Helen presents

Click on this image! Helen Moore coordinated the final performance of the year in the High Court foyer series, and it was big. Long enough that it required an interval; complex enough that it required a running list; populated enough that there were instructions for where any performer had to be at any time. Two choirs; trumpets; piano; harp; singers; conductors. All spread throughout the space; necks craning to find where a song or fanfare or mediaeval ballad was sourced from. And what an audience! I came moderately early and noted the stream of people striding to the building. Inside, it was chockers, people on every surface with a view, unknowing passers-by peering through the glass walls during the show. And we could singalong. I love Christmas for the singing, although a little more church might help with the words and phrasing. Most singers got the common carols: While shepherds watched, Joy to the world, First nowell, O come all ye faithful, and the like. There was an Aussie carol that just didn't do it for me. The falling line in Ding dong merrily on high was a tongue twister with its vowel form. The finale of Handel's Hallelujah chorus was an invitation if you wished to join in, but it was more complex that I'd carelessly remembered. As for the performers, Trumpet club were fun and enlivening as always, with their clear, bell-like tones. They were a immensely joyous on fanfares and a blast when they entered on the final choruses of the carols. I particularly noted Byrd's Exultation. There were two choirs, Resonants and "Toby's choir" (I only have the running notes, not the program). I ticked Eatneman vuelie by the Resonants but there was more, including a take on David Yardley's Letabundus exaltet. Everyone loved Louise Page and Tobias Cole singing Twelve days after Christmas, a mirror to the days before with various damages done, cartidges to blasted partridges and the rest. Meriel Owen's harp was lovely but to largely lost to my ears in this big space with lots of audience to sop up the tones. I'd expected a smaller attendance - Canberra can get quiet at Christmas - but this was huge in every way. Just a measure of the success of these free concerts in the High Court foyer.

Helen Moore presented Trumpet Club, Louise Page (soprano), Tobias Cole (counter-tenor), The Resonants, "Toby's choir", Phillipa Candy (piano), Meriel Owen (harp) for a Christmas concert in the High Court foyer.

200 days and counting

The Canberra 100 Musical Offering has reached 200 days and over 300 musical events. It’s a huge success. To celebrate, die-hards attended a short concert at the Ainslie Arts Centre. And what wonderful quality this was! These were top local professionals, presumably gathered by Louise Page, active as she is in these matters. And it was a intriguingly mixed program. Firstly, Louise Page singing a castrato role from Massenet’s Manon with Meriel Owen accompanying on piano.
Louise asked us to imagine. Then He was beautiful, Stanley Myer’s popular tune. It’s a vocalisation of Cavatina, the guitar theme to the film, the Deer Hunter, so it was appropriate that Campbell Diamond followed on classical guitar, playing music of José and Scarlatti. This was sharp and beautifully enunciated and a serious presentation after Louise’s pretense. Barbara Jane Gilby and Meriel Owen followed with an Adagio movement from Bruch, all reminiscence and pure, metal-rich violin tone. Then a much softer sound as Meriel moved to solo harp to play Fauré’s Impromptu. Meriel introduced it as a standard repertoire piece at conservatoria that requires all manner of harp techniques. I enjoyed the lyre-like gentleness of it all. Then a duo of Alys and Emma Rayner (presumably sisters), Alys on violin and Emma on cello, with three duets from Gliere. The first two, Cradle song and Canzonetta, featured ostinato-like cello accompaniment; the final Scherzo granted the cello a more forward part against bouncing violin bowing and some pensive cello melody towards the end. Louise returned with Meriel and Barbara Jane to finish the program. Firstly, with Mozart’s L’amero. Louise implored us to imagine her into another part, this time of a 20-year old in Paris back a few centuries. Then a final gypsy waltz by Stolz. I especially noticed lyrics that raced to rest on a long note that stood against a rapid rising fill from violin. Ah, what pastoral romantic passion is this? A joyous, tempestuous end to a lovely little concert.

This is a great series and it will continue to the end of the year as a gift of very many musicians (5,000 congratulatory stickers are being printed, one for each performer). I know a fair bir about music in this town, but I’m continually surprised by the range and quality of music-making, and there are branches of music I don’t even touch upon. Thanks to these performers, and worthy praise to Don Aitkin and Helen Moore for bringing the Musical Offering together.

Don Aitkin and Helen Moore lead the Canberra 100 Musical Offering project. The performers at this 200th-day anniversary were Louise Page (soprano), Meriel Own (piano, harp), Campbell Diamond (guitar), Barbara Jane Gilby (violin), Alys Rayner (violin) and Emma Rayner (cello).

Ever more harps

I knew Canberra was a centre for the harp, and that the ANU School of Music was the epicentre. So I was not too surprised when I found harps playing today at the ANU's Park Stage at Floriade, rather than jazz. Tegan Peemoeller and Meriel Owen played a varied program of popular tunes (eg, Bali High, Danny Boy) along with some more lengthy tunes, presumably from the classical harp repertoire. The sounds were beautiful and sharp and pure, despite incongruous interruptions from burbling bikes and diesel double-declutching on nearby Parkes Way. A mild and mesmeric, and quite entrancing, respite from financial woes and business busy-ness.