Big Day Out 3

It takes a flit from ACO/Branford Marsalis to Smiths to realise the jazz in your soul. This was my last outing with Dan Tepfer. He was playing a jazz gig for CIMF at Smiths with top flight Australians Sam Anning and Alex Hirlian. The place was sold out and I was recording so I had to get there early. I heard them warming up and was already excited. They had played a few gigs together before this (Brisbane and Wollongong?) and they were hot. The music was mostly original from Dan's trio's latest album. The room was full and the CIMF had trucked in a Yamaha grand in good nick and capable soundman Bevan was on duty. Then the gig. From the top, this was intensely complex rhythmic outings with fabulously effective solos all round. I tried to count a few with no luck but saw some charts later and it wasn't impossible, although rich in sixteenth-note syncopations through changing time signatures, 7s or 11s interspersed with more common 4s and 3s, perhaps changing each bar. Not impossible but a difficult read. Very heavy on time and groove. And chords that implied rather than defined. Something like E-4b7 (not even sure how to write it!) mixing with other colours of E-7. Odd extension that, 4 not 11? The grooves were steady and hard often fast, strongly defined by both Sam and Alex but free for accents and embellishments as they desired. Despite the writing there was considerable freedom. Also a friendly and respectful eye from Dan. He obviously enjoyed this group. He mentioned he'd studied with Sam at the Manhattan School of Music. There's no way this would have been out of place in the Village. Dan has studied (astro-)physics and it shows in his variety of musical interests (Bach, Disklavier and contemporary jazz). I've since read he has more music and science in his family background. The room was full with an older cohort, this being a CIMF concert, but the band was absolutely well received. They ended on a softer note, some non-originals and tamer times and a ballad. Set 2 ended with the driving original, Roadrunner, and an encore of Everytime we say goodbye. I went away stunned and hugely pleased and aware of the jazz in my soul. Something of this quality would thump the heart of any listener. A stunner and a great pleasure; being Manhattan, I can say world class.

Dan Tepfer (piano) led a trio with Sam Anning (bass) and Alex Hirlian (drums) at Smiths for CIMF.

Big Day Out 1

It was pretty shoddy planning but also just a concurrence of opportunities that had me with with three concerts in one evening after an afternoon orchestral practice (a playthrough of Wagner, Beethoven 4 and Saint-Saens; I took leave of Dvorak 8!). But then the professionals. First concert up was Dan Tepfer at Fitters Workshop playing his Goldberg variations / variations. The original Bach variations are an aria start and end sandwiching 30 variations, sometimes technically described as in canone all terza or fughetta and always written for two manuals on a harpsichord. Dan had a long association with the Goldberg and has finally created a response consisting of an improvisation for each of the 30 variations. So we hear the introductory aria, then a first Bach variation then a Tepfer improv then Bach then Tepfer through all 30 to the final aria repeated. In all, about 90 minutes, played with no music and improvised on the day (if probably conceptually established beforehand). I loved it deeply. Bach, of course, is a thing of wonder. Dan's responses were full of tonalities and harmonies and rhythms that have grown from another 300 years of fine music and jazz and more. There's clarity and order and dance-like joy in Bach; there's groove and dissonance and polyrhythms and substitutions since. So, the improvs are vastly different but built on the essence of each of the relevant variations and influenced and respectful and intellectually outstanding. A few people I spoke to preferred Bach or even suggested he could have left the improv out but it was a work of sublime depth to my ears. I chatted to Roland Peelman later and he agreed: if Bach was around that's what he'd be doing now, respectful and knowledgeable of the past but totally cognisant and involved in the present. Fabulous work. You can hear a take of it on streaming services as Goldberg variations / variations, but it can never be that performance, that day. That was fabulous and is passed.

Dan Tepfer (piano) played Bach Goldberg variations and his related improvisations at the Fitters Workshop.

