Edgar Meyer with Camerata of St John's

ER A EY T S M A ’ ER N NE AR M H A G A JO SB ED H C ST RI IT F B W O

Brisbane Tue 21 Jul 7.30pm Conservatorium Theatre Queensland Conservatorium

qmf.org.au

MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR One of the greatest delights of being a festival director is to share with the world your passions…sometimes to realise long held dreams. Having Edgar Meyer come to Australia has been a dream of mine since I first heard him play on a recording of Bottesini’s Concerto for Double Bass, many years ago…and tonight he will play it live, right here in Brisbane.

As if that isn’t enough to give you goose bumps, he will also play his own Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra, all with the Camerata of St John’s…it just doesn’t get any better than this.

There are many events in this year’s QMF and I love them all ­— but I can’t be there for everything. If you’re reading this as you wait for Edgar to begin, look towards the front row — that guy with the huge grin leaning towards the stage in anticipation is me.

James Morrison am Artistic Director, Queensland Music Festival

EDGAR MEYER DOUBLE BASS

Hailed by The New Yorker as “...the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively un-chronicled history of his instrument”, Edgar Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship in combination with his gift for composition have brought him to the fore, where he is appreciated by a vast, varied audience. In 1994 Meyer became the first bassist to win the Avery Fisher Prize. His uniqueness in the field was recognized by a MacArthur Award in 2002.

As a solo classical bassist, Meyer can be heard on a concerto album with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra conducted by Hugh Wolff featuring Bottesini’s Gran Duo with Joshua Bell, Meyer’s own Double Concerto for Bass and Cello with Yo-Yo Ma, Bottesini’s Bass Concerto No. 2, Meyer’s own Concerto in D for Bass and Unaccompanied Cello Suites of Bach. In 2011 Meyer joined cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mandolinist Chris Thile, and fiddler Stuart Duncan for the Sony Masterworks recording “The Goat Rodeo Sessions” which was awarded the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.

One of his most recent compositions is the Double Concerto for Double Bass and Violin which received its world premiere July 2012 with Joshua Bell at the Tanglewood Music Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Other compositions of Meyer’s include a violin/piano work which has been toured

by Joshua Bell, and the Violin Concerto specifically commissioned for Hilary Hahn. In 2014 Meyer won his 5th Grammy Award for Bass and Mandolin with Chris Thile.

PROGRAM Andrew Mogrelia, Conductor Edgar Meyer, Double bass Camerata of St John’s

GRIEG

Holberg Suite, Op.40

BOTTESINI

Concerto No.2 in B Minor for Double Bass and Orchestra

GRISWOLD

Love to Love Your Strings, Baby!

DAVIDSON

Elegy from A Short Hour Unseen

PATTERSON

Breaza a la Camerata

MEYER

Concerto No.3 for Double Bass and Orchestra

PROGRAM NOTES EDVARD GRIEG Holberg Suite, Op.40 Praeludium Sarabande Gavotte Air Rigaudon In 2003 the University of Bergen in Norway instituted a prize to commemorate one of the city’s most famous sons, Ludvig Holberg (1684-1754). The Holberg Prize honours achievements in humanities, science, theology and law – all areas in which this extraordinary polymath excelled. Norway was, at the time of his birth, still a part of the Danish kingdom, and Holberg unsurprisingly spent much of his adult life in the capital, where he held the Chairs of Metaphysics and Logic, Latin Rhetoric and History at the University of Copenhagen. There he wrote scholarly works that remained in use for a century or more, and a number of successful plays. He also spent considerable periods abroad, notably in Rome and Oxford, and is credited as bringing the ideas of the Enlightenment back to Scandinavia. Holberg never married, but out of the considerable fortune he amassed he helped to transform the Sorø Academy from an aristocratic riding school into a new university.

For the bicentenary of Holberg’s birth, Grieg was commissioned to compose a cantata to be sung at the unveiling of a monument to the great man in Bergen. The resulting Holberg Cantata for baritone and male chorus, setting a text by Nordahl Rolfsen, was an onerous duty for Grieg who claimed to be writing ‘poor music’ but at least having some success fishing. But in a sudden jeu d’esprit, he composed a suite for piano of dances of the kind that Holberg might have known, though they are far from neo-Baroque pastiche.

