From the Artistic Director

In recent correspondence about this and that with the wonderful young Perth pianist Jude Holland, we inevitably landed on Garrick Ohlsson. ‘I went a couple of years ago to hear him – his Chopin was mesmerising,’ Jude wrote. Indeed it was – as it was over 50 years ago when he picked up First Prize in the 1970 Chopin Competition, five years after Martha Argerich had done the same. Those competition performances launched a dazzling career that has defined Garrick as one of the great pianists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Those who attended Garrick’s tour for Musica Viva Australia in February/March 2020 – ill winds almost upon us – responded pretty much as Jude did. We didn’t know then how much we’d be starved of such artistry in the years to come, yet even so we recognised the magic in the air. I really wanted to cauterize those years of misfortune; bookending them with tours by Garrick seemed the best way of doing so.

I jokingly told Garrick that Liszt’s B minor Sonata was a young man’s game, when he said he’d like to program it; he quickly raised me one by saying that he’d also like to program Samuel Barber’s Piano Sonata, another punishing mountain to climb. Pairing him with the young Australian composer Thomas Misson for a new work commissioned by Stephen Johns in honour of his wife Michele’s birthday has been the icing on this rich, exquisite cake!

Paul Kildea Artistic Director Musica Viva Australia

Program 1

Franz SCHUBERT (1797–1828)

Interval

(1811–1886)

Thomas MISSON (b 1992)

(1872–1915)

Please ensure that mobile phones are turned to silent before the performance. Please save photography for the final applause only.

Adelaide | Melbourne (Tuesday) | Perth | Sydney (Saturday)

Program 2

Claude DEBUSSY (1862–1918)

Suite bergamasque, L. 75 (1905)

I Prélude

II Menuet

III Clair de lune (Moonlight)

IV Passepied

Samuel BARBER (1910–1981)

Piano Sonata in E-flat minor, Op. 26 (1949)

I Allegro energico (Fast and energetic)

II Allegro vivace e leggero (Fast, lively and light)

III Adagio mesto (Slow and sad)

IV Fuga: Allegro con spirito (Fugue: Fast and spirited)

INTERVAL

Thomas MISSON (b 1992)

Convocations (2023)

World premiere performances. Commissioned for Musica Viva Australia by Stephen Johns for his wife, Michele.

Frédéric CHOPIN (1810–1849)

Variations brillantes, Op. 12 (1833)

I Introduction. Allegro maestoso (Fast and majestic)

II Thème. Allegro moderato (Moderately fast)

III Variation 1

IV Variation 2. Scherzo (Light-hearted)

V Variation 3. Lento (Slow)

VI Variation 4. Scherzo vivace (Light-hearted and lively)

20 min

19 min

10 min

8 min

Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 4 (1828) 4 min

III Larghetto (A little slowly)

Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31 (1837)

11 min