning. I can worry about the count when I'm not playing, but Leonard is a wonderful leader, always there with clear counts and dynamics and cues. But maybe I should think of this as Llewellyn 1 for it was my first outing for my new/old bass. I am still adjusting to a different scale so intonation is a challenge and it's clearly toned, so not particularly loud but projecting well. A new instrument takes time and adjustment. I'm enjoying making my investment.

National Capital Orchestra play Beethoven, Beethoven and Haydn under Leonard Weiss (conductor) with soloists Barbara Jane Gilby (violin), David Pereira (cello) and Edward Neeman (piano). Stephanie Neeman (piano) performed with EN in four hands for Martin Wesley-Smith.

Revelations aplenty

Revelation is a word I find I'm using frequently for this CIMF. Sadly I've attended too little due to conflicts, but what I've attended has been rich with the modern and somewhat unexpected. Movers and shakers was all contemporary and a great mix of styles. Two of four composers were not just contemporary but in attendance. The gig started with Brian Howard Full fathom five. Amusingly I sing FFF in a choir, but nothing like this version. This was scored for 15 players; a thrilling and powerful 2-feel; swelling notes and sudden stops (reversed envelopes); tones moving throughout; notable trombone and explosive bass drums. Apparently it's written in response to Jackson Pollock's response to Shakespeare. Next was our late local master, Peter Sculthorpe Island songs for saxophone and ensemble. This was two movements with Amy Dickson featuring on soprano and alto sax. More expansive than FFF, meditative, strings and sax interspersed with various percussion and the sounds of seagulls (sliding cello harmonics) and other (sliding violin harmonics). I felt hope and satisfaction and survival and a sense of location. Kate Moore Velvet followed as a cello/piano duet played by Roland Peelman and Geoffrey Gartner. It's described as a response to flowing garments and cloth in the paintings of Leonardo and others. It's a beautiful subject, all draped opulence and on canvas so real. The image was vivid. Firstly 5/4 broken 3-2 displaying free folds and falls of fabric. Then perhaps into 6 feel and perhaps 3 and a response to the emotions of the paintings and a delicate insistence. To finish, a famed work of minimalism, John Adams Shaker loops for strings. Four movements, intense, incessant despite dynamics, 4s and 2s, and even a feeling of trains (not sure I should hear trains!). Again, this was a survey of some excellent and inventive music over various contemporary styles and so well played. Look for it on ABCFM as a live concert: they were recording.

The composers were Brian Howard, Peter Sculthorpe, Kate Moore and John Adams. The performers were Amy Dickson (sax), Geoffrey Gartner (cello), Roland Peelman (piano, conductor), New Zealand String Quartet comprising Helen Pohl (violin), Douglas Beilman (violin), Gillian Ansell (viola) and Rolf Gjelsten (cello), Tinalley String Quartet comprising Eoin Andrerson (violin)Lerida Delbridge (violin), Justin Williams (viola) and Michelle Woods (cello) and Barbara Jane Gilby (violin), Anne Horton (violin) and the YAFF String Players comprising Emmanuel Cassimatis (oboe), Amy White (clarinet), Christopher Martin (bassoon), Ros Jorgensen and Nigel Croker (trombones), Gergele Malyusz (horn), Leanne Sullivan (trumpet), Kyle Daniel (double bass), Jim Nightingale (sax) and Claire Edwardes and Bree van Reyk (percussion).