Choral weekend interlude

For this one I performed and luckily I wasn't singing.  This was Forrest National Chamber Orchestra playing in St Pauls Manuka.  It's a pleasure to play for Gillian and her chamber group.  Gillian is a violin teacher and invites her students and capable family and others to play.  It's lovely to play in such a noble place.  OK, it's not Kings College Cambridge, but it is lofty and has a decent organ and an altar with steps so it seems right.  This was not a particularly difficult program and I'd played several of the tunes before, but with very little practice I was not quite spot on, but there were some lovely passages and some seriously good playing around.  The Corelli concerto had its challenges.  The Elgar Serenade has some tricky counts but I knew it.  Satie Gnossienne no.1 was an arrangement by Gillian using bass as a key instrument so I liked that one.  The Vivaldi double cello concerto was a pleasure, if with a few slips by me, but with a lovely pair of cellists up front, Frances and Duncan, who happen to be partners and parents.  From the program, I see that Frances has an illustrious career, playing with the LSO, London Phil, Berlin Phil, Hungarian Radio Orch and others, no less, but very positive and inviting to play with.  And Holst St Paul's suite to finish, another I'd played.  Maybe I was a bit rough this time given very minimal preparation and practice, but a huge pleasure nonetheless.  And a switch from choirs for one session this weekend. 

Gillian Bailey-Graham (musical director) conducted the Forrest National Chamber Orchestra at St Pauls.  Featured were Frances Stevens and Duncan McIntyre (cellos) and Rebecca Lovett-Kotze (violin, concertmaster).  Eric Pozza (bass) played the low end.

Thanks to Michael Hoy for the pic

St Paul

It was St Paul who had a road to Damascus moment of conversion.  It wasn't like that for me at St Paul's Manuka but it was a great pleasure to play in this space for the first time.  I'd attended lots of concerts here and it's a favourite venue.  On stage, the sound was a great pleasure with my bass strong and present.  Looking up to the high ceiling and the distant organ and surrounded by this large string orchestra playing a wonderful program, I was deeply satisfied.  Perhaps less so with my playing (one's playing always determines one's view of a concert, I find).  Gillian had asked me to play only two weeks before and this was a challenging program and I was busy with other gigs.  But the pleasure remained mine.  Bach's rollicking Brandenburg no.3 at a good pace; the first movement of the Mendelssohn octet op.20 with bass playing the cello 2 part.  I am flabbergasted to learn Mendelssohn wrote this sophisticated piece at age 17.  Also a delightful Rossini Sonata no.6 (written when he was 12) and Beethoven Romance in F with violin solo and Sibelius Andante Festivo to top it off.  The playing around me was great, not least the cellos down my end.  Those parts were demanding and so sturdily played.  We had a decent crowd, too, given that Covid distancing had halved from 4sqmpp to 2sqmpp only two days before.  Strangely, the recording was not so generous with the instruments more distant in this deep altar space - the sound may be a little obstructed by that altar arch or maybe they were just so much more distant from the mic - but the effect was lovely, nonetheless, and the space was a delight.  And there were banks of strings here - the octet required violins 1,2,3,4, violas 1,2 and cellos 1,2; thus an octet.  So a fabulous outing with some wonderful musicians and a deeply satisfying program.  Thanks especially to Gillian for the invitation.

 The Forrest National Chamber Orchestra performed its Festivo concert at St Paul's Anglican Church Manuka under Gillian Bailey-Graham (conductor, director) and Rodney Clancy (asst conductor) with Rebecca Lovett (concertmaster) and Natalie Neshev (violin solo).

From Forrest to the nation

This was perhaps my favourite concert by FNCO, the federally named Forrest National Chamber Orchestra. They played so well and the music was so lovely. First up, Corelli Concerto grosso op.6 no.4. It's well known and a great pleasure and was nicely done. Then Nimrod from Enigma. I remember playing it within the whole Variations and its presence stood out on arrival with its glorious gentility. Then a few Piazzolla tunes, Oblivion and a tango. For me, the Ortona Porteno tango had more complexity and thus more satifying, but both were inviting and latin rhythmic. Then Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis which seemed very complex and subtle and difficult to pull off, but I thought they did a great job. And to end, Metallica (!?) as interpreted by Apocolyptica (a cello quartet) and arranged by FCNO member, Duncan McIntyre, for this format. The amplification didn't quite do it justice, but the effect was intriguing and the whole was surprisingly melodious. An unexpected end to a very satisfying concert by our locals in Forrest.