Home studio

We host musicians for the Canberra International Music Festival and we enjoy it immensely. To some degree, it's more interesting to host than to listen. It's more intimate, you learn lots, you're in the know to some degree, you get to hear some highly trained musicians practicing in your lounge room. Last year, it was Cecilia, a wonderful Dutch-Italian baroque violinist with Amati attached. This year, it was Anton Baba, cellist, again baroque, gut and bow, trained in US and Europe, now resident in Sydney and playing with all the best baroque groups and a lovely guy to boot. He was to play the Bach cello suite no.1 Gmaj on Saturday morning so we recorded it on Friday evening as an exercise. A nice record of the visit and a great training tool for Anton and his students.

Anton Baba (cello) recorded Bach during his stay for the Canberra International Music Festival.

Endurance 2

It was a short walk to a more exposed hilltop for the ADFA Band (Band of the Royal Military College, Duntroon). We've all seen them often enough. I like them lots. They bravely countered the elements as trained servicemen/women will, in uniform, no gloves. Some of the older audience could sit here but we could also walk around listening to Bach Toccata and fugue Dmin. Our group was late so only came in for the last bars of their other piece. The T+F was introduced as the most popular piece of Bach's repertoire. We were suggested to think of the brass ensemble as an organ in many individually-performed parts. It sounded somewhat like that. Again, I'm sure the cold affected the playing and probably the pitch but this is always a professional outfit. Then on further, mercifully inside, to the Director's Residence for the sonic.art saxophone quartet distributed through the space playing a very modern Berlin composition Stelzenbach Atempause. We were moved through but that little we heard worked really well in such a space, musicians distributed in corners of this residence that was made safe after the 2003 fire but not decorated or even finished inside. So, nice timber floors but open walls and spaces and no ceiling. It's an intriguing space perfectly suited to urban arts. Then again outside, to hear Los Pitutos in the Great Melbourne telescope dome. Again, open and cold; this time spitting rain. They retreated into the Common room (warmest indoors so far) and gave us a series of popular Latin-America songs. Uber-popular songs of the likes of Perhaps perhaps perhaps. They did this well with infectious latin rhythms and sweet vocal harmonies and a nice touch on percussion (even some horn!), but I would have liked to have heard more adventurous choices. I'm told the group is based in Berlin, the singer sings opera professionally and the horn player performs orchestral music and the whole group swaps instruments. All intriguing and the voices and rhythms were lovely. Then I had to leave. The Penny Quartet was setting up to play Widmann string quartet no.4. I caught just a few bars: they started with bowing the instrument's body. Mmm, could have been interesting. So, a cold day but a string of fascinating musical encouters. Nice.

RMC Band, sonic.art sax quartet, Los Pitutos and the Penny Quartet played on Stromlo mountain for the CIMF2019.

Endurance 1

We were "on the mountain", meaning Mt Stromlo and it was bitter cold. It put a freeze on virtually all the music, even inside but particularly in open domes and on an exposed hilltop. This was one CIMF event that demands little walks between venues and offers diverse performers. This is a seriously varied experience and for that it was very good. I ignored the cold, as best I could. For my group, first up was a welcome from astronomer Brad Tucker and some genuine, original, 1930s, 78rpm recordings of Albert Schweitzer playing Bach on organ (saved from various Stromlo fires). It matched with a few other pieces of Stromlo trivia, not least a photo of observatory director and wife, Geoffrey and Doris Duffield, toting a double bass to play in their Stromberra Quartet (sometime before his death in 1929: you can still find his grave on the mountain). And in contravention of CP Snow's two cultures, Rosalie Gascoigne, artist of found materials, who lived on the mountain from 1937 with her astronomer husband, Ben. Then on to the first major performance which happened to be an Australian premier. This was Dan Tepfer, NYC jazz pianist. He played his work Natural machines on Disklavier. Disklavier is the digital player-piano made by Yamaha. Dan played with the automated Disklavier performance. Dan's website describes the process. In summary, his improvisations are processed and responded to through Dan's pre-programmed computer, so Dan leads but also follows, both musically and through an artistic projection of the playing. Fascinating and very nicely played. He played, perhaps 4 movements, and one without the computer interactions. It had some audience befuddled, Disklaviers not being so known or understood. Truly a work of future thinking and artistically satisfying. Then on to the open Yale-Columbia dome. The two violinists were fretting about the cold (understandable: 11degC but a cold wind so ~4degC apparent temp) but played a worthy set anyway (I did wonder how!). This was the World premier of Mike Dooley's violin duet The Heavens declare. As I remember, three movements with a first movement divided into parts (inviting some untoward clapping); several passages of bowing against pizz; a slower middle movement and lively final. A lovely work and one I'd be pleased to hear again in more comfortable circumstances, for audience and players. The work was played by two members of Quatuor Voce, Cecile Roubin and Sarah Dayan.

