Just how good

Best composition?  I wondered about that but it's a stupid question, especially given my limited knowledge, but my favourite work?  I think so.  I've listed every classical piece I've performed in concert (now 506 with some repeats) and it includes Beethoven 3,4,5,6,7 and plenty more, but my faves are choral and this seems my most memorable of all.  Sitting through Brahms German Requiem by Igitur nos tends to confirm it.  Gloriously rich and attractive, emotionally dense, wonderfully informed bass lines, extensive chromatic and substituting lines, beautiful harmonies in voices to drool over, high sopranos, inventive harmonies and challenging fugues.  I closed my eyes and fell into this density, knowing it well after having played it myself.  I find when I've practised and performed a work, it stays with me, so I know upcoming phasings and predict every line.  Strange that practice, or perhaps performance, can be so permanent.  I can't play from memory but I can revisit and predict a listen.  Hayley did a great job on so many lines, slow or busy as they were.  Otherwise, just a small accompaniment of piano, single strings and woodwinds, 8 players in all in the arrangements, rather than a full orchestra.  And the choir and two soloists, bass and soprano.  Very nice soloists, but I preferred the massed parts, the power and precision and movements of lines in harmony.  My German was nil, so the words were of nothing, but still power remained and glorious, emotional music.  Brahms German Requiem: a work of beauty and huge emotional density.

Igitur Nos performed Brahms German Requiem at Wesley.  Matthew Stuckings (conductor) led a choir of 22 with two vocal soloists, Elsa Huber (soprano) and Colin Milner (baritone) and an octet comprising Rowan Harvey-Martin (violin), Elizabeth Chalker (viola), Alex Voorhoeve (cello), Hayley Manning (bass), Jodie Petrov (flute), Yu-Lan Chan (oboe), Lis Hoorweg (clarinet) and Emily Leong (piano).

Something else that evening

Our Ornette-enacting duo was in the afternoon and the evening was something completely different, although playful and rhythmic as before, if from another era.  This was four harpsichords playing Bach and more at Wesley with a string quintet accompaniment.  The promise of John Ma the Wednesday before.  The main work of the day was the final piece, Concerto for four harpsichords Amin BWV1065. This was not nearly so well known as BWV1060 and BWV1062, played by two harpichord pairs earlier.  Thees had us just beating and beaming with grins in our seats.  They are hugely popular, played with gusto and many smiles, and a joy to all.  Other pieces were an overture-suite La Bizarre Gmaj by Telemann and a Sonfonia no.4 Amaj by Solnitz.  This second was somewhat obscure and to add to confusion was played attacca into BWV1065 which ended the peformance.  We'd heard so much, with so much joy, so much attention and screeds of notes and love that I was surprised to see my watch showed only a one hour concert at the end. But with Bach one hour can be eternity (in a good way).  All that intricate and playful interaction between parts, those falling sequences and quaver to semiquaver accelerations are such joy.

Harpsichord divas was a performance at Wesley by Arianna Odermatt, Callum Tolhurst-Close, Marie Searles and Marko Sever (harpsichords) with string accompaniment comprising John Ma and Lauren Davis (violins), Brad Tham (viola), Clara Teniswood (cello) and Hayley Manning (bass).

