The Glide concert program

THE GLIDE RICHARD TOGNETTI Artistic Director and Lead Violin JON FRANK Photographic Images and Footage JOSEPH TAWADROS Oud JAMES TAWADROS Percussion DANNY SPOONER Voice

SPEED READ A program which shows off some of the ACO’s multiple personalities: Richard Tognetti’s individualistic take on the madness of Paganini’s 24th Caprice for solo violin; four of the ACO’s musicians shining in a classic Vivaldi concerto; the next step in a genre-breaking collaboration with Egyptian music and another ancient string instrument, the oud; and The Glide, an innovative multimedia partnership blending Jon Frank’s awe-inspiring ocean photography and footage choreographed to the live performance of the ACO.

MEDIA PARTNERS

The original commission of The Glide for Festival Maribor 2009 was proudly supported

by Janet Holmes à Court AC and Jan Minchin.

TOGNETTI Deviance VIVALDI Concerto for four violins, RV580 (Richard Tognetti, Satu Vänskä, Madeleine Boud, Rebecca Chan, violins)

TAWADROS (orchestrated TOGNETTI) Alamein Oasis Remember Baghdad Dahab

I N T E RVA L THE GLIDE Created by Jon Frank and Richard Tognetti Music as follows: TOGNETTI Underwater

TOGNETTI The Dream

SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartet No.15 (excerpts)

TRAD. The Seal Song

TOGNETTI Iceland/Somewhere

BRYARS Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet

ELGAR Sospiri

PÄRT Fratres

TOGNETTI Derek and the Far Field Theory The concert will last approximately two hours including a 20-minute interval.

YOUR SAY We invite your feedback about this concert at aco.com.au/ yoursay or by email to aco@aco.com.au.

MELBOURNE

SYDNEY

the Arts Centre, Playhouse Mon 4 April, 8pm

City Recital Hall Angel Place Thu 7 April, 7pm Fri 8 April, 7pm

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The Australian Chamber Orchestra reserves the right to alter scheduled programs or artists as necessary.

ABOUT THE MUSIC Joseph Tawadros writes: These pieces are original compositions based on the Maqam tradition. Repetition is a very large part of Arabic music, and many of my compositions make a feature of it, either as underlying ostinati (repeated patterns) or as themes which I then use as the basis for improvised variations. For these performances, I wrote down the melodies in Western notation and worked with Richard Tognetti on the arrangements and orchestrations. I believe Richard and I have managed to create a new, modern sound for the oud. We believe this combination of oud and string orchestra has not been done before, and this collaboration – now five years old – has presented a great exploration of the different textures and possibilities available in this combination. James’ percussion adds another dimension: his style is unique, and his ability to play complex polyrhythms on skin and cymbals is a big advantage. The improvisational side of these pieces makes each concert very unpredictable!

Richard Tognetti writes about The Glide: Underwater is the last of these pieces to be written, originally for The Crowd, another collaboration between Jon Frank and me premiered at the 2010 Maribor Festival. It seems to have a natural place here, though, introducing The Glide. Then two short excerpts from Shostakovich, a precursor of what is to come. To capture an essence of somewhere remote, and to use surfing as the inspiration and to view it in a concert hall, away from the sea, seems like an implausible dialogue with nature. Jon’s trip to Iceland is an improbable journey. Gravity pulls us down to earth but we insist on climbing mountains. We cannot release oxygen in H2O to sustain us but still we seek the watery depths. Is it really just because they are there? Perhaps it’s more an affirmation that we are, and continue to be, here.

Humans to this point in time haven’t really bothered to explore the combination of classical music and surfing, leaving it as a rich vein of enterprise for us to survey. Sometimes we struggled to find the “right” music that sang to the images and yet was not overly cloying and obvious. Sometimes things just click the first go. Elgar’s Sospiri was one such union with Jon’s touching and radiant footage of the awesome power of Waimea Bay, Hawaii. In the surfing world it is the original legend – the wave is the first celebrated big wave to be conquered. The beauty of this footage lies in the way Jon brings a lightness of being to a wave glorified for its awesome deathly power. The images belie this intensity. The wave is the subject. The humans appear mere in their existence upon it. Although on the other hand, what they are doing is exceptional. Jesus only walked on water…

Derek and the Far Field Theory: This is the only segment really to focus on the surfer.

Few surfers transcend their sport to turn it into art. Derek Hynd is a life artist. Hard to categorise and even harder to pin down… especially on a surfboard. Jack McCoy has spent a long time filming this elusive character whose quirky quotient runs as high as a bird flies. He has been pioneering the idea of friction-free surfing – looking forward, looking back, spinning.

For The Dream we wrote music that hopefully gently sings to the images without trying to convey a story. The Seal Song, or “the call of the seals”, speaks for itself. And then Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet and Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, a conclusion and a coda. The power of hypnosis lies in the belief of the patient.

Welcome to THE GLIDE. Images created by Jon Frank (Derek Hynd and Jose Angel surfing sequence courtesy of Jack McCoy).