Forrest National Chamber Orchestra (FNCO) variously were directed by Gillian Bailey-Graham and Shilong Ye (conductors) with soloists Rebecca Lovett, John Dobson and Shilong Ye (violins), Elisha Adams (viola), Nicky Philipse, Frances Stevens and Duncan McIntyre (cellos).

Double treating

The concert was labelled a double treat given the two features: a pair of double concerti. First up Vivaldi for two cellos; second up Bach for two violins. I like Vivaldi but the Bach was a winner and so well known. Vivaldi was Gminor; the Bach was Dminor. Whichever was the winner in the popularity stakes, these are impressive and attractive works, both of them. The Vivaldi was maybe more predictable, repetitive, less adventurous than the Bach but they were both great. The performers were the Forrest National Chamber Orchestra playing in the chapel at Grammar Girls School. The conductor was Gillian with Shilong helping out on some numbers. The soloists were all regular FNCO members, cellists Frances Stevens and Duncan McIntyre; violinists Rebecca Lovett and Shilong Ye. The supporting program was deeply interesting , too. Bartok Rumanian folk dances; Borodin Nocture from String quartet no.2 (very recognisable); Ravel Bolero (very very recognisable ... and done here nicely and in a mercifully shorter arrangement for string orchestra - just 5 runs through instead of, what? 17 or so?); and the most immediately attractive of all, Plink, plank, plunk! (1951) by Leroy Anderson, played totally in pizz, all cheerful and bouncy like a Disney theme. This was nice playing by a group that spans teachers and students and ages. Lovely to hear and some wonderful programs. Always a pleasure.

Forrest National Chamber Orchestra performed Bach and Vivaldi double concerti as well as Bartok, Borodin, Anderson and Ravel in the chapel at Grammar Girls School. Gillian Bailey-Graham and Shilong Ye (conductors) directed soloists Frances Stevens and Duncan McIntyre (cellos) and Rebecca Lovett and Shilong Ye (violins).

Pleasures

This latest pleasure was to play with the Forrest National Chamber Orchestra. Gillian Bailey-Graham formed the FNCO in 2007 to provide experience for advanced string students in the string orchestra repertoire and to develop technique. I've just heard them once before, at Wesley, although I've played with Gillian in Musica da Camera for the last year. I joined too late to get my mind fully around the difficult, main piece of the concert, Dvorak Serenade no.1 in Emajor, although the others were mostly OK. They were Purcell Abdelazer suite, Marcello oboe concerto, Sibelius Romance and Faure Pie Jesus. Gudrun Drake joined for oboe on the Marcello overture; Jackie McIntyre sang the Faure; Gillian conducted most works but Shilong Le conducted the Marcello; Rebecca Lovett led as concertmaster. The Faure was to die for, the sort of work that brings tears to eyes, and Jackie did a wonderful job on it. The oboe concerto was a neat baroque piece what Gudrun played with clarity and a capable commitment. The orchestra contains a mix of experienced, mature players, several with professional, orchestral experience, and young but serious students. It's another little-known gem in Canberra. Another discovery was the room: the Canberra Girls Grammar Chapel with the altar as stage. I've heard concerts there but never performed on the altar. The very first notes I played on bass felt huge and others confirmed it's a great acoustic. Acoustics must fit performance, of course, but it worked for this group. I expect it's various ceiling and wall shapes and angles that reflect sound back to the altar. Whatever, it was nice. And hi to Nari who doubled my bass on her cello for the Dvorak and others.

Forrest National Chamber Orchestra performed Purcell, Marcello, Sibelius, Faure and Dvorak at Canberra Girls Grammar School Chapel under Gillian Bailey-Graham and Shilong Ye (conductors), Rebecca Lovett (violin, concertmaster) with soloists Gudrun Drake (oboe) and Jackie McIntyre (vocal).

Not drowning

For me coming up are three weekends with five gigs: three classical and two jazz. It's busy but I'm enjoying it immensely. Hope to see someone at one or another. Just a pic of the Forrest National Chamber Orchestra in rehearsal. I'm providing bass for a friend who had to pull out so not much preparation but some lovely music by Handel, Faure, Marcello and Sibelius with Dvorak Serenade for Strings as the feature. It's all new to me, but this is a fabulous piece.

Forrest National Chamber Orchestra (FNCO) is performing under Gillian Bailey-Graham (conductor) with Rebecca Lovett (concertmaster) at CGGS Chapel 2pm 27 May.