3MBS Dante 700 Festival

3MBS Dante 700

Updates as the Festival goes online and dates for your diary

In the August issue of the Graduate Union Newsletter, we shared the exciting news of the Dante700 Festival that will take place from August 2021 till September 2022. Curators Margot Costanzo and Karen van Spall invite you to check the website for updates and new postings at www.3mbsdante700festival.org.au.

Patron interviews and performances

The Broadcast Festival took place beginning 15th September and a good time was had by all. The programs from the two international patrons were: Professor Leslie Howard AM, Australian expatriate world Listz expert and virtuoso pianist, heard on Wednesday, 15th September at 7.00PM in an interview and playing the Liszt Dante Sonata; and Dr Federico Bardazzi, Florence, Director of the early music group Ensemble San Felice, heard in an interview with music from the two CD set Music in the time of Dante heard on Thursday, 16th September at 7.00PM. Both patrons will be on the Festival website from 8th October.

Fortnightly newsletter on the site from now on

To help you plan better, we are please to inform that for the duration of the festival there will be a fortnightly newsletter on the website that delivers the text and context, including music links, photos and information links, for an approximately 12-minute stream about a different character Dante meets each fortnight. From the Dante Detective (aka Margot Costanzo) the dates with their streams are as follows: 10th September - Francesca da Rimini: A Study in Scarlet 24th September - Dante and the case of the unexpected Space Continuum 8th October - Farinata and the Unwelcome Companion 22nd October - Pier de la Vigne and the Sweet Faced Ladies 5th November - Brunetto Latini and the Green Festoon 19th November - Ulysses in dire Straits 3rd December - Count Ugolino, the Tower and the Vengeful Archbishop The newsletter will resume after the Christmas break with new updates on the postponed lectures, scheduled tentatively for March 2022. We hope that the Dante 700 Festival is something all Graduate House members can be involved in. We send a special hello to all expatriates needing that touch of home! 3MBS: online at www.3mbs.org.au, 3MBS digital, 3MBS 103.5FM Festival website: www.3mbsdante700festival.org.au The following spread pages cover the story from the 3MBS magazine.

ON AIR

The Magazine of 3MBS September 2021

General Manager’s Message

3MBS Fine Music Melbourne celebrates 700 years of the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri with a special broadcast week commencing Monday 13 September. Live-to-air performances and interviews along with works inspired by Dante’s legacy are all listed in the program of broadcast highlights on page 7 of this month’s magazine.

For a complete overview of the year-long 3MBS Dante 700 Festival, I invite you to visit www.3mbsdante700festival.org.au. Co-curators Margot Costanzo and Karen van Spall have planned an extensive program of musical, literary, broadcast, print and performance events including an exciting contribution to the State Library of Victoria’s forthcoming exhibition World of the book 2021-22: The rare, the sacred and the iconic. 3MBS is very proud to partner with the Italian Assistance Association CO.AS.IT. and the Dante Alighieri Society Melbourne to play a significant part in Melbourne’s celebration of this important international anniversary.

In this month’s magazine we also talk to Toby Cumpstay, co-founder of Simply for Strings, with whom we are partnering to present a new recital series featuring talented string musicians. These special performances will be brought to you live from our marvellous Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio.

I am sure that you will enjoy this issue of On Air magazine and will delight in the music we have planned for you this month here at 3MBS.

Gail Southwell

Editor Anya Lloyd-Smith onair@3mbs.org.au Program Editor John Barns Print Ellikon Fine Printers Mailing 3MBS Volunteers

On Air Magazine is published by the Music Broadcasting Society of Victoria Ltd. 1 St Heliers Street Abbotsford VIC 3067 (03) 9416 1035 info@3mbs.org.au www.3mbs.org.au ABN 77 005 398 372 © 2020 Music Broadcasting Society of Victoria Ltd. No material may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

3MBS Staff

Gail Southwell General Manager Richard Leathem Finance & Operations Manager April Erskine Communications & Marketing Grace Ip Subscriptions & Engagement Con Kalamaras Business Development & Events Manager Adrian McEniery Content & Program Manager Stewart McMillan Producer/Promotions Stephen Pyk Philanthropy Manager