These were performed at the time of the Holberg festivities in Bergen, and shortly thereafter Grieg made this version for string orchestra, which was published in Leipzig the following year.

The Praeludium contrasts a lively galloping rhythm with a simple melody of sighing motif from the violins. The minor-key Sarabande conforms to the Baroque model of a stately triple-time dance, though the passionately nostalgic harmonies, and warmly divided lower strings, might remind us of other works of Grieg. The elegant duple-time Gavotte is perhaps closer to the ‘source’ with its clear bass line and ornamental flourishes, and features lovely brief solos from the lower voices in the central section. The Air – the most substantial of the five movements – is perhaps Grieg’s answer to the work known popularly as Bach’s ‘Air on a G string’; its opening melody is constructed out of long notes that often finish with an ornamental figure while the orchestra provides a gently pulsating economy, occasionally building to an impassioned climax. A central section of fragments passed from one voice to another is punctuated by passages of ecstatic unison, before the opening melody is stated in the cellos and finally by the full band.

The finale, as in any Baroque suite, is a charming, lightweight fast dance, often a gigue. Grieg offers a Rigaudon, whose outer sections offer a kind of cross between a hornpipe and Norwegian Hardanger-fiddle music; characteristically, there is a soulful, melodic central section. © Gordon Kerry 2015

GIOVANNI BOTTESINI Concerto No.2 in B Minor for Double Bass and Orchestra Allegro moderato Andante Allegro Giovanni Bottesini was born in Crema in 1821, the son of Pietro Bottesini, a clarinetist and minor composer. Taught by his father, he showed an early aptitude for music, by the age of eleven having sung in choirs, played the timpani, and studied the violin. His career as a double bass player came about almost by accident in the following manner.

When he entered Milan Conservatory in 1835, he was given the choice of studying the bassoon or the double bass, those being the only instruments for which a scholarship was available. He chose the double bass and went on to become the greatest virtuoso of his age, perhaps of all time, on that instrument. One of his posts as principal bass was at the Teatro S. Benedetto in Venice, where he met Verdi and became a life-long friend.

His career, which included conducting and prolific composition as well as bass playing, took him all over Europe and the New World. He held as many as twelve positions as music director at different times, including the Italian Opera in Paris, the Teatro Bellini in Palermo, the Liceo Theatre in Barcelona, and the Promenade Concerts in Covent Garden.

As music director in Cairo, he conducted the premiere of Verdi’s “Aida” as part of the ceremonies at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1871, and he owed his last post, Director of the Parma Conservatory, to Verdi’s recommendation.

In addition to his twelve operas, various orchestral works, string quartets, a requiem, and an oratorio, he naturally wrote many pieces for the double bass, mostly in his earlier years, including this Concerto No. 2 in B minor. His virtuosity was such that he was nicknamed “the Paganini of the double bass,” and contemporary writings testify to his extraordinary agility, purity of tone and intonation, and exquisite phrasing.

ERIK GRISWOLD Love to Love Your Strings, Baby!

From the Composer Love to Love Your Strings, Baby! is an affectionate homage to disco strings. I’ve taken inspiration from Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra, from the New York, Philadelphia and many other symphony orchestras, and the many great arrangers who had a role in developing the disco sound. My piece takes motifs and fragments from the golden era of disco and weaves them together with my own original themes to present a fantasy montage. The title refers, of course, to the 1975 Donna Summer hit Love to love you, baby.

It was composed for, and is dedicated to the Camerata of St. John’s. Many thanks to the Australia Council for the Arts for their generous support.

About the Composer Eclectic composer-pianist Erik Griswold fuses experimental, jazz and world music traditions to create works of striking originality. Specializing in prepared piano, percussion and toy instruments, he has created a musical universe all his own that is “sincere” (neural.it), “playful” (igloo magazine), “colourful and refreshingly unpretentious” (Paris Transatlantic).

