Virtuosi Tasmania Inc

Nov 27

Dec 4

'Cascades', Koonya,
Home Hill Winery, Ranelagh
'Mountford', Longford

All Vivaldi

All Vivaldi

Soprano Jane Edwards and flautist Lloyd Hudson who will perform in our all Vivaldi program at the end of Nov and early Dec.

Concerto for Strings and Continuo in G, RV 151 'Concerto alla rustica'
I Presto II Adagio III Allegro
A brilliant example of late-Baroque contrapuntal style, it was probably composed for highly skilled players.

Motet RV 630 - Nulla in mondo pax sincera
Roughly translated, 'In this world there is no honest peace'. Scored for soprano, 2 violins, viola and basso continuo. The first aria featured in the 1996 film Shine, sung by Jane Edwards.

Flute Concerto Op 10, No 5 in F RV 434
I Allegro ma non tanto II Largo e cantabile III Allegro
The set of 6 concertos, Op 10, were among the first flute concertos ever composed. Though not published until 1728, their vivacious style dates from his earlier period at the orphanage at the Piet.

Vedro con mio diletto ('What pleasure it will give me') - from Il Giustino, RV 717 Il Giustino is an opera in 3 Acts, composed in 1724 for the Teatro Capranico in Rome

Flute Concerto Op 10, No 6 in G RV 437
I Allegro II Largo III Allegro

In furore lustissimae irae - Motet RV 626
This Motet dates from the 1720s.
Aria 'In fury of most just wrath you show your divine power'
Recitativo - Miserationum pater piissime
Aria: Tunc meus fletus
Alleluia

L-R: Chris Nicholas, Jane Edwards, Michael Patterson, Elinor Levy, Lloyd Hudson, Stephen Martin, Dale Brown, Andrew Bainbridge. Photograph by Paul Schwamm. Courtesy of The Country Courier Newspaper.

The Performers

Jane Edwards, soprano, Lloyd Hudson, flute, Elinor Levy, Chris Nicholas, violins, Michael Patterson, viola, Dale Brown, cello, Stephen Martin, double bass, Andrew Bainbridge, keyboard.

View a sample of the concert below and read Elizabeth Ruthven's review from Wednesday's Mercury 30/11/2011.

Oct 8
Oct 9

Town Hall, Longford
Palias Theatre, Franklin

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus (TSO Chorus)

Virtuosi Tasmania tours the TSO Chorus

Virtuosi Tasmania had fabulous and successful weekend touring the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus with the above program. The TSO Chorus wowed record audiences at Longford and Franklin giving a display of choral music second to none. The concert featured favourites like Handels Hallelujah Chorus and Vivaldi's Gloria as well as the delightful Huntsman Chorus of Weber and the Ascot Chorus of Lerner and Loewe. Don't take our word for it, read Elizabeth Ruthven's Review from the Mercury on our Reviews page.

The TSO Chorus

Chorus Master, June Tyzack; Repetiteur, Karen Smithies

The TSO Chorus at home in the Federation Concert Hall, Hobart.

Enjoy the following clips.

Vivaldi's Gloria in excelsis Deo performed at the Palais Theatre, Franklin.

Verdi's Va pensiero from Nabucco. This and the clip below was performed from the beautifully restored Longford Town Hall

The Geographical fugue of Ernst Toch, arr by TSO Chorus Master June Tyzack. How many of these Tasmanian towns have you visited?

Aug 12
Aug 13
Aug 13
Aug 14

Meadowbank Estate, Cambridge
Milton Vineyard, Cranbrook
Tidal Waters Resort, St Helens
Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Burnie

Prokofiev and Mozart

Prokofiev and Mozart

Virtuosi Tasmania players; Dinal Woods, Will Newbery, Chris Waller, Brett Rutherford, Liz Gormley and Stephen Martin on the deck at Milton Vineyard. Image courtesy of Brett Martin.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

Quintet in G minor Op 39 for oboe, clarinet, viola and double bass

I Tema (Moderato)-Variation 1-Variation 2 II Andante energico III Allegro sostenuto ma con brio IV Allegro pesante V Allegro precipitato, ma con brio VI Andantino