3MBS Technical Team

Sam Bignell IT & Broadcast Manager Bertrand Fabre Broadcast Engineer Peter Gibson Broadcast Engineer / FM Transmission

3MBS Board of Directors

Adele Schonhardt Chair Peter Mahler Deputy Chair Liz O’Keeffe Secretary Matthew Harper-Schmid Treasurer Natalie Cambrell Tim Hannah Rebecca MacFarling Terry McCredden Holly Reid

This document has been produced to international environmental management standard ISO14001 by a certified green printing company. The 3MBS Dante 700 Broadcast Festival, curated by Margot Costanzo and Karen van Spall, celebrates the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri with a week of live performances and interviews from 13-19 September.

Dante Alighieri was the author of the three-volume work Comedy (usually known as Divine Comedy) written during Dante’s exile from Florence. It depicted a journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, seeking to bring salvation to an ailing world.

The commemoration of this great work and its influence truly became a passion project that spread from the studios of 3MBS to embrace many experts and enthusiasts from around the world. It has seen the light of day in spite of all the obstacles posed by Covid.

Margot and Karen are frequent collaborators on programs in the 3MBS Illuminations having produced together Viardot—Singer, Pianist and Muse Helen of Troy in Music Myth in Opera and a two-part series on the Australian mezzosoprano, resident of London, Yvonne Minton.

The Festival is the outcome of the many collaborations featured in their latest Illuminations

General Manager’s Message

MBS Fine Music Melbourne celebrates 700 years of the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri with a special broadcast week commencing

Live-to-air performances and interviews along with works inspired by Dante’s legacy are all listed in the program of broadcast highlights on

For a complete overview of the year-long 3MBS Dante 700 Festival, www.3mbsdante700festival.org.au. Co-curators Margot Costanzo and Karen van Spall have planned an extensive program of musical, literary, broadcast, print and performance events including an exciting contribution to the State Library of Victoria’s World of the book 2021-22: The rare, the sacred and . 3MBS is very proud to partner with the Italian Assistance Association CO.AS.IT. and the Dante Alighieri Society Melbourne to play a significant part in Melbourne’s celebration of this important

In this month’s magazine we also talk to Toby Cumpstay, co-founder of Simply for Strings, with whom we are partnering to present a new recital series featuring talented string musicians. These special performances will be brought to you live from our marvellous Lady

magazine and will delight in the music we have planned for you this month here at 3MBS.

Gail Southwell

General Manager Finance & Operations Manager Communications & Marketing

Subscriptions & Engagement Business Development & Events Manager Content & Program Manager Producer/Promotions Philanthropy Manager

MBS Technical Team

IT & Broadcast Manager Broadcast Engineer Broadcast Engineer / FM Transmission

MBS Board of Directors

This document has been produced to international environmental management The 3MBS Dante 700 Broadcast Festival, curated by Margot Costanzo and Karen van Spall, celebrates the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri with a week of live performances and interviews from 13-19 September.

Dante Alighieri was the author of the three-volume work The Comedy (usually known as The Divine Comedy) written during Dante’s exile from Florence. It depicted a journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, seeking to bring salvation to an ailing world.

The commemoration of this great work and its influence truly became a passion project that spread from the studios of 3MBS to embrace many experts and enthusiasts from around the world. It has seen the light of day in spite of all the obstacles posed by Covid.

Margot and Karen are frequent collaborators on programs in the 3MBS Illuminations series, having produced together Pauline Viardot—Singer, Pianist and Muse, Helen of Troy in Music, The Orpheus Myth in Opera and a two-part series on the Australian mezzosoprano, resident of London, Yvonne Minton.

The Festival is the outcome of the many collaborations featured in their latest Illuminations series Dante in Music. Margot’s script for the ten-hour series was informed by the State Library of Victoria’s holdings of early Dante editions of The Divine Comedy as well as recent books by Australian artists. Dr Anna Welch, curator of rare books, approached SLV with a proposal that has resulted in a special exhibition within the State Library’s forthcoming exhibition World of the book 2021-22: The rare, the sacred and the iconic. The National Gallery of Victoria, with curator Dr Petra Kayser, also facilitated the loan of two etchings to this exhibition. World of the book 2021-22 will be officially opened in a State Library of Victoria event on 28 September.