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JON FRANK Photographic Images and Footage Jon Frank writes: My name is Jon Frank. I am 40 years old and live in Victoria, Australia. Life is quiet this near to the bottom of the world, which suits me fine. The sea down here is gin clear; the colour of a green bottle filled with white spirits and held to the sun. After being on the road for a while, often travelling in the close company of others, there is a refreshing brand of solitude to be found on my return home. It usually takes me a day or two to get used to the quivering verses of westerly cloud ripping past my kitchen window or the chorus of a passing shower strumming on my tin roof.

I began photographing at age 20. The moment I held the camera up to my left eye the world looked better, like it had been waiting to be framed inside a rectangle. I had no real ambition to become a photographer but with my chosen career as a bass player heading resolutely downhill I began shooting pictures of what I knew, which was surfing and the ocean and waves. I realised that here lay a possibility to record how I saw my world, and to do so in a unique voice.

For most of my career I have shot video and motion picture film as well as still photographs. I don’t think there is too much difference in my approach to photographing in these formats, maybe some slightly different positioning while shooting in the water. My primary objective is always to try and capture the world as naturally as possible.

The greatest pleasure for me is to just go about making pictures quietly and unnoticed. I prefer to swim out and shoot alone.

There have been times when the phone may not ring for a few months so it pays to be diverse. I have colleagues who work day jobs or night jobs or shoot fashion, weddings or advertising to get by. I have been fortunate enough to be able to get through within the surfing world. Weeks can pass without me picking up a camera but I am usually thinking about photographs or seeing them flutter by as I go about day-to-day life. Most opportunities slip quickly away, but occasionally I will be able to trap one inside my little black box to keep.

Surfing is not my only mistress, but she doesn’t get jealous; perhaps because she knows that if I ever stray, I will always come back. I am enjoying introducing my two children to the surfing life. It is the greatest joy I could think of giving them. Now they are giving back to me by getting me out there on days when I would normally just head home and drink a beer. The entire surfing experience is circular.

Surfing is so simple and perfect and at its core has nothing to do with wealth or status or appearances or ego.

Of course this is idealistic but I believe it to be true. Anything in the 21st century involving mankind will contain all of the above, but somehow there are still those days when you can experience a quiet session with the sea where nothing else exists.

If I had to describe my work I would say that I just look at the world and then wait for something to happen that makes some kind of sense. jonfrank.carbonmade.com

Photo © Paul Henderson-Kelly

RICHARD TOGNETTI Artistic Director and Lead Violin, Australian Chamber Orchestra Australian violinist, conductor and composer, Richard Tognetti has established an international reputation for compelling performances and artistic individualism. He studied with William Primrose, Alice Waten at Sydney Conservatorium and Igor Ozim at Berne Conservatory. In 1989, he was appointed Leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and subsequently became Artistic Director. He is also Artistic Director of Festival Maribor in Slovenia.

Tognetti has appeared with the Handel & Haydn Society (Boston), Hong Kong Philharmonic, Camerata Salzburg, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Nordic Chamber Orchestra and the Australian symphony orchestras. He conducted Mozart’s Mitridate for the Sydney Festival and gave the Australian premiere of Ligeti’s Violin Concerto with the Sydney Symphony.

Tognetti’s arrangements, compositions and transcriptions have expanded the chamber orchestra repertoire and been performed throughout the world. He co-composed The Red Tree and the soundtracks for Master and Commander and Horrorscopes. His documentary Musica Surfica won best film awards in the USA, Brazil, France and South Africa.

As well as directing numerous recordings by the ACO, Tognetti has recorded Bach’s solo violin works, winning three ARIA awards, and the Dvořák and Mozart Violin Concertos.

Tognetti was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia in 2010. He holds honorary doctorates from three universities and was made a National Living Treasure in 1999. He performs on a 1743 Guarneri del Gesù violin, lent to him by an anonymous Australian benefactor. aco.com.au/artistic-director 4 AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

JOSEPH TAWADROS Oud Born in Egypt in 1983, Joseph Tawadros emigrated to Australia aged 3, bringing with him a musical tradition inherited from his composer grandfather, Mansi Habib, an oud and violin virtuoso. Joseph studied the oud and the traditional Egyptian taqasim, akin to improvisation.

In 2001 Joseph returned to Egypt to study the Egyptian violin with Esawi Daghir.

Joseph also plays Arabic traditional instruments including the nay (bamboo flute), qanun (Arabic zither) and cello. In 2006 he graduated with a Bachelor of Music with Honours from the University of NSW. In the same year he was the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious Freedman Fellowship for Classical Music.

Joseph has toured Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East and performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues with artists such as tabla master Zakir Hussain, sarangi master Sultan Khan, John Abercrombie, John Patitucci, Jack DeJohnette, Camerata Salzburg, Mali band Tinariwen, Slava and Leonard Grigoryan, Adel Salameh, Fathi Salama, Christian Lindberg, Neil Finn, Mark Isaacs, William Barton, Lior, The Song Company, Riley Lee, Karen Schaupp, Bobby Singh, Katie Noonan and James Crabb.

Joseph has released seven albums including the ARIA award-winning Storyteller, Epiphany, Angel, Rouhani, Visions, The Prophet and The Hour of Separation.