Composed in 1924, this chamber work is derived from the ballet "Trapeze". The original inspiration came when a travelling troupe of players in Paris commissioned the work from Prokofiev. Having only 5 players immediately offered a challenge, but the resulting ballet rapidly fell into obscurity. Prokofiev re-worked the score into a 6-movement suite using the original instrumentation. The Quintet has a clear cut, somewhat astringent and acerbic character, using counterpoint in a neo-classical style. It contains elements in common with Stravinsky's "Histoire du soldat" and as well as the music of the Paris-based avant-garde group of composers known as "Les Six".

Some features of interest from the 6 short movements include the 1st movement's theme and 2 variations, one slow, one fast, the bass solo in the 2nd movement and the unison rhythmic passages and oboe and clarinet solos in the 3rd movement. The 4th movement has a more mysterious feel while the 5th has string pizzicatos and cheekily good-humoured comments from the winds. The final movement brings a jaunty andantino with flowing lyrical passages set against gently rocking rhythmic patterns, finishing with emphatic interjections from the strings.

The performers

Liz Gormley, viola, Will Newbery viola, Brett Rutherford, cello, Stephen Martin, double bass, Chris Waller, clarinet and Dinah Woods, oboe.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Oboe Quartet in F major, K 370

I Allegro II Adagio III Rondeau: Allegro

In early 1781 Mozart was in Munich completing his opera Idomeneo. He had previously met the oboist Friedrich Ramm who played in the Munich Orchestra of the Elector of Bavaria. Having renewed their acquaintance, Mozart decided to compose this quartet for him.

Ramm was noted for his virtuoso technique as well as the expressiveness and beauty of his playing. Mozart wrote the work with the intention of giving full rein to Ramm's qualities while avoiding overt display.

The scoring is for oboe, violin, viola, and cello. Of the 3 movements, the short adagio, in particular, is full of feeling. In the rondo finale there is a remarkable passage filled with tension when the oboe plays 4/4 time while the accompaniment continues in 6/8. At the very end the oboe plays in the high range of the instrument before concluding in a spirit of good cheer.

The performers

Dinah Woods, oboe, Liz Gormley, violin, Will Newbery, viola, Brett Rutherford, cello.

Stop Press: Enjoy the circus fun

Here is snippet from the Prokofiev played at Tidal Waters Resort, St Helens on August 13.

When listening to this quintet it may help to think of a Chagall painting or of activities associated with an early circus. The first movement conjures up images of the arrival of circus wagons and spruikers coming to a Russian Jewish village. If that does not do it for you do what the audience at the Burnie Art Gallery was able to do and enjoy the Garry Nichols painting "Many Faces of Lindsay Kemp" coincidently on display next to the musicians.

'Many Faces of Lindsay Kemp' by Tasmanian born Garry Nichols. Courtesy Garry Nichols.

July 15
July 16
July 16

Meadowbank Estate, Cambridge
Hans Vonk Music House, Spreyton
Aspect Tamar Valley Resort, Grindewald

Camille Saint Saëns Septet and Felix Mendelssohn Sextet

Camille Saint Saëns Septet and Felix Mendelssohn Sextet

Yoram Levy, trumpet player in Saint Saëns Septet in the Virtuosi July concert

Camille Saint Saëns (1835-1921)

Septet for trumpet, piano and strings, Op 65

I Preamble II Menuet III Intermede IV Gavotte and Finale

Composed in 1881, this delightful piece is unaccountably rarely heard today. The scoring for trumpet, piano and string quartet is unusual and probably resulted from the fact that the work was commissioned by a Paris music society called "La Trompette". Having edited an edition of the works of Baroque composer Jean- Philippe Rameau (1683 - 1764), Saint Saëns was inspired to cast the work in the form of a Baroque suite.