During the making of the program, Karen, a mezzo-soprano, became fascinated by Francesca da Rimini as a subject for the ‘male gaze’ over centuries, first that of Dante, then those of Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Zandonai, Granados and Rachmaninov. Karen’s group The Parlour has created a live show called Dido’s Flock exploring

these musical ideas, and Karen herself will perform one of the ‘Francescas’ live-to-air for 3MBS during Vocal Chords which will be presented by Margot at 1pm on Saturday 18 September.

Enter Coady Green, Karen’s frequent pianist collaborator. Coady spent twelve years in London and developed a passion for Liszt from world Liszt expert and Australian expatriate Professor Leslie Howard AM. It was natural that Coady and his performance partner, British Australian pianist Christopher Smith, should offer to perform the Australian premiere of Liszt’s own transcription for four hands of ‘A Dante Symphony’ for the 3MBS Broadcast Festival.

“Originally an arrangement for two pianos and two pianists, Liszt skillfully retained every note from all instruments, redistributing to just four hands,” Coady says.

“In this devilishly virtuosic transcription (further arranged by Arthur Hahn to one piano, four hands), Liszt managed to vividly recreate the orchestral timbres and colours, from desperate souls lamenting in the strings and brass to shimmering harps representing the Earthly Paradise.”

Professor Howard is one of the Festival’s international patrons and will be giving a lecture on the fascination Liszt had with Dante. The lecture will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 15 September and will be immediately followed by the live-to-air four-hands performance.

The Festival’s other international patron is Dr Federico Bardazzi, the conductor of the Ensemble San Felice and director of the Opera Network in Florence. Dr Bardazzi furnished Margot with a 2-CD set of music he created with collaborators called La musica al tempo di Dante which was invaluable background for the series Dante in Music. An interview with Dr Bardazzi will be broadcast during The Early Music Experience on Thursday 16 September.

“ Liszt managed to vividly recreate the orchestral timbres and colours, from desperate souls lamenting in the strings and brass to shimmering harps representing the Earthly Paradise... ”

Images: Coady Green (supplied) Karen van Spall (Julian Dolman), Margot Costanzo (Chris Arnold AM)

To discover the music that will be played during the Broadcast Festival, as well as the many interviews and live-to-air performances, see the 3MBS Dante 700 Broadcast Festival Essential Dante Playlist.

To stream the five-part series Dante in

Music and to explore the many musical, literary, broadcast, print and performance events in the year-long Dante Festival, see www.3mbsdante700festival.org.au.

The 3MBS Dante 700 Broadcast Festival Essential Dante Playlist

Wednesday 8 September: Festival Preview 8pm Wednesday Night at the Opera Featuring: Mercadante: Francesca da Rimini Monday 13 September: Festival Launch 2pm Concert Hall with Thilo Troschke Featuring: Wallace: Symphonic Poem No.1, ‘The Passing of Beatrice’ 5pm Intermezzo with Susan Porter Interview: Margot Costanzo & Karen van Spall

8pm Contemporary Visions with Tony Thomas Featuring: Ter Veldhuis: Paradiso (excerpts)

7pm Music for Keyboard with Ric Ataide Interview: Margot Costanzo & Festival Patron Professor Leslie Howard AM Live-to-Air: Coady Green & Christopher Smith Featuring: Liszt: A Dante Symphony, S109 (arr. Four Hands) (Aust. premiere) 8.30pm Wednesday Night at the Opera with Nigel Simpson Featuring: Godard: Dante et Béatrice (world premiere recording)

10am Morning Recital with John Wilkinson Featuring: Liszt: Après une lecture du Dante, S161/7. Stefan Cassomenos, piano 2pm Concert Hall with Ted Davies Featuring: Tischenko: Dante Symphony No.1, ‘Amo 7pm The Early Music Experience with Mark Shepheard Interview: Festival Patron Dr Federico Bardazzi Featuring: La musica al tempo di Dante

7pm Singers and Songs with Frank Prain Featuring: Sibelius: Hymn to Thaïs. Massenet: Thaïs (final duet)

