Endurance 1

We were "on the mountain", meaning Mt Stromlo and it was bitter cold. It put a freeze on virtually all the music, even inside but particularly in open domes and on an exposed hilltop. This was one CIMF event that demands little walks between venues and offers diverse performers. This is a seriously varied experience and for that it was very good. I ignored the cold, as best I could. For my group, first up was a welcome from astronomer Brad Tucker and some genuine, original, 1930s, 78rpm recordings of Albert Schweitzer playing Bach on organ (saved from various Stromlo fires). It matched with a few other pieces of Stromlo trivia, not least a photo of observatory director and wife, Geoffrey and Doris Duffield, toting a double bass to play in their Stromberra Quartet (sometime before his death in 1929: you can still find his grave on the mountain). And in contravention of CP Snow's two cultures, Rosalie Gascoigne, artist of found materials, who lived on the mountain from 1937 with her astronomer husband, Ben. Then on to the first major performance which happened to be an Australian premier. This was Dan Tepfer, NYC jazz pianist. He played his work Natural machines on Disklavier. Disklavier is the digital player-piano made by Yamaha. Dan played with the automated Disklavier performance. Dan's website describes the process. In summary, his improvisations are processed and responded to through Dan's pre-programmed computer, so Dan leads but also follows, both musically and through an artistic projection of the playing. Fascinating and very nicely played. He played, perhaps 4 movements, and one without the computer interactions. It had some audience befuddled, Disklaviers not being so known or understood. Truly a work of future thinking and artistically satisfying. Then on to the open Yale-Columbia dome. The two violinists were fretting about the cold (understandable: 11degC but a cold wind so ~4degC apparent temp) but played a worthy set anyway (I did wonder how!). This was the World premier of Mike Dooley's violin duet The Heavens declare. As I remember, three movements with a first movement divided into parts (inviting some untoward clapping); several passages of bowing against pizz; a slower middle movement and lively final. A lovely work and one I'd be pleased to hear again in more comfortable circumstances, for audience and players. The work was played by two members of Quatuor Voce, Cecile Roubin and Sarah Dayan.

Dan Tepfer (disklavier) played compositions from his Natural machines collection and Cécile Roubin and Sarah Dayan (violins) played a violin duet by Mike Dooley, all at St Stromlo.

Classing

Masterclasses are a fascinating process. It's an excellent place to hone your awareness, as players or as listeners. This one was a mature (15 years) string quartet guiding a newer quartet (5 years). Of course, the new quartet sounds great when you first hear them, but they just get better as they take on the suggestions from the others. A good pair of ears, they say, and here four pairs. The masterclassees were the Penny Quartet (Melbourne); the masterclassers were Quattor Voce (France). The music performed and deconstructed was Prokofiev Quartet no.1 mvt.1. It's amusing that the first four bars take so long for consideration, but it's not surprising. Any bars are indicative of a group's performance. After that, they moved somewhat more quickly through various passages and styles of playing. So what issues? Clarity of voices in transitions; character and bite; where and how to bow: near the bridge or over the fingerboard, digging in or long bows; dirt and politeness; dynamics (always!); phrasing and excitement and even ecstasy and "clownlike" (for this piece); displaying canon passages; spelling cello lines; rhythms and ambiguities; tension; flexible tonalities; active listening and "grounded rhythms" and communal pulse (I was amused that they suggested foot tapping, virtually as in jazz, to inculcate and share rhythms: foot tapping is usually a classical no-no); using metronomes on and off beat; chords (very interesting how they analysed a series of vertical chords for better intonation); articulation and passing lines; binary and tertiary approaches (essentially playing with polyrhythmic interpretations - another common contemporary jazz technique). Of course, these refer to a specific time and place and performers and piece, but it's indicative of the deep listening that's a component of masterclassing. And it's good for the audience, too. It certainly sharpens the listeners ear. Intriguing.

Penny Quartet received a masterclass from Quator Voce. Penny Quartet are Amy Brookman, Madeleine Jevons (violins), Anthony Chataway (viola) and Jack Ward (cello). Quator Voce are Sarah Dayan, Cécile Roubin (violins), Guillaume Becker (viola) and Lydia Shelley (cello).