Biggie B9

I've recently been living off this quote from Dave in the bass section of the CSO: "It's not that hard; it just takes a year to learn it".  He was talking of the bass part of Beethoven Symphony no.9.  I just saw them playing it and the bass section did a fabulous job, clear and present and crisply played.  The next morning I looked at the B9 bass part and I can see what he meant.  Lots of notes over 25 close pages of bass clef, but it's in Dmin so just one flat, and key changes to just 2 flats and 2 sharps at various times and pretty few accidentals, so the fast runs are scalar and mostly consistent.  There are some big intervals and the lower notes that get played on their extensions so some clumsy stuff, and the tempos are not very forgiving although pretty consistent, but it is a work of supreme genius so worth the effort.  The CSO did a great job at a decent tempo.  The singers were satisfying.  The choir was prepared by Tobias Cole and was good but I just wanted it bigger.  I guess ~100 on stage with choir of ~40.  The vocal segment only comes in the final movement, although that's the longest.  The choir sat from the start, but the feature singers entered after the second movement, I guess to allow that transition to the final thrills.  They don't sing masses, but they were lovely to hear: always the presence of the soprano, the fullness of mezzo, the bigness of bass and the humanity of tenor.  But mostly my ears were for the basses.  I did notice a revealing passage where a lines moves from bass to cello to viola to seconds to end with the firsts, not always identical but related.  For me it was a revelation for the violas.  Otherwise, Jessica Cottis was flowing and expressive in her conducting and informative with her introduction, as were the EU Ambassador to Australia, Gabriele Visentin, and CSO CEO, Rachel Thomas, who introduced the concert.  The Ode to joy is the EU's anthem, of course.  And not to forget composer Miriama Young who wrote the introductory piece, a brooding and fairly short Daughters of Elysium, who appeared on stage to applause after.  But it's hard to share with B9.  It was given as 71min duration but it felt nothing like that.  I guess it's a function of how well it's known, although I did notice the repeated themes a few times, especially in the third movement.  But the explosive styles and the uplifting power and the thrilling fugues just take you over.  Perhaps not apt for a classical concert but my head was often nodding and my mouth a grin.  Just so fabulous.  I just hope to play this great work one day.  Congrats to our local orchestra and great to see so many local faces on stage and off.  Bravo and thanks!

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra performed Beethoven Symphony no.9 and Miriam Young in Llewellyn under Jessica Cottis (musical director, conductor).  Kristen Williams (violin) was concertmaster.  Solo singers were Emma Pearson (soprano), Ashlyn Tymms (mezzo soprano), James Eagglesone (tenor) and Adrian Tamburini (bass).  Tobias Cole (chorus master) prepared the CSO Chorus.  The bass section comprised Max McBride (principal), Kyle Ramsay-Daniel, David Flynn and Muhamed Mahmedbasic.

New

I knew they were gathering a few ensembles including an ANU orchestra and I was interested in the outcome and particularly interested in a free concert on a free evening playing Sibelius.  I am playing Sibelius Symph 2 and it's not easy, so Symph 1 was an object of fascination, with several ideas shared between the two, like long busy passages and off-time busy bass and quick lines leading to sitting tones and some quite demanding, delicate intros.  In the end, we heard all but mvt 3 but it was indicative.  Also impressive was the opener, a few selections from Berloz Romeo and Juliet.  Again quite virtuosic at times.  And a short and lovely piece by Sally Greenaway, but that got interrupted for me by latecomers mulling  for seats, sadly.  Also sadly, Sally didn't get the invitation in time to attend.  This is a young orchestra, although as I understand, not just ANUSOM students, if the general age bracket suggest many are.  Maybe others are current students in other areas.  But other than conductor Max McBride, they were young although perfectly capable.  I was stunned by some passages and mightily impressed overall.  Maybe not a pro-orchestra - yet - but clearly on the way.  It was not an easy program and the performance was admirable.  So, I enjoyed this one.

The ANU Orchestra performed Berlioz, Greenaway and Sibelius under Max McBride (conductor) in Llewellyn Hall.

