Australia House Ensemble present in association with the Tait Memorial Trust Tait Tuesdays at Home

Night

The Patron

HE the Hon George Brandis QC

&Day

Australian High Commissioner to the UK

AUSTRALIA HOUSE ENSEMBLE The Founder

PATRON His Excellency, the Hon George Brandis QC, High Commissioner for Australia in the UK Ensemble Lead: Rebecca Chan

Online Concert, June 23rd 2020 For Tait Tuesdays @ Home to support the Tait Emergency Relief Fund for artists.

Thank you for joining us for this concert presented by AHE as part of the Tait Tuesdays @Home to raise needed funds to support the Emergency Relief Fund set up by the Tait Memorial Trust to support Australian and New Zealand musicians during these tough times.

Rebecca, Ensemble Lead, observes that “music has the power to bring solace in times of suffering, connectedness in times of isolation and to communicate in a universal language across borders and time. Many of us are currently far from loved ones or from home, and experiencing a sense of loss or loneliness. The pieces chosen for this concert ‘from Morning till Night’ reflect these sentiments, and also the hope that the future holds happier times”.

As always we bring you a range of music, including Australian composers, presenting old and new music from Irish Tune by Grainger to the exciting ‘Little Chrissietina's Magic Fantasy’ by composer Matthew Hindson, based in Sydney. Most of the works performed are favourites of the AHE musicians, such as the Hindson, favourite of Naoko, the violin solo from Prokofiev a favourite of Iona’s, the Bach organ work arranged for strings was chosen by Sascha, and Beethoven’s Cavatina by Rebecca.

Thank you to the wonderful AHE musicians, including new members The Programme Naoko Keatley (violin) and Jeremy Watt (double bass). We also welcome as guest soloist, Jeremy Kleeman, baritone. Enjoy this concert.

Dr Margaret Mayston AM, Founder AHE

Night & Day ‘Little Chrissietina's Magic Fantasy’ (Matthew Hindson 1968- ): Rebecca Chan and Naoko Keatley (violin duo).

Die Nacht (The Night) (Richard Strauss 1864-1949): Rebecca Chan (violin), Iona Allan (violin), Sascha Bota, (viola), Daniel Pini (cello), Jeremy Watt (bass). Baritone: Jeremy Kleeman Violin Sonata Op. 115 (Sergei Prokofiev 1891 -1953): Iona Allan, solo violin BWV 731: Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier (Johannes Bach 1685-1750): Rebecca Chan (Lead, violin), Iona Allan (violin), Sascha Bota, (viola), Daniel Pini (cello) Morgen (Morning) (Richard Strauss 1864- 1949): Rebecca Chan (Lead, violin), Sascha Bota, (viola), Daniel Pini (cello), Jeremy Watt (bass).

Baritone: Jeremy Kleeman Irish Tune from Country Derry. (Percy Grainger 1882 - 1961); Rebecca Chan, Naoko Keatley & Iona Allan (violins), Sascha Bota, (viola), Daniel Pini (cello), Jeremy Watt (bass).

Programme Notes ‘Little Chrissietina's Magic Fantasy’ (Matthew Hindson 1968- ): “The music of Matthew Hindson holds a special place in my heart, as I premiered his violin concerto with the Sydney Youth Orchestra (which I was a member of for many years) back in 2001. We toured around Denmark and Sweden with it, and several years later I recorded it with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in a disc that was released on the Trust label and is now available on Spotify and all major music platforms. I have tried to programme Matthew’s music into recitals when possible, as it offers something different to the listener. Matthew uses elements of techno and death metal in his music, and Little Chrissietina is no exception. The double stopped semiquavers in the 2nd violin part has a strong rhythmic drive, and sounds almost percussive with all the string crossings and interesting harmonies. Over this, the 1st violin has a syncopated repeated tune in a techno style. There is a virtuosic section in the middle that is improvisatory in style, before it returns to the repeated rhythms which continue unrelenting until the end”. Naoko Keatley 2020 Die Nacht (The night) (Richard Strauss 1864-1949) The German composer and conductor Richard Strauss (1864–1949) continued the tradition of Brahms, Wagner and Mahler. His understanding of the voice is exemplified not only in the more than 200 songs composed throughout his life but also in his operas. Jeremy Kleeman states:” Die Nacht was composed 9 years prior to Morgen, featuring evocative poetry by Austrian Hermann von Gilm depicting an ominous night which extinguishes all light, all colour, all flowers, and which the poet fears, could take away his love also”. Strauss manages to convey the manner in which the all-embracing power of night is stealing so mercilessly over everything: first by the a powerful (though gentle) rhythmic beat; and then by the minor seconds (two adjacent black and white notes put down together) which create the effect of merging two objects into one until they resolve into something else, musically as well as visually.