Weekend 2

Sunday was another 3pm mega event.  I was somewhat hassled, having a first go at multitracking recording.  I have most of the gear and the knowledge, but not sure of cables and stands and the like.  In the end, I managed most if not all that I'd like, but it was informative and satisfying.  Super embarrassingly, my phone went off in the performance.  I had "Do Not Disturb" on.  Note to all: check your Android Do Not Disturb settings (and I guess whatever in i-World).  I get few calls and I've never had a call interrupt a concert before, but this was a repeated call, and that was allowed as a default setting on my phone!!!  Suffice to say, not now.  And at the end, a Melbourne mate arrived, unexpected, at the concert, finding me.  Strange events.  But how was the concert?  Just wonderful.  I sat near the Evangelist (tenor) and he impressed.  So did Jesus (as he should)!  Hayley was on bass and did a wonderful job.  I enjoyed following the violins and always enjoy bassoon.  Why are they always so capable and clear toned in our bass range?  I followed the words (recitatives in English; chorals in German with translations).  The story touched me, taking me back to Catholic schooldays.  Not converted, but touched.  Wondering about why this tree or that event.  These stories are old and have resonances that our society isn't aware of these days.  Well, it is the Bible, after all with its long resonances for our/my Euro  culture.  And thinking of German Easter Sundays in Bach's days, presumably the congregation hearing St John's Passion part 1, then a sermon (we had coffee!), then part 2, then I guess a mass and the rest.  They were committed. And also thinking of several musos who had said they'd prefer St Matthew's Passion, given this was so powerful.  Well, it may be a bit better on records, but not much, and the presence and surroundings, even if just modern brick, seemed apt and  the music, both written and played, was fabulous.  How much did I enjoy this?  Enjoy may not be the word, but very much and deeply.  Many thanks to Igitur Nos and Matthew Stuckings and the crew he gathered for this performance.

Igitur Nos Chamber Choir performed under Matthew Stuckings (musical director).  Igitur Nos performed as a choir of ~20 with several soloists and a chamber orchestra of 14.  Soloists were Kent McIntosh (Evangelist, tenor), Sitiveni Talei (Jesus, baritone), Maartje Sevenster (contralto), Cassandra Hmble (soprano), Colin Miller (Pilate, baritone) and Great Claringbould (soprano).  Anthony Smith played continuo (keyboard ). Hayley Manning (bass) provided the bottom end.

Another next-gen

There seems to be an efflorescence of ensembles recently.  Maybe it's a post-Covid thing.  Not that we are fully post-Covid given that this group's first date was postponed and another was due as I write this, but cancelled for sickness.  This was a different one being very much of a new generation, although the faces are familiar enough, from CYO and community orchestras and ensembles and bands and folk outings and theatre pits and even CSO.  Canberra Chamber Collective also has a neat name with the collectivity inviting a range of styles and groupings.  We heard it last night when their premiere concert arrived after its delay.  They played a range of musics, Mozart and Poulenc and Haydn but also Farkas and Bohme and Lyadov.  A very interesting collection to display various combinations.  In all, they were a sextet of flute, violin, bass, trombone, horn and trumpet.  Perhaps an odd combination and possibly a bit hard to balance with that loud brass.  In fact, Ragnel, on violin, used a pickup and small amplifier for some pieces.  The Mozart and Lyadov had all playing, but there were spots for just the women (flute, violin, bass) and others for just the blokes (trom, horn, tpt) and interestingly, violin taking an oboe line for another piece.   It can be difficult to match instrumentation with arrangements, but a collective can be flexible.  It sounded great in the reverb-washy space of the Drill Hall.  I'd expected it to be too soft, but no, it worked a treat.  There was some capable playing all round.  I especially watched Hayley, having played in a section with her, but otherwise enjoyed all.  I felt there was some slightly nervy reading, but this is new and I enjoyed it immensely and they obviously did too, and knowing how to cover is an essential art anyway.  And the encore of a tarantella says it all.  Deadly serious but fun.  Looking forward to more from CCC.

From left stage to right, Canberra Chamber Collective comprised Serena Ford (flute), Ragnel Jansdotter (violin), Hayley Manning (bass), Dominic Harvey-Taylor (trombone), Liam Brewin Higgins (horn) and Sam Hutchinson (trumpet).