Common enough

I know of the eight double bass concerto played by the AWO (Witching hour / Elena Kats-Chernin) and I follow basses but even so I was a but surprised at the description as a "time honoured ensemble".  Shows you what I have to learn.  Nonetheless, this was a world premiere of a local contrabass quartet with the admirably slick name of C2Q (Canberra Contrabass Quartet) and it was very well attended and created a ton of interest and it comprises a capable crew, essentially the bass section of the CSO. So what's not to like?  It was a strange sound, even for me, a bassist: deep and rich and growling.  And it's strange to allocate roles.  Max had the 5-string and essentially took the bass/low role while Kyle was the key melodist and host, with Dave and Isabella various playing harmonies and responses and melodies and middle parts.  I checked IMSLP for double bass quartets and there were a few pieces and exercises and the like but none were played.  It's telling that every piece had an arranger so probably these are bassists rewriting from cello and other parts.  And I was also amused at the description of the concert as "some much-loved symphonic repertoire" given the first two composers weren't on the tip of my tongue.  But so what!  The works were by Fitzenhagen, Bortniansky, Dvorak and Schubert and were first up fairly subdued (Ave Maria, Sacred concerto no.24) then the well known and beautiful New world Symphony mvt.2 and the series of Schubert Viennese dances.  So a fabulous and unique take on symphonic music at the low end.  I loved it and it went down a treat.  And I think a little tour is in the offing.

The Canberra Contrabass Quartet (C2Q) played its premiere performance at Wesley.  C2Q comprises Max McBride, Isabella Brown, David Flynn and Kyle Ramsay-Daniel (basses).

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.

Expected ferocities

What a night!  I topped off Changi with Brahms, Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky at Llewellyn.  The ANU Orchestra was playing a free concert I got to hear most of it.  I missed some Beethoven, came in towards the end of Brahms symphony 2 mvt.1, then a chamber orchestra playing Vivaldi concerto for 2 cellos Gmin then an end on Tchaikovsky symphony 4 mvt.3,4.  Nice to drop in on.  Some really satisfying bass from 3 bassists and a pretty satisfying performance overall.  I enjoyed the Brahms, having played it numerous times in rehearsal and knowing it reasonably well.  I was discussing with  fellow players afterwards how fabulous is the knowledge of a work after working it up for performance.  The Vivaldi was lively and lovely.  But the Tchaiks was the star, one movement a mammoth outing of pizz, quick playful.  Then into the ferocious final movement.  You could only leave on a high and we did.  Everyone was starry-eyed in the foyer after, all smiles and jokes.  The conductor of it all was Max McBride.  Great job done not just on the bassists!  What fun and what an opportune pairing in one evening.

Max McBride (conductor) led the ANU Orchestra at Llewellyn Hall.

Young and younger

My God, they are getting younger! We went to the Canberra Youth Orchestra last night and the soloist was a 12 year old who made the rest of the orchestra look like mid-lifers. Christian Li was little, young, wildly capable, a winner of international awards, now studying at ANAM. He played the Bruch violin concerto with confidence and clear virtuosity and an understanding which far passed his years. That was the final piece for the night. Before that, the orchestra itself had performed in full form, a decent size, and we were hugely pleased. Intonation was nice; dynamics impressive (something to learn there!); interpretation apt. Perhaps later, after interval, after we moved and could hear the full ensemble more clearly, I caught some slips or mis-pitches, but minor. The first half was under Max McBride. Then Max retired to the bass section and Rowan Harvey-Martin took the baton. First half was Enescu Romanian rhapsody no.2 and Holst Perfect fool, both little known at least to us. The Holst was quite a strange piece but entertaining in its oddities, fitting the title. The second half was Delius Walk to the Paradise Garden and Bruch Violin concerto no.1 Gmin. Most impressive all round and the group grows younger and younger. But another positive, the numbers: are they growing? It was mentioned by the hosts and I didn't hear a call for violas and basses before this concert. All round, a great listen and a positive local outlook. We hope, as the arts shrinks in governmental thoughts. Carbon prevails, I guess. Proof: the night ended with an announcement to not fret: the hall was not on fire. Just that the smoke from bushfires outside Braidwood had entered the aircon. Outside, it was smokey and ANU alarms were in whooping. Our brave new world.

The Canberra Youth Orchestra performed at Llewellyn Hall under Max McBride and Rowan Harvey-Martin (conductors) with soloist Christian Li (violin).

