Sisters are doing it

It was a busy musical day but the main event was opera.  The other can await for next week's repeat.  I arrived to park then chat with a fellow Italian/Veneto-related person who was attending her first opera given a friend was singing in it.  Nice.  It's not my favourite musical event but I've attended a few operas and this was my second Suor Angelica.  It was performed by our local National Opera which bemoans its lack of funding to create a major national company in Canberra.  If not, then at least we can have small events like this one, with a minor orchestra with decent players and Lenny conducting and a string of female singers in habits as nuns and a few males in spacey colour as angels or other heavenly residents.  I was awaiting a notable aria, but I didn't hear one.  Lenny suggested what there is one but it merges into the ongoing recitative.  But the story is tragic and deeply sad and the music and singing was all very satisfying although even with some Italian I found following the story verging on impossible.  But opera is like that.  It's not like pop or folk singing.  I think I mixed up a notification of a son's death with an insect bite, but so be it.  The sadness was clear enough, at least for the unmarried mother sent off to the nunnery, and the joy at encountering her 7yo son in Heaven was obvious and the whole was tear-jerking.  So I didn't get the parts too clearly but I could feel the emotions.  It's from another era, of course,  I guess a relatively early awareness of the pain of children taken from unmarried mothers and the performance carried it though with understanding and musical panache.  So opera may not become a go-to for me but I can admire it and occasionally attend.  And that's a big success for a style which is really so foreign to our current culture.

Giacomo Puccini's opera Suor Angelica was presented by the National Opera in Albert Hall under Rachel Hogan (director) with key cast Emma Mauch (Suor Angelica) and Sonia Antiloff (La Zia Principessa).  The Orchestra comprised Leonard Weiss (conductor) with Ankia Chan (violin), Katrina Vesala (viola), Gabriel Fromyhr (cello) Lizzy Collier (bass), Alison Mountain (flute), Ella Luhtasaari (musical director, piano) an Callum Tollhurst Close (piano).

Anothery

We remember this concert with much reverence.  It's not a recent concert.  It was from 4 years ago at one of our favourite venues, St Peter and Paul, the heavy bluestone Catholic cathedral in Goulburn with the wonderful acoustics.  The group was Musica da Camera and our guests were Louise Page and Lenny Weiss.  As I am wont to say, at different stages of their musical careers.  MdaC was around its 40th anniversary.  Louise was on her final year before retirement, performing with various groups around town.  Lenny was yet to take up studies at the Peabody Conservatorium in USA.  Both Louise and Lenny were much admired and much loved.   We also had some horns and clarinets sitting in from NCO.  We played a Mozart symphony, too, but that didn't appear in the recording that is now released as Sorrowful song on Spotify and YouTube and Bandcamp and all the other streaming services.  The songs are arias from various operas, from Handel, Purcell, Gluck and Mozart, and the performances are deeply touching.  It was such a pleasure to support Louise in this most tragic of music.  Whatever, it's now released so have a listen and if you wish to support MdC (now Musica da Camera Canberra to support our international presence!), go to Bandcamp and purchase a download.  But do listen.  It's nothing like a joyous pop song, but it's intense and truly felt.  Sorrowful song is our second album and a source of much pride.

Musica da Camera Canberra (string orchestra) released an album of arias performed with Louise Page (soprano) and led by Leonard Weiss (director).

• https://musicadacameracanberra.bandcamp.com/

Chasing

It's been a long road to my Brahms German Requiem.  I missed recording it here in Canberra years back, then heard it days later in Amsterdam, at the Concertgebeouw, no less, under Mariss Jansons, sitting in the back row and entering very informally with the choir, then heard it in English as an Australian Requiem at CIMF2014.  But I finally got to play it.  Despite Lenny's video intros and the rehearsals, I still feel it's a mystery, strangely complex.  But it was a huge pleasure to play at Llewellyn with the Canberra Choral Society and a total of 100+ performers on stage.  There are passages to die for, deeply satisfying, exultant or depairing.  For bass, it's mostly the odd mingling of passages that I find in Brahms. He's nothing like the cerebral order of Bach, or playful neatness of Mozart and still beyond Beethoven.  Not beyond as better, just different.  I had to sit out one movement at rehearsal on the Llewellyn stage and it was such a thing of beauty and profundity.  I expected it, but when playing you are a bit focussed on your part, even though aware of others.  Just to listen was a delight.  So, now it's done.  On stage with Lenny leading, although given Covid/Sydney, he could only rehearse the last week.  Otherwise, Louis Sharpe and Lizzy Collier took sessions for the orchestra alone.  The soloists also were Covid affected, so the Sydney-based advertised singers were replaced by locals Rachel and Andrew.  Regardless, it's a thing of wonder, even if still of mystery.  But I guess that's how a requiem should remain.  Nice, too, to play with a member of the SSO who sat in for the day.  Congrats to the many all.