Christmas in July

Chrissy in July is not a thing for me but Handel Messiah is usually something we hear at Christmas but this was winter, unseasonably cold outside.  Canberra Symphony Orchestra put on Messiah with its Messiah Chorus auditioned and convened by Tobias Cole.  The numbers were not huge, ~35 instrumentalists and ~40 chorus and four soloists.  The program didn't say, but the solo singers were Chloe Lankshear and Andrew Goodwin and Adrian Tamburini along with Tobias.  The basses were old mates Kyle and David and Hayley but only Kyle and Hayley on the night.  Kyle played most as solo when the front lines played.  The work is a dream, of course, and well known and loved and it's deserved.  Quite a few fugues (I love a fugue) and plenty of rich choral passages and those soloists with harpsichord or organ or solo violin or often a smaller ensemble, but the extravagance and delirium of the choral passages and full orchestras are what really does it for me and most.  We duly stood for the Hallelujah chorus, but we had to be goaded / invited.  I was not the only one who'd forgotten that rite of passage.  And the choir was good.  First up I thought the women were good, but the lower voices are always less appreciated or obvious but they showed their colours and impressed.  So impressive all round.  The trumpet passage (aptly in The trumpet shall sound) was lovely; the solo violin was satisfying, the parts were convincing.  I felt just a little discomfort in timing or perhaps some rushing in the tricky bits early on but that settled.  As for the bass, I was surprised by some tricky parts and look forward to printing the part for a gander. Anthony Hunt from State Opera of SA was upfront and led comfortably.  And that lovely scalar semiquaver stuff by voice (paralleled by instruments, too, of course), is demanding and tricky and a real test.  I was surprised how capably the chorus carried this out.  We expect it from the soloists, but it seems more difficult for massed voices who are perhaps less trained.  So we all left with joy and excitement and satisfaction after 2 hours and interval for a pretty long night of music.  Just such a pleasure: nicely done and such joyous music.

Canberra Symphony Orchestra with the CSO Messiah Choir under Anthony Hunt (conductor) with soloists Chloe Lankshear (soprano), Tobias Cole (countertenor), Andrew Goodwin (tenor) and Adrian Tamburini (bass).  Kyle Ramsey-Daniel and Hayley Manning (bass) played the low end.

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

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).

Thoughts on bass

The minutes leading up to Hayley Manning's graduation recital had me perplexed. There were a string of bassists and a tabla setup. Ben and Kyle on each side of the stage with a tabla player between. Geoff and Brendan were down the back on bass, something I only realised later. At the starting time, Hayley arrived upfront to play a freeform melody by Francois Rabbath against a low-E drone from the other basses. They left and Hayley introduced the next works as more conventional. Misek Sonata no.1 Amaj and Koussevitsky Concerto F#maj, both played with piano accompaniment. These are not trivial works and F# is not a trivial key. I was in awe of Hayley's thumb positions, harmonics, long scales and the like. Technical challenges abounded and she did them justice. Then the final work, Anderson Capriccio no.2, a contemporary bass work played solo, with a "flurry of rhythms notes that display the full raw power and potential of the double bass as a solo instrument" (from the program notes). How apt: this one worked for me as a bass solo piece. It got me thinking of the role of bass. The Rabbath was effective, where the bass was being itself. The Misek and Koussevitsky were impressive, but I kept feeling the piano just said more and more interestingly with its handfulls of notes as chords and arpeggios and that easy dexterity, so why the solo bass? But the Anderson was my favourite, toying with the low pitch, the upper reaches, the grandiosity with clumsiness that is the string bass. In parallel, it reminds me of my readings in Bass Player mag, where they continually rile against overplaying, perhaps clumsily, by repeating that the bass is there to make others sound good (!). I guess they mean that its role is essentially accompaniment, especially by spelling rhythm or groove. The Anderson took a prime role for the low end and made it interesting, not least by using rhythm, but mostly this observation is right in my book. Play less, play neater, play with awareness of others. It's harder than it sounds and it's not an impediment or limitation. Nothing makes drive like a bass line, in funk or in classics. With instruments, it's horses for courses. So congratulations and thanks to Hayley for her graduation and her thought provoking recital.

