“Hear the ecclesiastical menace of the family in Sloth,” writes Angus McPherson, “the urgent strings in Anger, the cruel, a capella Barbershop Quartet of Gluttony, the valiant tenor aria in Greed and the devastating triumph of Anna I over Anna II in Envy’s grim march…”
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In his violin concerto, writes Graeme Skinner, “…Korngold remained faithful to his aim ‘that music should be melodic’, ‘wohllautend’ (well-sounding), and ‘conceived in the heart’.”
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“The guitar makes the dreams weep,” Poulenc inscribed above the central movement of his Violin Sonata, completed under Nazi occupation.
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Kirsten Williams and Susanne Powell opened the performance with Clara Schumann’s yearning first Romance for violin and piano, with sunlight streaming through the windows of Canberra’s historic Albert Hall.
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Stravinsky’s Circus Polka was commissioned for the Barnum and Bailey circus. Despite the elephants’ apparent distaste, the act was repeated 425 times.
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Schubert’s compositions frequently contain the emotional swings and extended lyricism of the Romantic era; but almost everything is grounded firmly in the Classical, balanced forms of his musical mentors, writes Katherine Kemp.
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“In keeping with the 19th-century ‘Romance’ form, the pieces are short and lyrical, and the first in the set is particularly tender – even melancholy – with the violin and piano equal, empathetic partners,” writes Angus McPherson.
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Concertmaster Kirsten Williams on the joy of chamber music – the music of friends – and its role in orchestral development.
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Take students on a musical journey through history with The Time Traveller. Each detailed lesson plan is aligned to the Australian Curriculum.
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“This 26-minute symphonic Christmas fantasy has it all: trumpets announcing the birth of Christ; Santa emerging out of a snowstorm (represented by a heroic solo bassoon); and a rollicking sleigh ride, featuring a slapstick to emulate Santa’s reigns demanding the tireless reindeer fly faster.”