Since the late 1980s he has composed solo and chamber works for many adventurous performers in the U.S. and Australia, such as Margaret Leng Tan, Steven Schick, The Montreal-New York Quartet, Decibel, The Camerata of St. John’s, Ensemble Offspring, the Soundstream Collective, The Australian Voices, Either/Or Ensemble, Southern Cross Soloists, Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, Early Warning System, red fish blue fish, Speak Percussion, and many others.

ROBERT DAVIDSON Elegy from A Short Hour Unseen

Elegy was commissioned and first performed in 2000 by the Australian Youth Orchestra as part of a suite, A Short Hour Unseen. It is an attractive and popular work that has been used in film and theatre, with soaring overlapping melodies and an obsessive, ruminating triadic figure creating a sense of sweet melancholy. It is dedicated to the composer’s mother.

About the Composer Robert is a prolific composer, bassist, lecturer and founder and artistic director of Topology, the ensemble-in-residence at the Brisbane Powerhouse and a Key Organisation in the Australia Council’s funding structure. Robert’s compositions are regularly performed, recorded and broadcast around the world. All of Australia’s professional orchestras and many leading soloists and ensembles have commissioned and performed his works. He has received many commissions for major works from festivals including the Qld Music Festival, Brisbane Festival, Sydney Festival, Olympics Arts Festival, Castlemaine Festival and many others. With Topology he has released six CD albums and a DVD, and has directed numerous collaborations with artists including The Kransky Sisters, Gerry Connolly, Kate Miller-Heidke, Katie Noonan, Robert Forster, the Southern Cross Soloists, Misinterprotato and others.

MICHAEL PATTERSON Breaza a la Camerata This gyspy piece is dedicated to Camerata St John’s and is a nod to the Roumanian ‘breaza’ style.

About the Composer Michael Patterson is a violinist, music teacher and composer. He commenced his Bachelor of Music at UQ in 1995 and later graduated with a Master of Philosophy (Music).

As a violinist, Michael has performed professionally across a large range of musical genres and a variety of ensembles. These include performances with the North Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Topology, The Camerata of St Johns, Ensemble 1 and Doch. Michael’s performing experience with Doch tied in with his postgraduate studies at UQ Music.

Influenced by the rich musical heritage of the Balkan countries and regarded as one of Australia’s great world music bands, Doch released two albums and performed at major festivals. In 2010, Patterson established a new gypsy jazz group Laique. Laique released their first CD in 2010 and have performed at the 2010 Brisbane Cabaret Festival, 2010 Woodford Folk Festival and 2011 national Folk Festival in Canberra. Patterson moved to Hobart in 2011 and is working at the University of Tasmania as a teacher of jazz and contemporary violin. He is also playing viola with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and continues to perform with Laigue.

EDGAR MEYER Concerto No.3 for Double Bass and Orchestra From the Composer The first entrance of the solo bass occurs after a half minute of droning strings and questioning solo woodwinds. It is a seemingly declamatory entrance, shadowed by the solo oboe holding a long low E. After the bass huffs and puffs for 20 or 25 seconds, the oboe plays the music of interest (12 notes in 3 sub-phrases). A short bridge follows, and then the oboe plays the 12 (or 13, depending on how one counts) notes of interest one more time. This music is rarely played by the solo bass, but it is played often by the woodwinds and is fundamental to the organization of the piece.

The piece is played without pause, but it is really in three movements. The first movement which is around eight minutes, evolves into a solo bass bridge of a little more than a minute, turning into a slow second movement followed immediately by a quicker third movement. New ideas are gradually brought in throughout the second movement and the third movement brings essentially no new music, using ideas introduced in the first two movements.

My dear friend Bela Fleck was speaking to his banjo predecessor Earl Scruggs at some point previous about composition and the limits on one’s own voice. Bela’s best paraphrase of Earl’s thoughts; “Most folks just have a tune in them, maybe two”. I am still writing my tune, but doing my best to draw it out. All of my musical interests inform this piece, including most instrumental music that I am aware of, but I am interested in creating music outside of my current understanding. That is, after all, where a lot of the fun is.

