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CONCERT C7 CAMERATA OF ST. JOHN'S Sunday 4 September 2.30 pm With Camerata soloists and special guests: Kacey Patrick – soprano Philip Prendergast – tenor Gerard Mapstone – guitar Grieg Holberg Suite Opus 40 Tchaikovsky ‘A Legend' from Songs for Children Arensky Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky Opus 35a Tavener Dhyana for solo violin and strings Davidson ‘Elegy' from A Short Hour Unseen Suite Mexican trad. Mariachi music selections Kodály arr. G. Aitken Adagio for solo viola and strings Ann Carr-Boyd Tyalgum Dawn for soprano and string orchestra WORLD PREMIERE Sollima Violoncelles, Vibrez! Holberg Suite Opus 40 Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Praeludium Sarabande Gavotte Aria Rigaudon Despite the fact that Ludvig Holberg (1684-1754) lived most of his life in Denmark and was considered the father of Danish literature, his birthplace was Bergen, Norway and on the bicentenary of his birth, Norwegians heartily celebrated. Even as a resident of Denmark, Holberg recalled his childhood in his works and celebrated the time he spent there. Besides more than a dozen successful plays (several of them comedies), he wrote a history of his adopted country and published a collection of philosophical treatises. Notwithstanding his stronger relationship to Denmark, Norwegians were pleased to acknowledge Holberg, and Grieg, also a Bergen native, was one of those who directed the planning for the event. As early as 1878, he contributed a fee from his publisher toward the construction of a Holberg statue in Bergen. Further, he wrote two works, the first for male voices, Cantata for the Unveiling of the Holberg Memorial, and a second (of more lasting consequence) entitled From Holberg's Time: Suite in Olden Style. Grieg himself premiered the piano suite just days after the dedication of the memorial. Its great success led Grieg to score it for string orchestra the following year, and both versions enjoy enduring popularity. The suite in five sections was intended by Grieg to recall the dance suites that might have been heard during Holberg's lifetime, which roughly corresponded to the period of the late Baroque. The first section, marked Praeludium is of such simple radiance that it unforgettably imprints itself on the listener's consciousness. Its predominant cadence, a gently skipping motif, is heard in clusters of three, the second and third each descending a whole tone. The contrasting Sarabande moves soberly, reflectively, and with unfailing elegance. The Gavotte that forms the third section beguilingly trips over the course of its three minutes, yielding to the Andante religioso tempo of the Aria. The final section, a Rigaudon, returns the listener to the buoyant mood of the beginning prelude. Through each of the five sections, the level of invention is matched by a refinement and purity of feeling that marks this as among the most cherished short works of the late nineteenth century. 'A Legend' from Songs for Children Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) The first fifteen songs in this collection were composed in 1883, while the last was written two years earlier. The first fourteen come from a collection of poetry entitled "Snowdrop", by Alexei Plesheyev, a good if lesser-known Russian poet. The song A Legend tells of the Christ-child being crowned with a wreath of thorns by children who have "levelled all the flowers to the ground" in his garden. The music here is much more serious than in the previous songs, featuring a theme both noble and sad. 28
Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky Opus 35a Anton Arensky (1861-1906) Theme: Moderato Variation I: Un poco più mosso Variation II: Allegro non troppo Variation III: Andantino tranquillo Variation IV: Vivace Variation V: Andante Variation VI: Allegro con spirito Variation VII: Andante con moto Coda: Moderato Although composer Anton Arensky studied under Rimsky-Korsakov, his heartfelt and deeply lyrical music owes more to Tchaikovsky. In the slow movement of his String Quartet No 2, Opus 35 from 1894, Arensky wrote a tribute to the recently deceased Tchaikovsky in a set of variations based on a theme taken from Tchaikovsky's children's song 'A Legend', Opus 54/5. But the slow movement proved so popular at the string quartet's premiere that Arensky transcribed it later that same year for string orchestra as his Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky Opus 35a, and it has been his most popular piece ever since. The work is, like all of Arensky's music, essentially lyrical. After a statement of the theme, Moderato, the piece moves through seven variations and a coda that alternate between fast and slow music. While not the deepest work of the Russian Silver Age, Arensky's Tchaikovsky Variations offer well-composed and affecting music Dhyana for solo violin and strings John Tavener (1944) Dhyana (Meditation) and Song for Athene were both written in 2007, and both suggest a world of repose and contemplation. Both pieces are odes to the spiritual world, yet different by design if you like. Dhyana opens in an appropriately calm manner and arrives at a melodious conclusion. In this beautiful arrangement, the strings must demonstrate Tavener's immense ability to generate an atmosphere and mood by apparently spare and simple means. This piece is thoroughly satisfying, if rather short. 'Elegy' from A Short Hour Unseen Suite Robert Davidson (b. 1956) Australian composer, Robert Davidson studied composition with Terry Riley in 1995 following studies with Philip Bračanin at the University of Queensland. Since 1996, Davidson has directed the post classical quintet Topology, with whom he plays double bass. His works focus on relationships between speech and music, often including video elements. Honours include a Young Australian Achiever Award (1997), a Nadia Boulanger Scholarship (1998), and a Helpmann Family Scholarship (2004). Commissioned by The Australian Youth Orchestra, A Short Hour Unseen celebrates music's way of keeping us in the present. The music switches between ethereal, floating textures and grounded, pop-influenced heavy chord progressions. It is inspired by the Henry David Thoreau poem 'Sic Vita' that includes the line, "And here I bloom for a short hour unseen". 'Elegy' forms the second movement of this three movement Suite. Mariachi music selections Mexican trad. To come close to being a real Mexican mariachi band, it is generally agreed that the group must include at least two types of guitars, the high-pitched vihuela and the deeper bass guitar, the guitarron. Mariachi bands also typically contain trumpets and at least 10 violins. Mariachi musicians dress in silver studded suits (churros) and wide-brimmed hats (sombreros). So, Camerata's Tyalgum performances are a nod to the emotion, fun and even pathos of Mariachi music rather than being an authentic portrayal of the soundworld or performance style. Mariachi bands commonly play at weddings and dates like Mother's Day and formal occasions, with many nowadays being paid professional entertainers. The musical tradition apparently goes back several centuries, with the tunes having been handed down aurally over the years. Adagio for solo viola and strings Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) Zoltán Kodály is one of the great Hungarian composers of the twentieth century, sharing that space with the more famous Béla Bartók. Both are well known for their interests in the folk music of their nation, indeed collecting and cataloguing some 100,000 folk songs and inadvertently starting the musical discipline of ethnomusicology. Their true craft and creativity is seen in the effortless and inspired way in which they have managed to weave this authentic material of their homeland into their compositions, creating unique soundworlds that are a joy to hear and perform. 29
Page 2 and 3: It's a vintage year for music on th
Page 4 and 5: Music, Art & Nature in Australia’
Page 6 and 7: Hall in perfect harmony with artist
Page 8 and 9: 2011 FESTIVAL PROGRAM Friday 2 Sept
Page 10 and 11: ABOUT THE PERFORMERS Sylvia Arroyo
Page 12 and 13: ABOUT THE PERFORMERS Thomas Green h
Page 14 and 15: ABOUT THE PERFORMERS Patrick Murphy
Page 16 and 17: ABOUT THE PERFORMERS Shannon Tobin,
Page 18 and 19: The second movement, Blues: Moderat
Page 20 and 21: CONCERT C2 THE YOUNG VIRTUOSI Satur
Page 22 and 23: CONCERT C3 WINDS OF CHANGE Saturday
Page 24 and 25: CONCERT C4 CELLO ORCHESTRA Saturday
Page 26 and 27: CONCERT C5 STEINWAY CONCERT Saturda
Page 28 and 29: Natasha Vlassenko and Oleg Stepanov
Page 32 and 33: The Adagio heard today is an early
Page 34 and 35: Laser Skirmish Indigo Collins-Cook
Page 36 and 37: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS WIN WITH THE RAFFLE
Page 38 and 39: We appreciate the generous support
Page 40: First Program Cover 1991 Tyalgum Fe

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