The opening "Preamble" has a jaunty march and includes a fugato section. The movement concludes in a mood of Baroque splendour, accompanied by cascading measures on the piano. The "Menuet" features another, but quicker, march theme at the start with a contrastingly sweet waltz for the trio. The long breathed and expressive "Intermede" follows. The "Gavotte and Finale" is in 18th century dance mode. Eventually, the strings and piano commence a rapid fugato with the trumpet joining in a rush to the finish.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Sextet in D major for piano and strings, Op 110

I Allegro vivace II Adagio III Minuetto: Agitato IV Allegro vivace

Unlike Mozart, Mendelssohn's achievements in many of his earlier works as a child prodigy have only recently been more fully appreciated. His Piano Sextet dates from 1824 when he was in his mid teens and its teeming energy reflects the influence of Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826). Unusually, the strings feature a second viola in addition the violin, viola, cello and double bass, giving a fuller middle register to the sound balance.

The first performance took place at one of the Mendelssohn family's popular Sunday morning concerts but the work was not published until 1868, more than 20 years after the composer's death!

Highpoints are the combination of elegance and bustle in the first movement and the originality of D minor Minuet, marked Agitato and in 6/8 rhythm, with a trio in F major.

The performers

Rohanna Brown, Liz Gormley (violins), Janet Rutherford and Liz Gromley (violas),Brett Rutherford(cello) Stephen Martin (double bass), Lynette Smith (piano, Yoram Levy (trumpet)

Apr 29
Apr 30
May 1
May 1

Home Hill Winery, Ranelagh
St Mary's Church, Kempton
Holy Trinity Church, Cressy
Hans Vonk Music House, Spreyton

Mozart String Quintet - Divertimento

Mozart String Quintet - Divertimento

Virtuosi Tasmania has received many requests over the years, for an 'All Mozart' concert. Happily we can report that our upcoming concerts on April 29, 30 and May 1 will satisfy those demands.

Mozart has provided the world with a wealth of great chamber music. Two masterpieces have been chosen for our concerts during the last weekend in April this year.

His String Quintet No 4 in G minor, K. 516, was composed a year before the famous Symphony No 40 in G minor K. 550. The Quintet can be seen as a precursor to that great symphony, beginning with a similar somber mood of mystery culminating with a triumphant finale.

While the String Quintet can be seen as a product of Mozart's mature years, he was 31 and died at 35, his Divertimento in F major, K. 138, was written in 1771 when he was just 15. He wrote this just after a tour of Italy with his father where he had obviously soaked up the 'Italian Style'. The Divertimento bursts with that Italian brilliance, light and charming, but in the hands of a genius - a masterpiece!

L - R Stephen Martin, Michael Patterson, Chris Nicholas, Chris Cartlidge, Ivan James and Jessica Bell.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)

String Quintet No 4 In G minor, K. 516

I Allegro II Menuetto: Allegretto III Adagio ma non troppo IV Adagio - Allegro

Composed in May 1787, shortly after the great C major Quintet K 515, the String Quintet No 4 in G minor, K. 516, is scored for the standard string quartet with an added viola part. Like the famous Symphony No 40 in G minor K. 550, which came a year later, the Quintet is permeated with a feeling sadness and foreboding.

In the first movement allegro, this mood is reflected in the choice of the G minor key for both themes through to the unresolved close, still in the minor key. The second movement minuet is a wilder and agitated G minor, with a central trio in a contrastingly bright G major.

The sorrowful mood is further intensified in the third movement adagio with its slow tempo and almost despairing atmosphere. The opening few minutes of the final movement dispense with initial expectations of a conventionally fast finale. Instead, a G minor cavatina of dirge-like character takes hold, only to be suddenly abandoned for a G major allegro full of brightness and a release from the prevailing gloom.

Divertimento in F major, K. 138

I Allegro II Andante III Presto

In December 1771, Mozart and his father returned to Salzburg following two journeys to Italy. The 15-year-old composer had been energized and greatly impressed by Italy and its music. Shortly after his return, he composed three works for string instruments. It is not clear that Mozart intended the use of the term 'Divertimento' and the three works, K 136-138, are sometimes misleadingly referred to as 'Salzburg symphonies'. They are scored for violins, violas and basses and, though generally performed by string orchestras, the style suggests solo rather than orchestral music. For this reason, they are best considered as the precursors of the string quartets.