National Capital Orchestra performed Brahms German Requiem with the Canberra Choral Society at Llewellyn Hall.  Leonard Weiss (director) conducted.  Dan Walker (chorus master) sang with the choir.  Soloists were Rachel Mink (soprano) and Andrew Fysh (bass-baritone).  The bass section (see pic) comprised Geoff Prime, Troy Davey and Eric Pozza (basses).

• Thanks to Kat for the post-concert sectional pic with Lenny

Our Veggies for the day

Ya gotta love the NCO Christmas concert. A few years ago they were opportunities for members to solo on various movements of various concerti. That's good but now they are Family concerts and they are fun. This year was NCO with The Vegetable Plot. You may wonder! It's a kids band but with wit to spare that features a few sly jokes for the adults in the room. I got caught out for a few secs with a pun on pea/pee. And plenty more references to peas (they seem to be a favourite) and other vegetables and some amusing lyrics about life in Sydney and whatever and nice popular tunes underlying it all. We played accompaniments arranged by Leonard and Belinda Weiss and threw in a few more classical outings, Habanera and Zarathustra and a few Nutcracker waltzes (how beautiful are they! I want to play in a ballet orchestra!) and Sorcerer's apprentice and a snippet from Pictures at an Exhibition. Otherwise the tunes were written by Aspara Gus (AKA Luke Escombe). The rest of the Veggies were Ru Barb (Paige Hoorweg), Sir Paul McCarrotney (Nick Hoorweg) and Pa Prika (Jess Ciampa). Some really pleasurable music and harmonies and percussion and bass. Lizzy Collier oversaw the whole caboodle with considerable skill and fun involvement. Great work. And the orchestra sounded terrific. It was all video and audio recorded so I'll look forward to something reaching YouTube, sometime, with luck. In the meantime, we can just mull over the smiling parents and gushy kids. Great fun all round and nicely professional to boot.

National Capital Orchestra played with The Vegetable Plot. Lizzy Collier (conductor) directed. the VP are Aspara Gus (Luke Escombe, vocals, guitar), Ru Barb (Paige Hoorweg, vocals), Sir Paul McCarrotney (Nick Hoorweg, vocals, bass) and Pa Prika (Jess Ciampa, percussion). Leonard and Belinda Weiss scored the arrangements. Basses were Jennifer Groom and Eric Pozza.

Lenny's last (for now)

NCO played its concert at Llewellyn Hall and it was Lenny Weiss's last concert before he treks to Baltimore to study with Marin Alsop. He'll be missed, but it's a great and necessary step and CJ can only wish Lenny well. That was essentially the message from NCO, too, last night when he was farewelled. But he'll be back, even if only next year in the northern summer break to conduct a few concerts. This concert was one that Lenny had hoped for for some time. It was only finally agreed by the NCO Committee at this late stage because it was a big challenge, more-so given the time taken during recent rehearsals to test for new conductors. Berlioz Harold in Italy was massively twisty and varied. Lucy Carrigy-Ryan soloed the viola part and was a dream. The work is real challenge that the orchestra pulled off with surprising ease on the night, although that various sections took advantage of some shared responsibilities for some particularly tricky lines. It's common amongst basses, to share the quicker lines with the more lithe cellos. I noticed the brass was particularly effective some times when I was struggling. It's a communal effort and NCO carried it off with aplomb. Also a world premiere, Dante Clavijo Images of obsession 0236, that played with intervals of 2,3,6 semitones through various inversions and the like; sparse, slow, varying harmonies in an intellectual carapace. And Respighi Pines of Rome. As an ex-Roman myself (3 years in my 20s), I could only look forward to this one, eventually enjoying the various roles allocated to various parks I've visited, Gianicolo, Catacombs, Villa Borghese and the stomping military march of the Via Appia. Interesting imagery.