11am Music in Melbourne with Tim Hannah Interviews: Karen van Spall & Gulliver Poole; Coady Green 1pm Vocal Chords with Margot Costanzo Live-to-Air: Karen van Spall & Coady Green Featuring: Granados (arr. Green): Paolo e Francesca, Op.1/2 (arr. Voice & Piano) 2pm Concert Hall with Doug Beecroft Featuring: Verdi: Laudi alla Vergine Maria (text by Dante Alighieri)

Sunday 19 September: Festival Close 6am The Early Music Experience with Mark Shepheard (repeat) 8pm Choral Masterworks with Ruth O’Reilly Featuring: A selection of music from the psalms quoted by the souls in Purgatory

hands), Liszt managed to vividly recreate the orchestral timbres and colours, from desperate souls lamenting in the strings and brass to shimmering harps representing the Earthly Paradise.”

Professor Howard is one of the Festival’s international patrons and will be giving a lecture on the fascination Liszt had with Dante. The lecture will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 15 September and will be immediately followed by the live-to-air four-hands

The Festival’s other international patron is Dr Federico Bardazzi, the conductor of the Ensemble San Felice and director of the Opera Network in Florence. Dr Bardazzi furnished Margot with a 2-CD set of music he created with collaborators called La musica al tempo di Dante which was invaluable background for the Dante in Music. An interview with Dr Bardazzi will be broadcast The Early Music Experience September.

Liszt managed to vividly recreate the orchestral timbres and colours, from desperate souls lamenting in the strings and brass to shimmering harps representing

To discover the music that will be played during the Broadcast Festival, as well as the many interviews and live-to-air 3MBS Dante 700 Broadcast Festival Essential Dante Playlist.

To stream the five-part series Dante in and to explore the many musical, literary, broadcast, print and performance events in the year-long Dante Festival, see www.3mbsdante700festival.org.au.

The 3MBS Dante 700 Broadcast Festival Essential Dante Playlist

Wednesday 8 September: Festival Preview 8pm Wednesday Night at the Opera with Alan de Niese Featuring: Mercadante: Francesca da Rimini (world premiere recording)

Monday 13 September: Festival Launch 2pm Concert Hall with Thilo Troschke Featuring: Wallace: Symphonic Poem No.1, ‘The Passing of Beatrice’ 5pm Intermezzo with Susan Porter Interview: Margot Costanzo & Karen van Spall

Tuesday 14 September 8pm Contemporary Visions with Tony Thomas Featuring: Ter Veldhuis: Paradiso (excerpts)

Wednesday 15 September 7pm Music for Keyboard with Ric Ataide Interview: Margot Costanzo & Festival Patron Professor Leslie Howard AM Live-to-Air: Coady Green & Christopher Smith Featuring: Liszt: A Dante Symphony, S109 (arr. Four Hands) (Aust. premiere) 8.30pm Wednesday Night at the Opera with Nigel Simpson Featuring: Godard: Dante et Béatrice (world premiere recording)

Thursday 16 September 10am Morning Recital with John Wilkinson Featuring: Liszt: Après une lecture du Dante, S161/7. Stefan Cassomenos, piano 2pm Concert Hall with Ted Davies Featuring: Tischenko: Dante Symphony No.1, ‘Among the living’ 7pm The Early Music Experience with Mark Shepheard Interview: Festival Patron Dr Federico Bardazzi Featuring: La musica al tempo di Dante dir. by Dr Federico Bardazzi (excerpts) Friday 17 September 7pm Singers and Songs with Frank Prain Featuring: Sibelius: Hymn to Thaïs. Massenet: Thaïs (final duet)

Saturday 18 September 11am Music in Melbourne with Tim Hannah Interviews: Karen van Spall & Gulliver Poole; Coady Green 1pm Vocal Chords with Margot Costanzo Live-to-Air: Karen van Spall & Coady Green Featuring: Granados (arr. Green): Paolo e Francesca, Op.1/2 (arr. Voice & Piano) 2pm Concert Hall with Doug Beecroft Featuring: Verdi: Laudi alla Vergine Maria (text by Dante Alighieri)

Sunday 19 September: Festival Close 6am The Early Music Experience with Mark Shepheard (repeat) 8pm Choral Masterworks with Ruth O’Reilly Featuring: A selection of music from the psalms quoted by the souls in Purgatory