Diversity

Well I dropped my phone and cracked its screen as I waited to enter The Great Divide, a CIMF concert at the Fitters' Workshop, but I came around in the end.  It was an intriguing mix of styles and they shouldn't really work but they did.  First up was Luminescence Chamber Singers directed by Roland Peelman singing mediaeval Spanish cantigas and Portuguese motets.  Six singers, 3 men, 3 women, occasional percussion and foot stamping, religious themes of Mary and women variously as saviours and whores, so clearly unwelcome in today's thought.  I was amused or maybe concerned with women singing this stuff, even as we realise the diverse times and thinking, this being a very earthy and religious age, but the historical denigration of woman's role was pretty obvious.  Strange and confronting to our ears and yet would have been unquestionable in those days, I guess.  Then an interval and a wine and I could forget the phone for a few minutes and I was intrigued by Jason Noble playing Steve Reich New York Counterpoint on clarinet.  I wondered how it would be accepted in this crowd, given he was plugged in, effected, multitracked, whatever.  I asked him later; if I got it right it was 8 clarinets plus two bass clarinets, all multitracked and no effects, just the rich resonances of the space.  I enjoyed that.  Then Orava playing Shostakovich String Quartet Gmaj no.6.  Again I felt some discomfort around me at the quite difficult melodies but I enjoyed it immensely.  Nicely expressed, accurately intoned, earthily bowed and intriguing as a composition ("a masterpiece of Soviet optimism post-Stalin" / CIMF concert program).  So a fascinating and satisfying concert if the lead-up was less pleasing.

The Luminiscence Chamber Singers under Roland Peelman (director), Jason Noble (clarinet) and Orava String Quartet performed at the Fitters' Workshop for the Canberra International Music Festival 2022.  Luminescence comprised AJ America, Veronica Milroy, Dan Walker, Lucien Fischer, Jack Stephens and Roberta Diamond.  Orava comprise Daniel Kowalik and David Dalseno (violins), Thomas Chawner (viola) and Karol Kowalik (cello).

Chatter

Another chat session, this time with two Australian string quartets: Orava and Pietra. Orava played the other day so I know them for that. They are the seniors (relatively) having established themselves, studied in the US with the Takacs Quartet, got an agent and a CD with Deutsche Grammophon Australia (impressive) playing Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich, making their name at festivals, committed and needing to eat. The Pietra Quartet are still students at Sydney Con, developing the group, still to decide on a whole range of things like their image and style and key repertoire. I know violist Justin as he performed the Stamitz concerto on our Musica da Camera CD. Younger and developing but on the path. This all came out in discussion with moderator Vincent Plush, ABC radio presenter, ex-music lecturer and the rest. The discussions were brief but relevant: identity and presentation; naming (Orava means squirrel in Finnish); getting together and staying together; approaches to music and sound; choosing repertoire; experiences with the Australian repertoire; interestingly, "where is home"; AYO in their development (most had been AYO performers); cultivating audience; women in string quartets (not at all an issue for youth, but some historical relevance); instruments, old and new; Queensland's Year 3 string program; performing live vs recording. Lots of thoughts there, so no time for any short performance. I didn't ask my question, but it would have been "do you still play weddings", or, survival skills for musicians. Lots of interesting chatter.

Vincent Plush (moderator) interviewed the Orava and Pietra String Quartets. Orava comprises Daniel Kowalik and David Dalseno (violins), Thomas Chawner (viola) and Karol Kowalik (cello). Pietra comprises Anna Da Silva Chen and Ben Tjoa (violins), Justin Julian (viola) and Miles Mullin-Chivers (cello).

The classics

The concerts at CIMF are varied, often with mixes of performers. This was called Classic Souvenir: obviously classical but again well varied. First up was Schubert on fortepiano, then Beethoven on fortepiano and violin, then a string sextet from Tchaikovsky. Perhaps he's romantic, but it's related. Keiko Shichijo performed Schubert Impromptu op.90 no.3 in the damnable key of Gbmajor. But then it's different on piano. It was likely developed from improvisation but the effect is an attractive melody with a busy left hand. Then Cecilia Bernardini joined for Beethoven Sonata for violin and piano in G major. Now here's a gentle key! It was written for the Archduke and a specific violinist as a "musical dialogue with refined classic gestures" (Roland Peelman from the notes). There was a lovely and generous musical playfulness and awareness between these two musicians who play together in Europe. They are capable, mature players and their ease together and deep skills are evident in the comfort of the interaction. I've noticed the best players are something like transparent as the music speaks through them. This was like that: easy and evident. The final work was a somewhat odd: a string quartet extrapolated to a sextet, with paired violins, violas and cellos. It changes the standard form of first and second violin by expanding this relationship to the lower instruments. It's quite a fascination to hear two cellos talking different lines, sounding moderately different. Otherwise, a busy and intense work presented by the Orava (String) Quartet with friends. Someone commented that it couldn't have been played by women as it carried evident testosterone. Not sure of that one, but it was busy and energetic and approached with rabid glee. Either way, a fascinating and different take on the classics theme.

Keiko Shichijo (fortepiano) played Schubert solo then Beethoven with Cecilia Bernardini (violin). The Orava Quartet with friends played Tchaikovsky. The Orava quartet are Daniel Kowalik and David Dalseno (violins), Thomas Chawner (viola) and Karol Kowalik (cello) and their friends were James Wannan (viola) and Miles Mullin-Chivers (cello).