The unexpected

CIMF has been developing for years but this year took the cake, not that I saw too much, but I did see the last concert and it was unexpected and hugely satisfying.  First up our local Samoan-Australian-Canberran, Kirrah Amosa.  She's a singer songwriter, strumming guitar and accompanying with a good voice in at least 2 languages and speaking of her family and connections.  Nicely done, but the last set was the stunner.  I'd heard his brother Matt several times and there's a bassist brother too.  This one was Berlin-based adventurous funky improvising pianist Aron.  He started with a long solo number with accompanying synth loops (Moog Matriarch) and gradually increasing speed and perhaps intensity.  Not quite the funky nature of his Live at Funkhaus on Spotify but just as bold.  Then Lisa Arduor-Noah out of Kenya and the US and perhaps more, funky, deeply grooving (she couldn't sing without a tapping hand), crowd involving with claps (5/4 including a quarter-note triplet, no less) and a responsive singing passage (Cmin with harmonies).  And a great, great soulful voice.  We've heard it from Baptist choirs to Motown and on, flexible, strong, full-toned, big and thrilling.  Just fabulous.  I listened after on Spotify and just the first track was all harmony and groove and deeply infectious.  Wow.  Not sure how everyone would have taken this as a finale, especially after improvs from Miro and John M for starters, but this signifies an expansive view of music.  Doubly so given there was a hiphop outing in there, too, although I missed that one.  Go Roland!  A thrill.  And do have a listen to Aron and Lisa.

The CIMF finale featured Kirrah Amosa (vocals, guitar), Aron Ottignon (piano, keys) and Lisa Oduor-Noah (vocals) at the Fitters Workshop.

3x8

This concert was called Magic Eight because each of the three pieces were by an octet, two instrumental and one choral.  Most people just drooled over the Schubert Octet, well known and long (6 movements, ~1 hour) and interesting to me as I played my first chamber concert on two movements of the piece.  So I like it and they played it with immense capability and hugely satisfying interpretation, but it was just a little unadventurous for me, standard, ordered, of that era as works usually are, but of an era that just seemed a bit tame.  But what to say?  Max McBride was playing bass and he was inspirational, 5 strings, eyes up and around, glorious soft  tone, explosive semiquaver lines.  I was amused to see the cellist smile at Max's parallel lines to his.  I mainly watched Max and the strings, and the strings seemed to lead it all, mainly from first violin.  Quatuor van Kuijk were inspirational in how they communicated although first violin tended to watch less, but I caught a big smile between the violins at one stage and they were very obviously pleased.  That was after the interval.  Just before the interval was Per Nörgard Wie ein Kind (Like a Child) by Luminescence with Roland conducting, and that was odd, using lyrics and noises from Adolf Wölfli and Rainer Maria Rilke for all manner of fascinating musics.  I enjoyed it immensely, following some strange lyrics projected above.  This was very much not your everyday baroque outing; it was obvious why a conductor was required.  Really impressive and great singing and various noise making.  But by fave was the opener, Igor Stravinsky Octet, all jumpy and playful and totally a work for winds.  I delighted in the brass, not least the high, pure trumpet tones and the interpay of flute and clarinet and the bass-y bassoons and was struck by the long breaths demanded of Zoe Pepper.  This was my fave of the night although all was a huge please for whatever reason.  Nobody I spoke to agreed with me: they all preferred the Schubert.  So be it.  Just a bit too comfy a choice for me.  And one final observation.  The Stravinsky reminded me of Fellini and the dates align, so my guess is that Nino Rota (b.1911) was greatly influenced by Stravinsky (Octet 1923).  But that's just a bit of amateur musicological investigation.

Luminescence Chamber Singers, Quatuor Van Kuijk, Sally Walker (flute), Oliver Shermacher (clarinet), Ben Hoadley and Zoey Pepper (bassoons), Fletcher Cox and Joel Walmsley (trumpets), Jackson Bankovic (trombone), Aidan Gabriels (horn), Max McBride (double bass), Paolo Franks (trombone) and Roland Peelman (conductor) variously played Stravinsky, Per Nörgard and Schubert at the Fitters Workshop.