National Capital Orchestra performed at Llewellyn Hall under Leonard Weiss (conductor). Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola) soloed in Berlioz. Dante Clavijo (composer) provided the world premier piece for the night. The low end comprised Roger Grime, Geoff Prime, Lizzy Collier and Eric Pozza (basses).

Revisiting youth

I've enjoyed my last few years playing in orchestras but I really thought I'd left my run for the Canberra Youth Orchestra a little late. But no! Last night I played with CYO in Carmina Burana! I joked about that with someone and they commented on the interchangeability of orchestras in Canberra. Perhaps because we are a smallish community where people have common connections and are physically mobile and flexible. Also that we are pretty well endowed with classical opportunities. I hope this lasts. At least last night, the complete viola and bass sections were friends or alumni. And they often just drop in at the last minute. I only sat in Friday night and Saturday morning before the performance on Saturday night. But it's quite readable for bass and I'd played it before. Not sure the singing was so easy. Canberra Choral Society provided most of that and they performed a treat. There were less frequent kids voices from the Canberra Children's Choir and some accompanying aged voices from Seasoned Voices. That was fascinating: the two ends of a singer's life represented in these mediaeval words put, fairly recently, to music (Carl Orff wrote Carmina Burana in the 1930s using mediaeval texts). Plus there were solo singers, soprano Rachael Duncan, tenor Tobias Cole and baritone Andrew O'Connor. They impressed massively, not least Rachael's glorious and touching resolution with the endless (8 bar+) sustained high note and Tobias' black boa and matching theatricality. The choir had been prepared by Dan Walker and he sang amongst the tenors. Otherwise, there was the CYO itself with its friends and alumni. Great job by them and all. I sat by the percussion and they were wondrously varied and sharp. The winds did a great job with their features. The basses done good, too. I'm pleased to notice my own improvement over recent years. I played CB with NCO in July 2016 but I felt far more in command this time. That's a personal satisfaction. And again Lenny is passing a baton: this was his last concert with CYO before going off to study in Baltimore. And perhaps just one oddity to mention: a classical concert with no interval, just the uninterrupted Carmina. This was a great pleasure and a wonderfully evocative and successful rendition of this popular classic.

Carmina Burana was presented by Canberra Youth Orchestra, Canberra Choral Society, Canberra Children's Choir and Seasoned Voices with soloists Rachael Duncan (soprano), Tobias Cole (tenor) and Andrew O'Connor (baritone) under Leonard Weiss (conductor) and Dan Walker (chorus master). The bass section was Hayley Manning (principal), Kyle Daniel, Chelsea Kennett and Eric Pozza.

Double barrelled

I don't like weapon references, but this is too good to miss. Musica da Camera has just played one of its weekend concert pairs and the country segment was a Gunning. Thus double barrelled. Lenny chose the music, as musical director, and conducted. This was our last concert with Lenny before his further studies overseas. Katia Beaugeais, Selmer artist saxist and Sydney Con composition lecturer, provided our original for the day, first recorded by ACO Collective for ABC, none-the-less. Helena Popovich soloed on our recomposed Seasons. Tim Lamble recorded the Saturday (Cook) concert for ArtSound (expect that sometime in coming months). The music was delightful and varied and modern. First up was Arensky Variations on a theme by Tchaikovsky. Lovely and eminently doable. Variations are an interesting exercise in classical music. Then Katia's Like snowdrops you will shine. This was deceptively challenging with its odd syncopations over changing time signatures (mainly 5/4) and pentatonics with a gull-call finish of harmonic slides. This was quite a challenge on day 1 but reasonably settled on day 2. It's a glorious, soft, heart warming piece dedicated to hospital staff and celebrating their good work. Lovely. Then the long work, Max Richter Four seasons recomposed. This was a hit of the CIMF a few years back: all minimalism and drones with odd, changing times as features and the well-known melodies peeking through. An impressive and convincing and often mesmerising reworking of the standard. Helena did a great job on the most demanding of parts. Again, an artistic and intellectual pleasure to play with Lenny and Helena and the MdC crew, and to feature Katia and such interesting new music.