ANDREW MOGRELIA CONDUCTOR Andrew Mogrelia has conducted many of Europe’s leading orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, and Slovak Philharmonic, among others. In Australia, Andrew has conducted the Queensland, Tasmanian and Canberra Symphony Orchestras and has conducted at the Canberra International Music Festival. Appointed Music Director and Principal Conductor in 2013, he has worked annually with Queensland Ballet since 2008.

He was Conductor-in-Residence at the Birmingham Conservatoire (UK) from 19922002, Co-Music Director of the Dutch National Ballet from 1992-1994 and Music Director and Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Ballet from 2003 to 2005. Andrew has also worked with English National Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.

Mongrelia has conducted at Paul Dean’s “tutti” youth music festival in Beijing in 2011 & 2013 and will return in 2017. His operatic repertoire includes Britten’s Albert Herring and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and he makes his debut with Opera Queensland in 2015.

His recording of Sleeping Beauty was named Best Recording by Gramophone Magazine. In 2014 he guest conducted with the RTE National Symphony in Dublin, Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Glasgow and the Tasmanian Symphony. He will conduct a concert program with the Queensland Symphony in 2015 as well as masterclasses at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and in 2016 returns to the Australian Ballet in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

CAMERATA OF ST JOHN’S Recently described in Limelight Magazine as an ensemble that is stylish, highly communicative and blessed with a sense of real enjoyment in their music making, Camerata of St John’s – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, has established itself as an ensemble of national significance. Founded by Elizabeth Morgan AM, this group of outstanding Australian string players performs without a conductor, and takes full ownership of the artistic process to provide a thriving, refreshing and acclaimed voice within the Australian musical landscape.

Camerata undertakes a major concert series in Brisbane and Toowoomba, tours its main-stage concerts and education programs throughout regional Queensland, and is a Company-in-Residence at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). In addition to the Queensland Music Festival, Camerata regularly performs at Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Tyalgum Festival, Festival of Tibet, and the group recently made critically acclaimed debuts at the Darwin Festival and the inaugural Brisbane Baroque Festival.

In 2014, the orchestra received the Queensland State Award for Performance of the Year in the APRA/AMC Art Music Awards for its performances of Iain Grandage’s music in Natalie Weir’s When Time Stops for Expressions Dance Company.

Violin Brendan Joyce* Jonny Ng** David Dalseno*** Sally-Ann Djachenko Helentherese Good Daniel Kowalik*** Paula Newcombe Nicholas Thin Jason Tong Allana Wales Viola Elizabeth Lawrence** Alice Buckingham Thomas Chawner*** Anna Colville

Flute Monika Koerner** Brijette Tubb Alto Flute Jodie Rottle** Bass Flute Josephine Lagerlow** Oboe Eve Newsome** Nicholas Donnelly Clarinet Ashley Smith** Rianne Wilshcut**

Cello Elizabeth Lawrence** Alice Buckingham Thomas Chawner*** Anna Colville

Bass Clarinet Paul Kopetz**

Double bass Marian Heckenberg** Chloe Williamson

Bassoon Glenn Prohasky** Evan Lewis

Contrabass Clarinet Nathaniel Ah Kit**

*Leader **Principal ***Orava Quartet – Camerata of St John’s Quartet-in-Residence

Contrabassoon John Myatt** French Horn Ysolt Clark** Renee Kennedy Cinzia Posega William Tanner Timpani Brent Miller** Percussion Francois Combermorel**

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PATRON His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC Governor of Queensland BOARD Athol Young Chair Prof. Rodney Wissler Deputy Chair Danielle Duell Helen Gluer Karen Hanna John Kenny Alison Mobbs Victoria Somlyay

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

EVENT TEAM Erica Hart Program Director Ken Francey Technical & Operations Director Katharina Bernard Project Coordinator

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James Morrison Artistic Director Nigel Lavender Executive Director

Presented by Queensland Music Festival and Brisbane City Council

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Photo Jim McGuire

Queensland Music Festival is an initiative of the Queensland Government