Hayley Manning (bass) played Rabbath, Misek, Koussevitsky and Anderson for her graduation recital in the Larry Sitsky room at ANU. Support was from Kylie Loveland (piano accompanist), Kyle Ramsay-Daniel, Brendan Keller-Tuberg, Ben Drury and Geoff Prime (basses) and Yash Vyas (tabla)

Big and bigger

I find it intriguing that, as I play more, I hear more. In this case, it's classical, orchestral music and what I hear is the details, the difficulties of a piece, the approaches and capabilities of the players. It's to be expected. The pieces I have played are even more understood, so more clearly observed. Last night was the CYO, the Canberra Youth Orchestra, in two formations. Firstly, as a string orchestra playing Philip Glass with Gabi Sultana. Secondly, as a symphony orchestra in large array playing Mahler symphony no.1. I don't know either piece in particular, but I'm mightily impressed by the commitment. These are both major works. PG's Tirol concerto is a later work displaying his regularity, twists and turns, minimalism in common parlance, but I thought with more investigation and variation, and although it displayed some trade mark rhythmic patterns and harmonies, there seemed also to be dissonant harmonies and different approaches to rhythm that I wouldn't so obviously have picked. So this was interesting. I was surprised when it all started with Gabi Sultana playing a solo piano introduction; I enjoyed the PG regularity and fluctuations and mutations; I savoured the bass ostinatos in the last movement. Nicely played by the orchestra with considerable affinity and counting. I wondered if it could have used more dynamics, but maybe that's PG again. And I was surprised by the warm reception of this PG piece: minimalism is not always so warmly welcomed, so this also was instructive. But I shouldn't have worried about dynamics. The next piece was Mahler and it was big and long and softly varied and playful with fanfares and popular song and the CYO's dynamics were great: well interpreted, unforgiving, apt. This is 55 minutes in four movements. It twists and plays and insinuates its melodies, starting with the slightest of sustained sounds with various injected features from muted brass or horn (lots of) or other, but welling, and by the end of the first movement, blaring, and leaving me wondering just how we'd gotten there. Then a louder scherzo and into a delicate waltz. Again, how did that happen? Then a solo muted bass playing Frere Jacques (thanks Hayley) that moves through the orchestra with various other folk melodies and a outspoken final movement. Hayley's notes talk of a return to D major marking a heroic victory. It was certainly a heroic and successful outing by the CYO. Easy and intense dynamics, capable ensemble playing, decent intonation and impressive technique, a very able take on a very substantial work. Lots of horns (8?), lots of brass, lots of players: it's certainly a massed work. I read 72 names in the program and assume all played for this piece. I note a few (more mature) CYO alumni were invited back to expand the masses, I guess to make up the extra forces needed for a Mahler. So, a massively successful concert that will presumably form an indelible memory for these players. Congratulations to Lennie and his arrayed mates.

Canberra Youth Orchestra performed Philip Glass Tirol concerto with Gabi Sultana (piano) and Mahler symphony no.1, called the "Titan" at Llewellyn Hall under Leonard Weiss (conductor).

PS. I missed mention of Gabi's encore rendition of George Crumb Cadencza Apocalittica (Tora! Tora! Tora! Makrokosmos II). My apoliges to Christian. This was a work of intense action. Christian tells me it recounts the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbour: high tinkering chords, then a heavy full handed dropping gliss over the full keyboard and rumbling low notes, then final slaps on lows strings under the lid. Then again, sometimes some chords. Repeated, finally played against a call of Tora! Tora! Tora! Japanese, intense, threatening, ultimately deadly and unyielding. Apocaliptic. Such a difference from the other two pieces, so heavy and modern and a strong and committed performance by Gabi. A stunning piece of program music, and like all such, made immensely more interesting by knowing the narrative.

