Sorcerer's Apprentice CPO 16 December 2022

Sorcerer’s Sorcerer’s

About us!

Casey Philharmonic Orchestra is a young, innovative and vibrant amateur community orchestra based in the City of Casey. We held our first rehearsal in June 2017, and performed at the opening of Bunjil Place – now our principal performance venue - in October the same year. Now in our fifth year CPO continues to provide extraordinary opportunities for amateur musicians in Melbourne’s outer south-east. We strongly value building relationships and collaborating with other local arts organisations, and we pride ourselves on performing orchestral music of the highest calibre for the enjoyment of our audiences and musicians alike.

Casey Philharmonic Orchestra warmly welcomes you to our final performance of 2022 and the intimate surrounds of the Bunjil Place Studio for this sell out performance of Sorcerer’s Apprentice – Fairytales & Fables. We trust you will be spirited away to faraway places by this evening’s musical journey through fantasy, magic and legend.

Thank you for your support!

As a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organisation, we are reliant on the generous support of individuals, groups, councils, businesses and organisations. This support allows us to continue to enrich the arts community within the City of Casey and beyond. Here are a few ways that you can help Your CPO!

• Like, comment and share our social media

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To find out more, please contact us via email at caseyphilharmonic@gmail.com or visit www.cpo.org.au

Edvard Grieg

Peer Gynt Suite No.2 and Suite No.1 excerpts

Grieg’s music was originally written as incidental music to Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt and debuted in 1876 as part of a stage production. Incidental music is music which accompanies a play, radio/TV drama or movie. It plays in the background during scenes to help set the mood or amplify onstage drama. The original Peer Gynt incidental music runs for almost two hours, so the shorter selection of highlights that appears in the suites (Suite No. 1 Op. 46 and Suite No. 2 Op. 55) is more commonly performed.

Ibsen’s satirical play narrates the adventures of a Norwegian peasant anti-hero, Peer Gynt (or sometimes Per Gynt). Charming, but arrogant and lazy, Gynt abducts a bride from her wedding, and subsequently abandons her to travel the world and seek adventures as far afield as North Africa.

In this evening’s performance, we will present the following selection from the two suites: SUITE No.2:

Grieg, 1888

• Ingrid’s Lament – The discordant, loud opening to this piece tells of the destruction of a wedding and its devastating aftermath for Ingrid. This motif returns repeatedly, interspersed by slow, sonorous melodies on the strings, which tell of her broken heart and ruined life.

• Arabic Dance – the piccolo and tambourine play a colourful piece meant to depict the dances of a Bedouin tribe, which actually occurs just before Anitra’s Dance in Ibsen’s original play.

• Solveig’s Song – Peer Gynt’s childhood sweetheart, Solveig, sings of her undying love for him. This is sung in Ibsen’s play, but the melody is played by the violins in the suite version we perform tonight.

SUITE No.1:

• Morning Mood – Starting with a gentle flute melody, which moves to the oboe, we can picture a tranquil dawn. This rises to a climax as the sun peaks over the horizon and then fades away. The piece represents the peace and beauty of Norway’s mountains and forests. Famously used by Nescafe in ad, as well as the 1973 film Soylent Green and even a 1998 episode of The Simpsons!

• Anitra’s Dance – This piece describes Peer Gynt’s infatuation with Anitra, the beautiful daughter of a chieftain. A playful waltz, it tells of Anitra’s seductive and graceful dancing.

• In the Hall of the Mountain King – This evokes one of Gynt’s fantasies: a great hall inside a mountain, where a troll king sits with his sceptre, surrounded by his family, troll courtiers and a range of dwarves and goblins. The music starts slowly on the cello, double bass and bassoon. It gradually gains speed and volume, and repetitions of the theme in different instruments collide with each other to represent an uproar. Grieg pictured this scene as one of chaos, cow pats and Norwegian ‘to thine own self be true’. The piece has been often borrowed by contemporary culture: for example, both The Who (1967) and ELO (1973) recorded versions, it was featured in the cooking routine at the end of Johnny English Reborn, and it used in a 2018 Coke ad, amongst many other uses.

Illustration by Arthur Rackham from ‘Ibsen’s Peer Gynt’, published by George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd. 1st. 1936.