2x4

Two string quartets, one steamroller.  This was a lunchtime concert in the Juliet Room at Verity Lane and it was a great space with a responsive audience and a nice clean sound.  Other than the steamroller, but that's for later.  First up was Quatuor va Kuijk playing Mozart String Quartet K458 ‘The Hunt’.  It was mightily different from the French music we'd heard a few days before at the winery.  Mozart is just perfect of course, but so was the quartet: immense delicacy, huge dynamics, lots of eyes for effective communication, just the most correct intonations and passages passed with endless simplicity and aptness.  It was in this space with this music that I could feel this group.  Then something different, even if Haydn String Quartet op.76 no 5 apparently was written in response to 'the Hunt'.  Haydn was not so much a thing of Mozartian delicacy but of power and attack and strength.  It was such a different presence for the alternative quartet. But then that steamroller.  Verity Lane is in town and work is ongoing in the old Sydney and Melbourne buildings and sadly some was scheduled for this day.  Ya gotta laugh or otherwise you'd cry.  I'm sure AM didn't find it so funny but they carried on bravely and effectively and I can only admire their perseverence.  Still, a powerful and driven performance.  I was recording and expected to drop out the bottom end, but with a close mic it wasn't nearly so evident.  So the comparison of two quartets was fascinating and informative but not as reliable as it might have been.  But fabulous none the less.

Quatuor van Kuijk and Alma Moodie Quartet performed at Verity Lane for CIMF2023.  QvK comprise Nicolas Van Kuijk and Sylvain Favre-Bulle (violons), Emmanuel François (viola) and Anthony Kondo (cello).  Alma Moodie Quartet comprise Kristian Winther and Anna da Silva Chen (violin), Dana Lee (viola) and Thomas Marlin (cello).

Rustic folk

Of faeries and fools was the title of this concert and I could see the reference clearly in at least 3 pieces.  The sounds were different as the musical combinations were different and to some degree as the styles were different, but the performances were consistently impressive.  The works dated from after Grimm's Fairy tales (1812) and carried on some of the influences.  First up as Schumann with a clarinet trio (Oliver Shermacher, James Wannan nad Roland Peelman on clarinet, viola and piano) just stunningly sharply played all round.  Then piano (Roland again)and two vocals (sopranos Susannah Lawergren and Anna Fraser ) for Dvorak Moravian duets.  Now this reminded me of Schubert songs and that's a strange style to my ears, dated both in musical form and lyrical themes.  The lyrics were translated to English and projected behind.  I could only chuckle at the dated love songs.  But that's that style.  The singing and piano were great though.  Perhaps better without the meanings?  Then an interval and a ridiculously funny Janacek Nursery rhymes in Czech language.  Again lyrics translated and projected and and the absurdity was a delight.  Luminescence played this with James Wannan and Ronan Apcar.  Then to finish, a much larger ensemble playing Katz-Chernin Village idiot, a work in 5/4 variously 3-2 and 2-3 and a collapse of time at the end.  This was a much larger group with a Alma Moodie string quartet and Jacques Emery on bass and others including e-pno and e-guitar and piano accordion and percussion.  So a very different , more modern and humourous take.  A great finish.

Schumann, Dvořák, Janáček and Kats-Chernin were performed at the Fitters Workshop variously by James Wannan (viola), Oliver Shermacher (clarinet), Susannah Lawergren and Anna Fraser (soprano), Roland Peelman and Ronan Apcar (pianos), Theo Carbo (electric guitar), Fletcher Cox (trumpet), Jackson Bankovic (trombone), Aidan Gabriels (horn), Veronica Bailey (percussion), Alister Price (accordion), Jacques Emery (double bass), Luminescence Chamber Choir and Alma Moodie Quartet.

Driver

I am volunteering as a CIMF driver and this was a driving gig.  I collected the string quartet Quatuor van Kuijk and off we went up Sutton Road to Contentious Character winery.  Lovely view.  The quartet is French and were entertaining with a few French string quartet numbers, by Debussy and Faure.  They did them proud.  Nothing that I hadn't expected given they are on tour and were booked to play the Utson Room at the Opera House and the Melbourne Recital Centre and had a string of album releases to go with a string on awards.  Amusingly, they played as they came, invited to play in jeans.  Nice.  It was more intimate, like mates or a rehearsal session but serious and no stopping.  This was lovely, nice communication, accented intros, clear and complimentary exchanges of lines and a good chat on the way there and back.  Sadly, I was driving so I missed out on the offer of a wine tasting, but they got it.  As it should be.