st

Cavatina from String Quartet no. 13 in B flat Op 130 (L van Beethoven, 1770-1827): Rebecca Chan (Lead, violin), Naoko Keatley (violin), Sascha Bota, (viola), Daniel Pini (cello)

Violin Sonata Op. 115 (Sergei Prokofiev 1891 -1953): Iona plays the 1 movement of 3.

It was commissioned by the Soviet Union's Committee of Arts Affairs as a pedagogical work for talented violin students. It was originally designed to be played not by one soloist but by multiple young performers in unison. It was one of Iona’s favourite pieces to play when she was at the Queensland Conservatorium and she describes it “as a piece to develop and improve technique, it’s become a unique and fun performance piece. The work is full of joy, lyricism, and playfulness, making it a favourite of mine to play.” Iona Allan 2020.

BWV 731: Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier (Johannes Bach 1685-1750): Like other chorale settings this piece show Bach’s great grasp of harmony and its expressive capabilities even at an early stage of development – the “Liebster Jesu” setting is hardly more than a harmonization, but what exquisite harmonies. Bach’s setting of “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier” (Blessed Jesus, at Thy Word) is based on the tune found in The Hymnal 1982 #440. The work is a fine illustration of the ornamented chorale that was prevalent during Lutheran church services during Bach’s time. This piece was chosen by Sascha.

Morgen (Morning) (Richard Strauss 1864- 1949): Jeremy Kleeman: Morgen is one of Richard Strauss’s most famous pieces, composed as part of a set of songs written as a wedding present for his wife Pauline. With poetry by John Henry Mackay, the uplifting yet melancholy message, ‘and tomorrow the sun will shine again and reunite us’ feels ever more poignant at this time and was a real privilege to sing with this beautiful string arrangement. Strauss in fact also intended the piece to be performed by strings, with arrangements for solo violin and orchestra. In this recording I am also celebrating my reunion with the Royal College of Music practice rooms which have only just opened, allowing me to sing again with freedom.

Irish Tune. (Percy Grainger 1882 - 1961): Peter Tregear writes: 'Danny Boy' may have become a kind of unofficial Irish anthem but the words were in fact penned by a Somerset-based solicitor, Frederic Weatherly, in 1910. And although the tune itself was most definitely Irish, it first became famous through the efforts of an Australian, Percy Grainger. His remarkable arrangement from 1902 of what was then still only known as a wordless "Irish Tune from County Derry" embeds the sweeping melody into a complex texture of the most exquisite countermelodies that altogether serve, as Grainger himself once put it, to 'rend the heart with chords.'

Cavatina from String Quartet no. 13 in B flat Op 130 (L van Beethoven, 1770-1827): Music has the ability to transcend language, time and space to express the deepest truths of the human spirit. For me, this finds its pinnacle in the late music of Beethoven, which, as a commentary, an expose on the fallibility of musical language itself, manages to convey that inexpressible beauty and tragedy that shimmers in the chasm between language and meaning, between truth and word. The Cavatina from the op.130 quartet embodies this poignancy, the almost ecstatic anguish of suppressed agony that comes from not having the means to truly express emotion. At one point the first violin line seems choked up, heart full, hesitant, trying but failing to get the words out, and here Beethoven writes the marking ‘beklemmt’ (oppressed, heavy hearted).

The Cavatina was one of the works included on the ‘golden record’ sent on the Voyager spacecraft, representative of the greatest achievements of humanity. Rebecca Chan 2020

Ensemble Lead

The Ensemble:

Rebecca Chan was born in Melbourne, Australia, and studied violin at the Australian National Academy of Music and Sydney Conservatorium and Melbourne University, where she also completed degrees in Medicine and Arts. She was winner and two time finalist in the string section of the ABC Young Performers awards, winner of the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition and the ANAM concerto competition and a prize winner at the International Citta di Brescia Violin Competition. Rebecca was a member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra from 2010-2015; guest concertmaster with the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Western Australian Symphony Orchestra; guest principal second violin with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Camerata Bern and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Also a member of the Australian World Orchestra, core member and guest director of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and currently Associate Leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra London.