Floored

I haven't felt this was about an orchestral concert since the Berlin Phil. But it's a longish story. As we entered Llewellyn, I was amused to find performers in tails chatting in the various foyers at Llewellyn. Max holding shop; various others; probably the women too, but their garb was not so obvious. 15 mins to the event and I ran into one tails wearer and asked his instrument: "double bass". I congratulated the orchestra on their relaxed presence and got a selfie for a joke. This was Timothy Dunin, now Double bass professor in Graz and once of Vienna Phil. I asked how many double basses: 8. I was surprised. So relaxed, this family affair, but so big. We took our seats. The orchestra bulged over the Llewellyn stage. First up was Nigel Westlake and it was a dream: sharp, dynamic, clear, precise intonation and shared phrasing. For once, a sound that filled the cavernous Llewellyn. Desks behind desks of violins; those 8 basses all whipping phrases in parallel. Then Janacek Taras Bulba. There were claps between movements. This was a different crowd: strange, that. Not my favourite music, but we were in raptures. The principals shifted at the interval: Max for Damien Eckerlsey (?); Daniel Dodds for Natalie Chee as concertmaster; perhaps others. Then Sibelius Symphony no.2, Dmaj. We sat back in appreciation and awe. Plenty of applause. Then, before departing, the orchestra hugged (never seen that before and my camera wasn't ready). Then the lower foyer with everyone milling around, performers moving through, admirers and relatives waiting. There was a private function for the orchestra in the ante-room (what's it called? The ex-Library) which you could easily crash but we didn't. Everyone smiling and this seeming to be a great fun homecoming and mates' gathering. Waiting, I had a chat with the Mum of another of the bassists (Andrew Sinclair). How are the bassists so omni-present? Perhaps because they are so essential. Or perhaps because I find them; they seldom carry an instrument and they are late out. It was a whirlwind and an orchestra of such effectiveness that it floored us. Wow! Don't miss the AWO if it returns.

The Australian World Orchestra played Llewellyn Hall under Alexander Briger (conductor). The basses were: Timothy Dunin, Damien Eckersley, Max McBride, Robert Nairn, Phoebe Russell, Andrew Sinclair, Ciro Vigilante and Dusan Walkowicz.

Our fave Beethoven

ABC ClassicFM has its annual Classic100 awards and this year it was for favourite composer and Beethoven won it. Probably you could have guessed the outcome, but Bach (no.2) and Mozart (no.3) were always runners, too. So it was opportune for the Llewellyn Choir to stage a Beethoven program. The main work was his Mass in C major; the others were Egmont overture and Choral fantasy. It was a great program and wonderfully performed. I hadn't heard the mass, but a mass is inevitably recognisable and thus familiar comprising the same run of titles, and, I guess, text. After all, the Catholic mass is a standardised and repetitive thing with a long history. The Egmont overture is well known but perhaps my least favourite on the night despite the effective performance. The Choral fantasy was new to me and a strange thing harking to the ninth symphony. It's solo piano for the first adagio movement, then into piano accompanied by orchestra and the choral section with two vocal soloists for the last few minutes. Odd and somewhat amusing but with some nice lines and several passages that clearly lead to the choral symphony. Renowned local piano accompanist Anthony Smith appeared as a piano soloist and did a great job. Four soloists appeared in the mass and their voices and interweaving harmonies were a great pleasure. I especially enjoyed Greta's soaring soprano and Paul's firm and strongly enunciated tenor. The Llewellyn Sinfonia was a nicely capable outfit and a great pleasure, obviously brought together for this program but featuring a string of CSO and such players. Nice to see the bass section of Max McBride and Dave Flynn. So, this was a great performance and a huge pleasure and, from the drinks and congratulations after, widely seen as a success. Wonderful and inspiring.

Llewellyn Choir and Sinfonia performed a Beethoven program including his Mass in C major in Llewellyn under Rowan Harvey-Martin (conductor) with soloists Anthony Smith (piano), Greta Claringbould (soprano), Jennifer Bennett (soprano), Ellen Malone (mezzo-soprano), Paul McMahon (tenor), Peter Ellis (tenor) and Christopher Richardson (bass). Lisa Stewart (violin) was concertmaster and Max McBride and David Flynn (basses) filled the bottom end.