Musica da Camera performed Arensky, Beaugeais and Richter at Cook and Gunning. Leonard Weiss directed (conductor), Helena Popovic (violin) soloed. Katia Beaugeais (composer) attended both outings. Tim Gamble (recordings) recorded for ArtSound.

Fine romances

It was NCO again and this was exciting. We were playing the world premiere (in full symphony orchestra format) of Mike Dooley's first piano concerto. I'd heard it before in a smaller format but this was the full thing, beautifully melodic and inviting and played so well by Andrew Rumsay. Mike gave an excellent pre-concert talk, talking of his preference for consonance, or at least resolution of dissonance, complex with examples on piano. The work had some complex counts, too. Mike joked that he had a coffee cup with a caption of difficult counts - 11/16 and a few others - and apparently that's what we played. I'd missed playing Sally Greenaway with NCO so I was glad I didn't miss this one. Andrew is a Kawai artist, and Kawai had shipped in a new 8' grand for the event. And after interval, one of my most difficult but favourite plays, Rach 2. Madly romantic, teeming with ideas that are combined with sudden crossovers, slow to rabid times. Great fun and sweepingly attractive. The third movement is famous as providing the theme for the pop hit, All by myself / Eric Carmen. So, a great program with Mike's alluring new piano concerto played by Andrew combined with the romantic bliss of Rachmaninov Symphony no.2. What a great afternoon and a satisfying challenge.

National Capital Orchestra performed Mike Dooley (composer) and Rachmaninov under Leonard Weiss (conductor) with Andrew Rumsey (piano) as soloist. BTW, the bottom end was Roger Grime and Eric Pozza (basses). National Capital Orchestra, Mike Dooley, Leonard Weiss, Andrew Rumsey

Gloria!

We were celebrating the day after the election ... at least the death of Queen Mary but also her birthday and, I guess, Jesus. This was SCUNA, the amusingly named choral society hinting at inebriation, and they had their orchestra (virtually all players from NCO) and two solo singers, soprano Veronica and mezzo AJ under Lennie. The tympanis were out for the renowned and hugely memorable funeral march. I'm told the tymps were added later and this arrangement was used in the renowned '70s film, Clockwork Orange. "He cometh up and is cut down like a flower" / "of whom may we seek for succour" / "who for our sins art justly displeased" / "deliver us not into the bitter pains". It's a heavy feeling. This was perhaps the most intense and stunning work but not the Gloria of the program. That was Vivaldi's. First half Purcell with the Queen's funeral march and Come ye sons of art, written for a birthday of Queen Anne (royalty was presumably good for commissions; these days I guess it's the mining industry) then Vivaldi Gloria in D major after interval. So a generous program to raise the spirits or, with QM, to delve into depths. Glorious music throughout. The two soloist vocalists were great and fitted neatly together in duet passages. I especially enjoyed AJ's solos. The choral singing was generous and the musical passages nicely presented. Evelyn on cello was busy and did a particularly satisfying job. Lenny led it all and even doubled on trumpet at one time. I know of harp and carillon and he was toying with a violin in the break. What else does he play? So, a great comedown from election weekend. Who needed it?

SCUNA (ANU Choral Society) presented Purcell and Vivaldi at St Peter's Lutheran Church. Leonard Weiss (conductor) directed with soloists Veronica Milroy (soprano) and AJ America (mezzo soprano) and accompaniment by Anthony Smith (keys, organ) and the SCUNA orchestra with bass provided by Evelyn Andrew (cello).