Hector Berlioz

Symphonie Fantastique : movement 4 ‘March to the Scaffold’

The five movements (or individual pieces) that make up Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique describe an artist’s dangerous obsession with a beautiful woman. They narrate 5 scenes, throughout which a recurring melody (called the ‘Idée Fixe’ in Berlioz’ native French) reminds the listener of the artist’s obsession with this woman. The inspiration for this symphony came after Berlioz attended a performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and immediately fell in love with the lead female actress. This quickly became an obsession. The symphony is very well known, and themes have been widely borrowed by films including The Shining (1980), Julia Roberts’ Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), among others.

Tonight, we present the fourth movement –March to the Scaffold – which tells of the artist’s descent into a drug-fuelled hallucination. In this vision, the artist is to be executed for the murder of his beloved. A jaunty march accompanies his parade to the scaffold. A brass ‘band’ leads the march, which is accompanied by cries of delight from the crowd, represented by high interjections by the strings. A drum roll signals the execution. We hear the head drop and roll along the ground (plucked notes on the strings), followed by the roar of the crowd represented by huge chords and cymbal crashes.

Berlioz, 1863

Aram Khachaturian

Adagio from ‘Spartacus’

Spartacus is a ballet written by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian, and premiered by the Kirov Ballet (St Petersburg, Russia) in 1956. The ballet tells the ancient story of the Roman slave Spartacus. A Thracian warrior-king in first century BCE Greece, Spartacus was captured by the Romans and separated from his beloved wife, Phrygia at a slave market in Rome. He subsequently led a revolt against his captors, but this was ultimately put down and Spartacus perishes in battle.

The Adagio is arguably one of the most famous sections of this ballet. It originally occurred in Act II of the ballet, which narrates the escape of the slaves, and their rescue of women slaves. The Adagio celebrates their escape, Spartacus’ reuniting with his beloved Phrygia, and their passionate love for each other. This appears as a duet between the two lovers in the original ballet. Rich melodies and harmonies tell of passion and excitement rising to a climax as they express their intense love and fading away as their passion subsides. It is perhaps best known however, due to its use in the 1979 film Caligula.

Khachaturian, 1971

Programme notes prepared by Dr Vicki Ware, October 2022

CPO’s inaugural orchestral

COMPOSER’S COMPETITION

CPO has put out the challenge to Victorian-based composers: write a 5 – 8-minute piece for full orchestra matching a theme from our 2023 program. Cash prizes are on offer, and the winning pieces will be played by us next year!

We invite you to be part of the audience at an open rehearsal at Bunjil Place on Sunday,19 February 2023 from 12.00pm where YOU can help us choose the winners! Be the first to hear brand new orchestral works by local composers at this unique and FREE event - BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL.

To book: https://tickets.bunjilplace.com.au/8022 For more info: www.cpo.org.au

1. A piano has how many keys?

The largest and lowest instrument of the string family is the…

Which local community orchestra has just celebrated its 5th birthday?

The principal violinist in an orchestra is called the…

Which large orchestral drums can be tuned to different pitches?

Which renowned work by Carl Orff did CPO perform in 2019? 7. Which classical era composer continued to write despite becoming deaf? 8. A half-size flute is called a… 9. CPO’s logo is a______ spiral. 1.88, 2.Double Bass, 3.CPO, 4.Concertmaster, 5.Timpani, 6.Carmina Burana, 7.Beethoven, 8.Piccolo, 9.Fibonacci

Our 2023 Season

Composer’s Competition 2023

Sunday, 19 February from 12pm. Bunjil Place, Narre Warren

Hear brand new orchestral works conducted by the composers themselves at an open rehearsal. THIS IS A FREE EVENT BUT BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL. Reserve your seat at https://tickets.bunjilplace.com.au/8022

Stolen Works of Art

Sunday, 30 April – 2.30pm and 6.30pm. Bunjil Place, Narre Warren

Classical music has been used to pitch just about everything over the years. We reveal how the music of the masters has been pilfered for use in TV, film and advertising Trips down memory lane and ear worms guaranteed! TWO SHOWS!

Villains and Superheroes

Sunday, 30 July – 2.30pm. Bunjil Place, Narre Warren

There will be costumes galore at this event as we play big themes from the big screen, with representation from both the DC and Marvel Universes: think Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Avengers, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy and their adversaries alongside many others at this blockbuster performance!

CPO presents Halloween

Sunday, 29 October – 2.30pm. Bunjil Place, Narre Warren

Come dressed as your favourite ghoul and join CPO as we play all your blood-curdling classical favourites and a selection of creepy tunes from TV and film such as Ghostbusters, The Addams Family, Nightmare before Christmas, Harry Potter and Phantom of the Opera – an afternoon of spine-chilling music that’s sure to be a treat!