Iona Allan (Violin): Queensland born. Is a 2019 postgraduate of the RCM, where she graduated with a Master of Performance.

Iona is currently pursuing a freelance career in both modern and historical performance in the UK and plays professionally with a variety of orchestras including the Ulster Orchestra and the London Contemporary Orchestra. She also plays regularly with historical ensembles and has worked with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Iona was winner of the 2016 Ena Williams Award for PG study Overseas in 2016 & the 2018 Boconnoc Chamber Music Award with The Kandour Quartet. She played for the premiere of This House (Chindamo) at the Centenary of Australia House 2018 and the subsequent recording.

Naoko Keatley (Violin): Began violin at the age of four, and made her first appearance as a soloist with an orchestra at age of eight, playing Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins with Henry Pisarek and the Sydney Youth Orchestra. In 2001, Naoko was awarded a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied with Diana Cummings and Maurice Hasson. Naoko was a Tillett Trust Young Artist Platform award winner in 2008, and through this made her debut appearance at the Wigmore Hall to great acclaim. As a member of the London Symphony Orchestra, she regularly performs at the Barbican and on tour around the world. She has a busy freelance career and appears regularly as Principal with the Australian World Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and many other orchestras in the UK. Naoko’s recording of the Hindson Violin Concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra can be found on Spotify and other music platforms under her maiden name, Naoko Miyamoto.

Sascha Bota (Viola): Born in Timisoara Sascha has recently relocated to London after spending 5 years in Sydney as a member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist, Sascha has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonia Banatul amongst others, around Europe and Australia including Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Spain, the Tonhalle Zürich, the Kunst- und Kongresshaus Luzern, the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Recital Centre.

Sascha has been playing as guest principal with a number of orchestras, as well as chamber music with the principals of the LSO and St.Martin in the Fields orchestra. In addition to chamber music, Sascha is also dedicated to jazz and other forms of improvised music and regularly appears at jazz concerts and festivals.

Daniel Pini (Cello): From Sydney, Daniel has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. He was born into a musical family and began cello at age 3.

After Sydney Conservatorium he moved to Germany for his Master’s degree with Claudio Bohórquez. Daniel has performed as a soloist with various orchestras in Australia and Germany and has played in music festivals in Australia, Germany, and Italy. In 2018, he won a Cello Fellowship with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and moved to London as a member of Southbank Sinfonia. He regularly performs in Germany and Italy, as well as with the Philharmonia Orchestra and his quartets.

Jeremy Watt (Double Bass): Having completed his undergraduate studies at the Queensland Conservatorium in 1999, Jeremy spent a few years working with both the Queensland Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, before emigrating to the United Kingdom in 2002.

Over the next 16 years he established himself in London's vibrant music scene, on stage, in the recording studio and on the West End, enjoying particularly close ties with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

In 2018 Jeremy took up a Sub-Principal position with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's double bass section, where he continues to enjoy engaging and rewarding concerts and tours under their music director Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.

Guest Soloist:

Jeremy Kleeman (Baritone): Bass Baritone Jeremy Kleeman is the 2019 recipient of the Australian International Opera Award, joining the prestigious Opera School at the Royal College of Music, London for the 2019/20 season with further support from the Basil Coleman Opera Award, Tait Memorial Trust and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust.

Jeremy has sung principal roles with Opera Australia, State Opera of South Australia, Pinchgut Opera, Sydney Chamber Opera and Victorian Opera and featured on the concert platform with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Canberra Symphony Orchestra amongst others. Recent appearances on the concert platform include opera galas with Canberra and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3 and Handel’s Messiah with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Fauré’s Requiem with Royal Melbourne Philharmonic and J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Melbourne Bach Choir. In association with the RCM, Jeremy has sung an Apostle in Elgar’s Apostles with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and other roles including Ernesto in Il mondo della luna for which Music Omh wrote, “Jeremy Kleeman offers an incredibly warm, smooth and secure bass-baritone as Ernesto”. During this lockdown period, Jeremy’s neighbour has been quoted as saying that he has “a very strong voice” as he completes the Summer term online.

With special thanks to: Sascha Bota & Daniel Pini for the video production & James Hancock Operational Manager, AHE. Jame’s energy, enthusiasm and expertise are invaluable.

Thankyou James!

www.australiahouse-ensemble.com Creating opportunities to promote Australian musicians, singers and composers on the international stage.