Escaping a winter sun

A concert is such a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon, even when it’s delightfully sunny outside. This Sunday it was the National Capital Orchestra performing at the Q Theatre. The theatre is just the right size: fairly small with a generous stage and raked seating and satisfying acoustics. NCO is a local amateur / semi-prof orchestra, so we don’t expect the slick and perfect that you get from full-timers. It had its weaker points in intonation and phrasing at times, but we were very pleasantly surprised by this outing. As conductor Max McBride noted before the concert, he enjoys leading an ensemble with commitment. Professionals can suffer after the nth performance of Mahler. Not that this was Mahler. They performed Sibelius Karelia Overture, Bruch Violin Concerto no.1 and Tchaikovsky Symphony no.1. The Karelia was not the better known suite, but it was satisfying with its orchestration and sweeping images. I checked for the date of the Bruch, wondering if he was somewhat old fashioned for his time. Certainly I felt Beethoven-like blocky chords and big dynamic changes, but Beethoven had been around almost a century before. Much respected local Barbara Jane Gilby was the soloist. I’ve always seen her seated as leader of the first violins in the Canberra Symphony and I felt she was just a bit uncomfortable to be standing and without charts. She slipped on one or two passages, but I enjoyed her tone and revelled in her best lines, repeating sequences and long ranges of various arpeggios and scales (I noticed one that seemed to go on forever, three octaves plus?) that could be quite devastating. Megan didn’t know the Tchaikovsky so well and it’s not often performed. It was written around the time of Swan Lake and is balletic and, interestingly, was his only symphony in a major key. Unusually, too, it has five movements. I liked this with its all romantic swells and phrases passed through flutes and clarinets and oboes. The last bars of the first movement felt like an early end to the piece: Megan just commented “that’s Tchaikovsky”. It’s not too big a work, but very willing. But there’s more. Leonard Weiss led the NCO Brass Ensemble in the foyer during the interval in a performance of Gabrielli Sonata à 8, pian e forte, all quarta bassa. It was wonderful with sharp tonality in this harder space, and the brass sounded great split on two balconies, left and right, although there was some conflict between interval chatter and the performance. I heard at least on shushing over my shoulder. But congratulations to the NCO. This was a very worthy and satisfying concert, perfect for a Sunday afternoon, even if we sadly missed some winter sun.

The National Capital Orchestra was led by Max McBride (conductor). They performed Sibelius Karelia Overture, Bruch Violin Concerto no.1 and Tchaikovsky Symphony no.1. Barbara Jane Gilby (violin) was the soloist in the Bruch concerto. Leonard Weiss (conductor) led the Brass ensemble in Gabrielli Sonata à 8, pian e forte, all quarta bassa in the interval.

Western Cultural Icon live

It was the Canberra Symphony Orchestra Gala last night and Megan and I got early tickets and close seats. I‘d expected something special, but was nowhere near ready for 300 performers and Beethoven’s Ninth. Reading in preparation, I realised just how central it is to modern European culture, so much so it’s taken as the anthem for the EU. And it’s so filled with quotes that it’s locked into our consciousness.

I was dumbfounded. Powerful, passionate, intense, moody, emotionally dense and overwhelming. I spoke to several people who talked of tears in their eyes or goose-pimples. Certainly, it’s something different and new to hear it live, with that upwelling of 300 voices, or counterpoint of bassoons against cellos and basses, or that renowned horn section, or those overwhelming orchestral hits. It’s the length of a CD (in an apocryphal story, the reason CDs are 74mins in length), but the time just flew. Orchestral tuning intro, then full-on orchestra in flight and volume, then the oddly placed scherzo cum march of the second movement. It all seemed so well played, with comfortable timing and harmonies sitting sweetly with good intonation. Then the third, pensive movement. I felt slightly uncomfortable here; the orchestra felt just a little wary. But then the massive fourth movement, with its restatements of themes, again those presto bass lines that floored me, the SATB frontline (perhaps a little unbalanced, although not unlike the version I have at home) and that massive SATB choir in echo. I was head back, eyes closed, stunned by the power and the ecstatic passages of melody passed around the orchestra, horns or violins or brass or that mediaeval-sounding pair of bassoons that sat upright behind the violas, in front of the massed rows of female SAs and male TBs. I most experience music with my eyes close, but I had a great view of the bassists, and I marvelled at some of the phrases. Classical/jazz crossovers Gareth Hill and Leigh Miller were in bass seats 2 and 3 following Max McBride. And along with many others in the audience, I had mates in the choir: five women I had sung with in Healthy Voices, the Department of Health Choir: Annette Quay, Jill Buckley-Smith, Janet Wardman, Julie Carmody and Catherine Ryan. I caught my singing mates after the show, and they were similarly excited and reported big emotional responses from this most perfect of classical/romantic-cusp statements. BTW, the conductor was Nicholas Milton, the vocal soloists were from Opera Australia and the choir was the Canberra Combined Choir.

But the Ninth was not all. The night included a more important performance before the interval: Australian music and world premiere. This was orchestral selections from Richard Meale's 1986 opera, Voss, based on the Patrick White novel. There were no voices here, so none of David Malouf’s libretto, but there were impressionistic images of desert and animals that seemed eerily correct to my ears (and were mentioned to me by others without prompting), but this developed to a richly volumed end which was presumably the espressionist statement of the doomed Voss expedition. But it was still more restrained than the bombastic Beethoven. I felt the orchestra struggled more with this one. I guess the harmonies were more challenging and the tunes wouldn’t have been anywhere near as ingrained as the Ninth.

But I cavil, for this is our poorly funded, part-time orchestra that has to get by with part-funded rehearsals. They do an excellent job, doubly so given the circumstances, and this was a fabulous night and will be a very special memory.