*USE CODE CPOXMASOFFER FOR $5 OFF EVERY TICKET PURCHASEDANY TICKET TO ANY 2023 SHOW! Offer expires 11.59pm 24 December 2022.

Maurice Ravel

Ma Mère l’Oye

Mother Goose Suite

Mother Goose was originally written as a suite of five piano pieces, which were intended as a duet for young children. Written between 1908-1910, Ravel’s publisher convinced him to arrange the suite for orchestra, the version we will perform this evening. A further expanded version was premiered in 1912 as a ballet.

Each of the five pieces is inspired by a French fairy tale, and Ravel tries to convey one image or scene from each of these stories (which is called a tableau). The five pieces that comprise the suite are:

1.Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty

A pavane is a slow, processional dance that was common in the sixteenth century. In more recent compositions, this has sometimes been associated with mourners at a deathbed. This piece represents Sleeping Beauty as she lays in an enchanted slumber. The opening features muted horn and flute, and then the melody moves to muted violins, flute then clarinet and cor anglais, before returning to the violins. The harp provides gentle chords in the background.

2. Little Tom Thumb

Tom Thumb wanders through the woods searching fruitlessly for breadcrumbs. An irregular melody played by violins, oboe and cor anglais depicts this frustrated wandering. Birds characterised by flute and piccolo twitter above, and swoop down to steal the breadcrumbs from under him. Later the irregular melody returns on bassoon and then flute.

3. Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas

Written in early twentieth century ‘Oriental’ style, this piece depicts an oriental princess

Ravel, 1925

Laideronnette, and the tiny ‘pagodas’ (miniature people like munchkins) who run around playing music on small percussion instruments. Laideronnette has been cursed with ugliness, but a green serpent in the middle section of this piece magically turns into a prince who restores her beauty and marries her.

The woodwind section of the Laideronnette score showing the opening solo line played on piccolo (petite flûte in French, abbrev. Pte Fl.). It is written using notes of the pentatonic scale, a five-note scale frequently associated with the sound of music from Asia (in contrast to the seven-note scale used in western music). Being limited to this group of notes automatically gives the line an ‘oriental’ flavour which assists in Ravel’s musical depiction of this story.

4. Conversations of Beauty and the Beast

A waltz melody played by the clarinet represents Beauty as she admires herself in her mirror. A series of rumblings on the contrabassoon (played today on bass clarinet) represent the Beast, faint with despair over Beauty’s rejection of him. Their conversation grows to a loud climax before a solo violin line represents Beauty’s kiss as she decides to marry the Beast.

5. The Enchanted Garden

This piece has been described as the musical equivalent of a watercolour painting! Dawn is breaking, as Prince Charming enters the enchanted forest where Sleeping Beauty lies. Birds sing, and he stoops to awake her with love’s first kiss. The piece culminates in a beautiful fanfare and bells, signalling the wedding of Beauty and her Prince Charming.

Paul Dukas

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Inspired by Goethe’s poem of the same name, this piece describes the misadventures of a sorcerer’s apprentice. This symphonic poem (a piece of music that tells a story) was made famous by Disney’s Fantasia animated feature film (1940), with Mickey Mouse starring as the apprentice. The sorcerer departs the scene on errands, leaving his apprentice with strict instructions to clean the workshop He discovers his master’s magic and decides to use it to get a broom to carry water from the nearby stream. When the enchanted broom has finally brought enough water, he tries - but fails - to stop it bringing any more. In a panic he chops the broom in half, but now two brooms bring water and soon the place is flooded. Chaos threatens to engulf the workshop, but the sorcerer arrives in the nick of time to stop the brooms, and then delivers four quick blows to the apprentice as punishment for using magic without permission.

The mystery of the sorcerer’s house is described at the start by shimmering strings, and the magic is announced by trumpets. The bassoons then play the main theme - one of the most famous solos in the orchestral bassoon repertoire - which represents the broom coming to life

Dukas, date unknown

Programme notes prepared by Dr Vicki Ware, October 2022

Why do orchestral musicians so often wear black?

It might be a tad boring - and not at all like a pop or rock concert with its multitude of costume changes - but there’s typically an awful lot of black clothing on stage when classical music is being played. But why?