Joseph’s music features in the documentaries The Last Days of Yasser Arafat, Haneen and I Remember 1948; theatre production The Gates of Egypt; films The Last Ride and The Black Balloon; and TV series East West 101.

He has also completed compositions for animations with artist Michael Roseth.

Joseph performs on a Joseph Tawadros Signature Series oud. josephtawadros.com

JAMES TAWADROS Percussion James Tawadros, brother of Joseph, was born in Australia in 1989 and brought up in a highly musical environment. A world class percussionist and soloist, James’ main instrument is the req’, a small hand-held tambourine, traditionally with skin covering and five pairs of cymbals. James has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and collaborated with Richard Tognetti and the ACO, Katie Noonan, Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci, John Abercrombie, Camerata Salzburg and Slava Grigoryan.

He regularly accompanies his brother Joseph and appears with him on the album The Hour of Separation. James has received four ARIA Award nominations for the albums Visions, Epiphany, Angel and The Hour of Separation and two Limelight Awards.

In 2011 James was nominated for the Bells Jazz Award for Best Young Jazz Performer.

DANNY SPOONER Voice Born into a working-class family in the East End of London, Danny Spooner grew up with the traditions, music and folklore of a typical Cockney family.

At 13 he left school and worked on a sailing barge. Under Bob Roberts, Danny learned British songs and was enrolled in libraries along the coast to read their stories. He was apprenticed to the Thames as a Waterman and Lighterman, and after 6 years had earned his Freeman of the Thames. Over the next 10 years he held various jobs including salvage tug and trawler skipper.

Danny arrived in Australia in 1962 and was inspired by the Australian folk revival, especially by the singing of Declan Affley, Martyn Wyndham-Read, Brian Mooney, David Lumsden, Trevor Lucas and Margret RoadKnight. From Wendy Lowenstein and Gwenda Davey he learned the importance of the social context and proper attribution of the songs.

Thanks to the encouragement of Declan Affley, Danny Spooner quickly developed into one of the best British folk singers in Australia. He has augmented what he learned “on the job” with a vast repertoire spanning both British and Australian folk heritage. He’s also learned American material and even a Canadian-French whaling song.

Danny has performed in folk clubs all over Australia, New Zealand and Britain. He has appeared at every major folk festival in Australia, giving a range of workshops many of which were recorded live by ABC. For the last 12 years Danny has toured North America and Newfoundland every second year and Britain on the alternate years. In 2009 and 2010 Danny performed in Washington DC for the Australian Embassy, singing and talking about Australian history. dannyspooner.com AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA 5

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Photo © Anthony Geernaert

RICHARD TOGNETTI AO Artistic Director

Internationally renowned for inspired programming and the rapturous response of audiences and critics, the ACO was founded in 1975. The ACO’s unique artistic style encompasses not only the masterworks of the classical repertoire, but innovative cross-artform projects and a vigorous commissioning program. Forty-five international tours to Asia, Europe and the USA have drawn outstanding reviews for the ACO’s performances at many of the world’s prestigious concert halls, including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Vienna’s Musikverein. The ACO has made award-winning recordings for labels including ABC Classics, BIS, Sony, Channel Classics, Hyperion, EMI and Chandos. In 2005, the ACO inaugurated an ambitious national education program.

ACO MUSICIANS

Photos: Tanja Ahola, Helen White

RICHARD TOGNETTI AO SATU VÄNSKÄ*

MADELEINE BOUD

REBECCA CHAN

ALICE EVANS

Artistic Director and Lead Violin Chair sponsored by Michael Ball AM & Daria Ball, Joan Clemenger, Wendy Edwards and Prudence MacLeod

Violin Chair sponsored by Terry Campbell AO & Christine Campbell

Violin

Violin Chair sponsored by Jan Bowen, The Davies and The Sandgropers

Assistant Leader Violin Chair sponsored by Robert & Kay Bryan

ZOË BLACK Violin

KERRY MARTIN Violin

RACHEL SMITH Violin

EVE SILVER# Cello

CLAIRE EDWARDES Principal Percussion

ALISON PRATT Percussion # Appears courtesy of West Australian Symphony Orchestra

MARK INGWERSEN

ILYA ISAKOVICH

Violin Chair sponsored by Runge

Violin Principal Viola Chair sponsored by Melbourne Chair sponsored by Tony Community Foundation – Connie Shepherd & Craig Kimberley Fund

CHRISTOPHER MOORE

NICOLE DIVALL Viola Chair by Ian & Nina Lansdown

Players dressed by Akira Isogawa

TIMOTHY CALNIN General Manager

ERIN McNAMARA Tour Manager

LOUIS THORN Projectionist

BOB SCOTT Sound Engineer

BENEDICT CAREY Technical consultant (original production)

CAROLINE HENBEST

TIMOVEIKKO VALVE

JULIAN THOMPSON

MAXIME BIBEAU

Viola

Principal Cello Chair Ssonsored by Mr Peter Weiss AM

Cello Chair sponsored by the Clayton Family

Principal Bass Chair sponsored by John Taberner & Grant Lang

* Satu Vänskä plays a 1759 J.B. Guadagnini violin on loan from the Commonwealth Bank Group.

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