Weekend 1

One big weekend. It started with rehearsal in Llewellyn Hall on Friday night (missing the Sirens and Vampires at the Street) only the second time that National Capital Orchestra and Canberra Choral Society has come together for this concert, and the first time with the soloist singers, although they only sang on one piece. Also the first time we the main composer of the night, Carl Vine, had a listen and made his comments. All that was exciting but it was only the start of the weekend. We met again on Saturday early afternoon (missing the final Maruki rehearsal) for a warmup and finally for the performance. Called Wonders, all of contemporary Australian music, at Llewellyn on Saturday night. The music was a challenge: lots of odd time signatures changing one after the other, counting consecutive 7/8,5/8,3/5 and the rest, jazz swing written in 12/8, impossibly quick unison semiquavers where even the quavers were challenging enough, odd scales, tricky repeating bowings and the like. Contemporary is like that, not the dissonance of early C20th (although there was one dissonant line by the choir that was blissful). And interesting words, in Semitic Akkadian and ancient Greek, the words of Homeric hymns and Babylonian creation myths and Walt Whitman and even Machiavelli ("It is better to be feared than loved". All an odd synthesis and not a Bach oratorio in sight. Plenty of opportunities to slip up, especially in the counting in the choral symphony or in the swift and sudden lines in the Hindson. There was some humour amongst all that. But this is a capable orchestra and choir, despite the tardy delivery of hired scores. Many NCO players floor me with quick reading and capable chops and there are visitors who fill in with little preparation but perfectly able playing. The basses had one of them - Hayley Manning of the CYO who joined us just a few days before the performance. Not too large and audience, as is likely for a more challenging program, but an exhilarating, testing evening and the real deal with the presence of Carl Vine, the composer of 2 of 4 works. My thanks to Lennie and all. Drinks after should have been a preparation for rest, but there was more to come this weekend. BTW, the works were Graeme Koehne Tivoli Dances, Carl Vine Symphony no,6 'Choral', Matthew Hindson It is better to be feared than loved and Carl Vine Wonders.

National Capital Orchestra and Canberra Choral Society performed Vine, Koehne and Hindson at Llewellyn Hall. Leonard Weiss conducted. Penelope Mills (soprano) and Christopher Hillier (baritone) sang the solo parts in Wonders. Dianna Nixon (artistic director) led the CCS. Carl Vine attended and presented the pre-concert talk. Basses were Roger Grime, Hayley Manning, Geoff Prime and Eric Pozza. Therese McMahon (violin) was concertmaster.

Mixed competitors

This was obviously a challenge for the five players who competed to be the concerto soloist for the Canberra Youth Orchestra for its concert in August. They each played the first movement of their chosen concerto. Anthony Smith accompanied on piano. And, interestingly, each played a different instrument. Not sure if they were more than five entrants, but there were five judged at this concert. The judges were amongst the senior performers in town: Leonard Weiss (not quite so senior), Tor Fromyhr, Paul McMahon and new ANUSOM director, Ken Lampl. They were all faces I recognised, being from the CYO, or perhaps NCO or other. The players were: Juniper Bedwell playing Weber Clarinet concerto no.1; Charlie Barnes playing Hummel Trumpet concerto; Hayley Manning playing Koussevitzky Double bass concerto; Shirahni Mudaliar playing Mozart Violin concerto no.3; Chayla Ueckert-Smith playing Vaughan Williams Concerto for oboe and strings. Chayla played from memory; Charlie mostly so. They were vastly different in tonality and technique and style. We listened, families recorded, we compared, for comparison this is. The judges considered but we are yet to hear their decision. A 2 week delay was mentioned. Ken Lampl finished with congratulations and a talk highlighting the value of the commitment required. We left wondering. Who will play in August? My guesses have been shown to err in the past, so no hints from me...

Juniper Bedwell (clarinet), Charlie Barnes (trumpet), Hayley Manning (double bass), Shirahni Mudaliar (violin) and Chayla Ueckert-Smith (oboe) competed in the CYO concerto competition at Wesley. The judges were Leonard Weiss, Tor Fromyhr, Paul McMahon and Ken Lampl. The accompanist was Anthony Smith (piano).