Quatuor van Kuijk performed at Contentious Character winery in Wamboin.  QvK comprise Nicolas Van Kuijk and Sylvain Favre-Bulle (violons), Emmanuel François (viola) and Anthony Kondo (cello).

Growing seeds

There was a welcome to country but I missed that.  I was there to record and I was setting up and anyway I wasn't sure recording was appropriate.  But then the first concert of the CIMF program, called Seeds of life and located at the Arboretum.  This was one larger then a string of shorter snippets around the Arboretum space.  Oliver Shermacher started with a daring mixed media concert at the Margaret Whitlam pavilion (BTW my first visit to a small space but with a massive view).  He' s a daring player, perhaps especially as a clarinettist, but then I don't know too many others.  Jurg Wyttenbach Una chica in Nirvana was a mix of clarinet and spoken story, all whispey and strong as fitting.  Impressive and daring.  Then Alice Chance Stargazer which had us all playing recorded synth sounds from our mobiles (various, depending on starsign) and Oliver improvising quietly against this.  Then Nicola Resanovic  alt.music.ballistix with a samples-rich background in four parts and OS again improvising over.  This was fascinating, as were all.  OS is Australian born but educated and living between Australia and Germany, so not surprised by his experimental while virtuosic concert.  Those Germans are certainly both those things.  Then a series of snippets of performers in the open in gardens: Miro sitting on a rock playing an improv on a magpie song he'd just heard, then Stella; siblings Flora and Theo Carbo playing something more electric and forceful, I guess a free improv; John Mackey playing immense open improvs, interestingly firstly on Stella then Body and soul; finally the Djinama Yilaga choir comprising ~6 women with a girl and boy and a woman guitarist and led by Cheryl Davison singing songs from their country (south coast NSW).  Interestingly they are revitalising their dhurga language and a little amusing when place names we recognise, like Narooma and Tilba, pop up.  Then a final performance by the Australian Dance Party but I couldn't effectively record it and had to leave anyway.  Ashlee Bye, Yolanda Lowatta and Patricia Hayes-Cavanagh dancing in the vast space of the amphitheatre to choreography by Ashlee Bye and music by Dan Walker.  Really a fascinating outing.

Seeds of life was the opening concert of CAMF2023 at the Arboretum.  In verious formats, it included performers Oliver Shermacher (clarinet), Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet), Theo Carbo (electric guitar), Flora Carbo (saxophone), John Mackey (tenor), Djinama Yilaga (choir) and the Australian Dance Party with Ashlee Bye (choreographer, dancer) and Yolanda Lowatta and Patricia Hayes-Cavanagh (dancers).

CIMF starters

It was a big day with two major pre-CIMF events.  First up was a session with Tim Lamble to help setup for recording in the Fitters Workshop.  No easy task, this, with long cables from front to back and mics to hang from lighting trusses.  Setting up the trusses alone was the work of 10-or-so people plus those outside setting up temporary entrance rooms and a few for other things.  It's surprising how much is involved.  No wonder people question that I can take my double bass, bass amp, PA and lighting in my Golf.  My gear is nothing like this!  And then session 2 for the CIMF day, a reception at Government House, no less, for CIMF volunteers.  Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, the GG's wife, is patron of CIMF thus the invitation.  It was not my first visit to Govt House (that dated back to Ninian Stevens ' days) but my first formal reception.  We were ushered in after showing photo ID, heard a short concert by the young but wonderfully capable Meyer piano quartet playing some very challenging Mahler (featuring echoed lines) and Brahms (with rabidly fast unison lines), chatted in the dining room and explored the public rooms and the art (on loan from NGA).  Some big names in Australian art hanging there.  The reception was pleasant, the company was chatty, the hosts, His Excellency the GG and Ma'am, were friendly.  We dressed to the nines, of course, and that also was fun.  Amusingly we were to attend a session on effective protest/activism immediately thereafter.  Oh, the bewilderment of life for this republican.  But more on the talking cure later.

CIMF 2023 started for me with Fitters Workshop setup and a Government House reception for CIMF volunteers.  The Meyer Piano Quartet performed at the reception.  The Meyer Quartet are David Cavenagh (piano), Brad Tham (violin), Pippa Newman (viola), James Monro (cello)