Historically when orchestras performed in aristocratic households, players wore a uniform (like staff), commonly black-tie. Black and white dress was viewed as tidy but understated. As classicfm.com puts it, ‘orchestra players wear black because the audience wants to pay attention to the music – not them. Many classical music lovers believe that there should be absolutely nothing to distract from the music, not even the performers themselves.’

Having said that, if you’ve been to CPO concerts recently, you would know that we love getting into the spirit of the music we’re playing, and that includes what we wear. We like to think that, when appropriate, our acronym ‘CPO’ could also denote the ‘Costumed Philharmonic Orchestra’

Photo by Yanni

Hannah Hunt BASSOON

Hannah has lived in the small country town of Winchelsea for most of her life. Starting music in her first year of high school, she quickly found a love for writing music and playing instruments. Throughout her years of high school, she has arranged many pieces for the school’s bands and ensembles, her favourite ensemble being the BHS Double Reeds. In 2017 and 2020 she was a finalist in the Fanfare competition. She now attends Monash University studying performance on bassoon, her primary instrument, and hopes to one day be either a composer or to play in an orchestra full time.

Photo by Yanni

Kent Ross ~ Resident Conductor

Kent is a published composer, conductor, musical theatre director, arranger and music educator from Melbourne, Australia. He has a Master of Music from Box Hill College of Music where he specialised in conducting. He also holds a Bachelor of Music (ACU) in classical piano and choral conducting as well as a Bachelor of Music in Composition (Box Hill). Kent has been with Casey Philharmonic Orchestra since 2017 – he is currently the orchestra’s Vice President and was appointed CPO’s Resident Conductor in 2019. Kent has been nominated multiple times for ‘Best Musical Director’ by the Lyrebirds and the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria. He is also the Music Director of Spark Productions, and the Chief Conductor of the Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra.

Alexander Vengerovski ~ Guest Conductor

Alexander (B Mus (Moscow), Master of Music - Conducting (Melbourne)) has been a professional musician all his life, training at the Russian Academy of Music in Moscow under Professor Schteiman. Before that he attended the Kharkov Special Music School in the Ukraine, studying violin and percussion. Prior to his move to Australia in 1999, he was the Principal Percussionist of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. Alex has performed as a soloist and as an orchestra member in more than fifty countries. His orchestra involvement in Australia includes engagement with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, POPS orchestra and others, including as founder and director of the Melbourne Classic Orchestra, and as music director of Dandenong Ranges Orchestra.

Julia Chen ~ Concertmaster

Julia started learning the violin at the age of five. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in China, Master of Music degree from ANU under the guidance of Tor Fromyhr, and Doctorate Musical Arts degree in the US. As a student, Julia won several competitions/scholarships including the National Orchestra Scholarship from ANU and graduate concerto competition during her doctoral study. She has performed with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Symphony Orchestra (USA), and Chongqing Youth Symphony Orchestra (China), and played as concertmaster at Carnegie Hall and the National Centre of Performing Arts in China. Julia currently lives and works in Berwick.

Guest Conductor – Alexander Vengerovski

Violin 1

Julia Chen (concertmaster)

Janice Lim

Jeremy Lim

Hasini Senadheera

Beth Melton

Nandhinee Pragash Jinke Song

Violin 2

Johnny Chen

Gerard Tan

Moya Cummings Ana Monsanto Igor Sorkin Katelyn Cai (Xiao)

Viva Nguyen Emily King

Viola

Damien Melis

Rebecca Cottman Bill Wang Bill Vrijens

Cello

John Ferwerda

Michael Bonsall

Cate-Linne Fraser

Double Bass

Philip McCahy

Declan Coleman

Mae Ovenden-Lloyd

Flute/Piccolo

David Jones

Kristy Stafford

Judith Carpenter

Oboe

John Blyth

Samantha Jones Clough

Clarinet

Belinda Bolger

Claire Rainey Rosemary Smith Sarah Garnish Bassoon Hannah Hunt Hannah Hine Matthew Chipman

Trumpet

Paul Berger

Nithiya Pathmasiri

Peter Grant

French Horn

Sarah Webster

Callum O'Connor

Kim Alford

Trombone

Quinn Kellock Anthony Ware Michael Couche

Tuba Colin Harrison

Keyboard

Elizabeth Sutherland

Timpani

Dan Simpson

Percussion

Kim Alford

Ethan Gallagher

Jeremy Bond