Dan Tepfer (disklavier) played compositions from his Natural machines collection and Cécile Roubin and Sarah Dayan (violins) played a violin duet by Mike Dooley, all at St Stromlo.

Classing

Masterclasses are a fascinating process. It's an excellent place to hone your awareness, as players or as listeners. This one was a mature (15 years) string quartet guiding a newer quartet (5 years). Of course, the new quartet sounds great when you first hear them, but they just get better as they take on the suggestions from the others. A good pair of ears, they say, and here four pairs. The masterclassees were the Penny Quartet (Melbourne); the masterclassers were Quattor Voce (France). The music performed and deconstructed was Prokofiev Quartet no.1 mvt.1. It's amusing that the first four bars take so long for consideration, but it's not surprising. Any bars are indicative of a group's performance. After that, they moved somewhat more quickly through various passages and styles of playing. So what issues? Clarity of voices in transitions; character and bite; where and how to bow: near the bridge or over the fingerboard, digging in or long bows; dirt and politeness; dynamics (always!); phrasing and excitement and even ecstasy and "clownlike" (for this piece); displaying canon passages; spelling cello lines; rhythms and ambiguities; tension; flexible tonalities; active listening and "grounded rhythms" and communal pulse (I was amused that they suggested foot tapping, virtually as in jazz, to inculcate and share rhythms: foot tapping is usually a classical no-no); using metronomes on and off beat; chords (very interesting how they analysed a series of vertical chords for better intonation); articulation and passing lines; binary and tertiary approaches (essentially playing with polyrhythmic interpretations - another common contemporary jazz technique). Of course, these refer to a specific time and place and performers and piece, but it's indicative of the deep listening that's a component of masterclassing. And it's good for the audience, too. It certainly sharpens the listeners ear. Intriguing.

Penny Quartet received a masterclass from Quator Voce. Penny Quartet are Amy Brookman, Madeleine Jevons (violins), Anthony Chataway (viola) and Jack Ward (cello). Quator Voce are Sarah Dayan, Cécile Roubin (violins), Guillaume Becker (viola) and Lydia Shelley (cello).

Home towner

This is the time of virtuosity the time of CIMF. My first concert was Kristian Winther. Kristian is Canberra-bred and sounds of the world. He played violin, solo, Bach Sei solo a violino senza basso accampagnato. I heard the first concert, so the first 3 works of six. Sonata no.1 Gmin, Partita no.1 Bmin, Sonata no.2 Amin. He was playing the other three that afternoon. Each was a work of four movements. I lucked out with a front row seat that was left otherwise vacant so I could watch his bowings and fingers and face. The best was just to close my eyes and take in the subtly of bowing tones - light or gritty - and the nifty fingering and luxuriate in the glorious harmonic inventions of Bach himself. The first movements were not quite so comfy but then, settled in, his presentation was a thing of immensity and intelligence and beauty. A blast from a Canberra boy returned for our own festival.

Kristian Winther (violin) played Bach at Canberra International Music Festival.