Sprawl

It's a big sprawling concoction that perhaps only a composer's mother could love. That's the way we'd all been talking of it, from the orchestra and from the choir, but we'd come to love it as we understood it better ... or at least as we recognised its complexities and movements. Someone mentioned that the parts don't obviously fit together. Perhaps that's an explanation: certainly it was hard to play along with a recording; Lenny's role was central. But the outcome could be sublime. This is Vaughan Williams Symphony no.1 that talks of the sea and seafarers. It's turbulent and sea-like and it runs for 4 movements over ~70 minutes. The final movement alone is 30mins. We'll be unlikely to play it again and probably unlikely to hear it but it was great. Again, the ole "she'll be right on the night" came through. I could see it on Lenny's face towards the end, that sense of satisfaction with work done well. And the first half was similarly special: the Australian premiere of On the beach, a suite taken from the film score by Christopher Gordon. Sparse and intriguing and telling a story of tragedy that we are coming to understand in our climate changing days. And not just the premier but also the conductor in the building. Along with 130 players and choral singers and two vocal soloists of note on stage. This was a big show and overwhelmingly satisfying in full flight.

National Capital Orchestra and Canberra Choral Society performed Vaughan Williams Symphony no.1 and Christopher Gordon On the beach suite at Llewellyn Hall. Leonard Weiss (conductor); vocal soloists were Chloe Lankshear (soprano) and David Greco (baritone). Dan Walker (chorus master) prepared the CCS. The bass end was covered by Kate Murphy, Geoff Prime and Eric Pozza (basses).

New kids on the block

Canberra Sinfonia was a new one on me but Lenny explained: it's like CYO for advanced students bordering on professional (or more formally, from the program: "Canberra's newest semi-professional ensemble designed for and by emerging professional musicians"). Nice. Hayley's there and she's just finished her degree and I've played with her and that was a pleasure. So were Heng and Helena and they are also lovely players. Apparently this is their second concert, playing Bach and Handel ; their first was a few months back. The program was Bach Orchestral suite no.1 and two Handel organ concerti (op.7 no.1,4) with new Decca artist and once-local guest Calvin Bowman. Interestingly, we were also invited to applaud between movements: no-one did, but it's an interesting break with recent orchestral manners. Lenny said the Handel was interval music for his oratorios, so it would have been background and spoken over anyway. Sometimes you feel a need to give some response during a piece but it's not a done thing. It wasn't done here anyway, despite the invitation. But this was a lovely performance with quite a solid bottom end on the strings and a pleasant tinkle of harpsichord from where I was sitting in the second half, along with Calvin's second half organ, and some winds, two oboes and a very impressive bassoon doing bass lines occasionally. I say solid bottom given the strings were 2-2-2-2-1 (vln1-vln2-vla-clo-bs): in most orchestras they would increase in numbers from bottom to top, so a different balance. Interestingly, each Handel concerto had a movement that was solo organ "organ ad lib". I guess this is written these days but it's indicative of the skills in improvisation by these musicians in the past, and specifically Handel himself. So, a great little concert attended by too few, this being so close to Christmas. I'm looking forward to more. A choral concert with Luminescence Chamber Singers is due 23 March .

Canberra Sinfonia performed at Wesley under Leonard Weiss (conductor) with Calvin Bowman (organ) soloing on Handel.

Again

Day 2 was Goulburn. The cathedral was cold but ended up pleasantly well attended. The acoustics were rich and full even if the space was large and hearing Louise out front was not so easy. It was presumably different for the audience, under a cathedral roof with timber and stone and a replete reverb. The first notes we played were lovely but the temperature played havoc with bows and rosin. It wasn't just me: one long-experienced player mentioned a similar thing, that her instrument didn't perform so well in the cold. But it all went well and by the end I was glowing with smiles. I felt we were a little tentative for the arias, given we couldn't hear so easily, but later more unrestrained for the louder Mozart symphony no.40. Again, the program was bliss to play. Again, it was a massive privilege and pleasure to accompany Louise and always satisfying to be led by Lenny. By the end, the reception by the audience was great and we left contented after a very busy but pleasing weekend. The music was great and its reception was satisfying but there was an element of sadness: to see such a grand building in such disrepair. It's a common refrain that the Church has money, in Australia or otherwise. Yes, it has property and the Vatican Museums are bulging, but I'm not sure how much direct income, and despite failings, it does worthy work. Here are a few pics to show just that, along with our amusing Stonehenge just outside Canberra. But now a break from my own playing for a while and let's see what I can find to report for CJ in other places.

Musica da Camera performed Mozart and a series of opera arias at the St Peter & Paul Catholic Cathedral in Goulburn. Leonard Weiss (conductor) directed and Louise Page (soprano) sang.