The Divertimento in F major is the third of the set and is in three movements.

The fast outer movements frame a beautiful slow movement and the whole piece is pervaded by Italian charm.

The performers

Chris Nicholas, Daniel Kossov (violins), Jessica Bell, Michael Patterson (violas),Ivan James (cello)and Stephen Martin (double bass)

13 Mar
19 Mar
20 Mar

Devonport Regional Art Gallery
Fosters, Koonya
Home Hill Winery, Ranelagh

Haydn and Schumann Quartets

Haydn and Schumann Quartets

L - R: Laura Thomson, Rohana Brown, violins, William Newbery, viola and Dale Brown, cello

Virtuosi Tasmania's March concerts will feature players who appear on its latest CD, Virtuosi Tasmania MENDELSSOHN BEETHOVEN, reviewed in glowing terms by Peter Donnelly in The Mercury recently.

Laura Thomson, Rohana Brown, violins, William Newbery, viola and Dale Brown, cello will perform two wonderful string quartets, Haydn's Quartet No 25 in C major, Op 20, No 2 and Schumann's Quartet No 2 in F Major, Op 41.

Haydn is generally regarded as the father of the string quartet. His six quartets of Op 20 are considered to be pivotal in the development of a major musical form that has remained relevant to the present day.

In Schumann's string quartets one can hear the full-flowering of the romantic period as he brings all of his passionate temperament to this great form.

Also on the program is a new piece for string quartet by a young Tasmanian composer, Angus Davison. A short, very approachable piece, written specifically for these musicians. This will be its world premiere.

Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

String Quartet No 25 in C Major, Op 20, No 2 (1772) Hob 111: 32

I Moderato II Capriccio: Adagio III Minuet: Allegretto IV Fuga a quattro soggetti

The six quartets of Haydn's Op 20 mark a crucial phase in his development of the string quartet. The basic techniques of composition used in these works were to become the template for two centuries of musical development in the form. A principal and innovative feature was the equal partnership between the four players resulting in a musical conversation.

Op 20, No 2 opens with a cello solo with the other players accompanying discretely, though all the instruments, including the viola, have solo passages in the course of the movement. The music itself is very chromatic.

Following a unison statement, the cello again takes the opening theme of the Adagio 2nd movement. Dramatic contrasts ensue along with cantabile passages. The minuet is again chromatic with a theme that features bagpipe-like sounds, and a melody in the second section growing out of a descending chromatic scale from the first violin. The fugal finale has four subjects and ends with cascading sixteenth notes.

Angus Davison (1993 -

Aeolus

This short work was written for this ensemble by emerging Tasmanian composer Angus Davison. The title, Aeolus' is the name given by the ancient Greeks to the God of The Winds. The piece is not written in separate segments or movements; rather it is one gradually morphing line of music from beginning to end. This non-compartmentalised form assists in creating a smooth, flowing effect.

Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)

String Quartet No 2 in F Major, Op 41 (1842)

I Allegro vivace II Andante quasi variazioni III Scherzo: Presto. Trio: L'istesso tempo IV Allegro molto vivace

Though not generally considered among his greatest works, Schumann's three String Quartets are highly individual, if pianistically conceived, and in sympathetic hands can be very rewarding. They were composed quickly in the period from 4 June to 22 July 1842 following his wife Clara's return to Leipzig after a brief separation.

The String Quartet No 2, Op 41 starts without any introduction. A memorable F major melody in 3/4 dominates the opening movement with little actual development and no second theme.

The second movement is a theme and four variations, the opening A flat major melody returning virtually intact towards the end to announce a delightful coda.

The fast scherzo, in C minor, features arpeggios in 6/8 with a humorous cello theme for the trio.

The rondo finale, again in F major, elaborates further on the witty and offbeat spiccato textures of the trio from the scherzo.

The performers

Laura Thomson, Rohana Brown, violins, William Newbery, viola and Dale Brown, cello

L - R: Laura Thomson, Rohana Brown, violins, William Newbery, viola and Dale Brown, cello playing in the Devonport Regional Art Gallery.

12 Feb
12 Feb
13 Feb

Milton Vineyard, Cranbrook
Clarendon House Barn, Evandale
Home Hill Winery, Ranelagh

Jazz: A Tribute to Dave Brubeck

Jazz: A Tribute to Dave Brubeck

Virtuosi Tasmania featured a concert of jazz in its last two Coal Valley Chamber Music Festivals. Both proved to be very popular, so much so that last year's concert at Pooley Wines in Richmond was a sellout. Many disappointed patrons were turned away. Since that time we have received a great many requests for another jazz program.

Bowing to this popular demand, A Tribute to Brubeck will be presented at Milton Vineyard, Cranbrook, near Swansea, then at the 'Clarendon House Barn' in Evandale on February 12 and the following day at Home Hill Winery in Ranelagh.

In the 1950s and 60s sophisticated ensembles such as The Dave Brubeck Quartet and The Modern Jazz Quartet were instrumental in taking jazz out of bars and nightclubs and into venues usually reserved for the performance of fine chamber music. It can be said that ensembles such as these established jazz as the chamber music of the twentieth century.

One of Tasmania's finest jazz musicians, Fred Bradshaw was greatly influenced by Paul Desmond the great alto saxophonist of the Brubeck Quartet. Desmond's beautifully lyrical, melodic style was the immediately recognisable sound of the Quartet.

Fred met Paul Desmond several times during the Quartet's tours to Australia and they became friends. Desmond was very impressed by Fred's playing and on one visit he presented Fred with a mouthpiece identical to his.

Through Fred, who will lead the ensemble, we have a direct connection to the great Dave Brubeck Quartet. A concert not to be missed.

The Program

• Blue Rondo a la Turk
• Far More Blue
• It's A Raggy Waltz
• In Your Own Sweet Way
• Three to get Ready
• The Duke
• Take Five
• Waltz Limp

All written by Dave Brubeck except for Take Five by Paul Desmond.

The performers

Fred Bradshaw, alto sax, Daniel Suzlberger, piano, Stephen Martin, bass, Mathew Ives, drums.

L - R: Daniel Suzlberger, Stephen Martin, Mathew Ives and Fred Bradshaw.

21 Jan
22 Jan
22 Jan

Home Hill Winery, Ranelagh
'Kennedia', Swansea
Hans Vonk Music House, Spreyton

Brahms and de Falla

Brahms and de Falla

Virtuosi Tasmania will open the 2011 season with a program of music from Johannes Brahms and Manuel de Falla. Considered one of Brahms' best chamber music pieces, the trio for horn, violin and piano will feature the brilliant playing of the TSO's principal horn, Wendy Page along with one of the orchestra's violin virtuosi, Yue Hong Cha and visiting pianist, Liya Dai. De Falla's Suite Populaire Espagnole for violin and piano, is a very beautiful and evocative exploration of the Spanish idiom and is the ideal vehicle for Yue Hong's artistry.

Our performers for the Brahms and De Falla concert in January. L-R Wendy Page, horn, Liya Dai, piano and Yue Hong Cha, violin.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Trio in E-Flat Major for Violin, Horn and Piano, Op. 40

I Andante II. Scherzo (Allegro) III. Adagio mesto IV. Allegro con brio

For more information visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_Trio_%28Brahms%29

Manuel de Falla (1876-1946))

Suite populaire espagnole (6 songs arr. for violin and piano, from 7 Canciones populares españolas

1. El paño moruno
2. Nana
3. Canción
4. Polo
5. Asturiana
6. Jota

For more information visit http://www.answers.com/topic/suite-populaire-espagnole-for-violin-piano-arr-from-popular-spanish-songs-by-kochanski

The performers

Yue Hong Cha, violin, Wendy Page, french horn, Liya Dai, piano.