Shakespeare and Beethoven met in Robertson

As foreshadowed in the previous posting, Shakespeare and Beethoven met up most successfully in Robertson on Saturday, 19 December 2009.
They did so, under the guise of two great artistic interpreters, Pianist Prof. Gerard Willems, and Actor John Gregg.

The afternoon was blessed with comfortable weather (no rain), and we started out with pleasant servings of wine, fruit juices and hors d'oeuvres. There was an excellent attendance - the best for any of the RVMS performances so far. No doubt that was contributed to by the festive season, the timing of the event (on a Saturday afternoon), and the exceptionally high calibre of the artists.

People enjoyed the opportunity to mix together prior to the performance, as well as afterwards.

Gerard Willems performing in Robertson

The performance started out with Gerard Willems performing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" (Op 27 No 2). That was balanced by John Gregg performing a soliloquy from the Merchant of Venice.

Their performances alternated with excerpts from Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata no 23, (Op 57), and Romeo and Juliet; The Tempest (Op 31, No. 2) matched with a reading from Shakespeare's "The Tempest".
Other Sonata excerpts played included the Pathetique (Sonata No 8 in C minor) Op. 13, matched more soliloquies from Hamlet and King Lear.

On several occasions, the readings led directly into a gentle accompaniment by the Piano, slowly ceding ground to the full-gusto performance by Gerard Willems. Personally I found those moments the most appealing.

John Gregg leads the entire audience in applauding Gerard Willems.

It was a great concert and reading, and was much appreciated by the attentive audience. The contribution of both artists was much appreciated.

We hope that a major contribution has now been made towards the purchase of the RVMS Kawai Grand Piano (featured on the Masthead of this Blog). Over 20 Keys were sponsored prior to the concert, and I am sure that a number of people in the audience filled out the necessary forms to "sponsor a key".

Robert Goldsack has arranged tax deductible status for these donations ($100 per key). Robert may be contacted via mobile phone on 0404 444 099, if you wish to sponsor a key. If you prefer, send me a message via the "Contributors" section of this Blog, and I will pass your message on to Robert.

"Sponsoring a Key" is a great way of contributing to the Village community, or indeed, it is an appropriate way of recognising the contribution which the Robertson Village Music Society has made to village life in Robertson.

By the way, I snapped up Middle C when Robert first proposed the idea.

Denis Wilson

"Shakespeare meets Beethoven"

This month, on Saturday 19th the Robertson Village Music Society will host a special soiree performance by renowned Pianist Gerard Willems and leading Actor John Gregg. This will be a very special Christmas recital.

It is billed as: "A synthesis of words and music of two of the greatest creative characters - in their respective spheres - Beethoven and Shakespeare".

Bookings essential.
Please phone Robert Goldsack on 0404 444 099.

Seats are strictly limited.
A cocktail party will precede the performance.

EDIT:
Robert has advised me that the format of the evening will be as follows:
5pm till 6.15 Drinks and food,
6.30 till 8pm Concert.

If it is a nice evening we will have the drinks in the garden. If it is wet it will be inside.

Looking forward to seeing lots of people there.

*****

Click to read the "flier" in detail..Gerard Willems is an Associate Professor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is regarded as one of Australia’s finest concert pianists and leading Beethoven scholars.

John Gregg's extensive filmography is linked here (from IMDb).

November Concert - Wed. 25 Nov 09

"Bach in the Dark"

Programme

Wednesday November 25th, 2009

2pm

at The Christian Education Centre

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach

"Hamburger" Sonata in G major (H.564, Wq 133)

Allegretto – Rondo: Presto

Johann Sebastian Bach

Menuets I-II from the Anna Magdalena Notebook

(BWV Anh 114 and BWV Anh 115)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Invention 1 in C major (BWV 772)

Invention 2 in C minor (BWV 773)

MB Sibson - Invention

Johann Sebastian Bach

Invention 13 in A minor (BWV 784)

Elena Kats-Chernin (arr. Scott/ Sibson)

Re-Invention No.3

Elena Kats-Chernin (arr. Scott/ Sibson)

"Darkness in the Forest" (from the ballet "Wild Swans")

“Eliza Aria” (from the ballet "Wild Swans")

INTERVAL

Johann Sebastian Bach

Polonaise and Badinerie from the Orchestral Suite in B minor (BWV 1067)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Sonata for flute and continuo in E minor (BWV 1034)

Adagio ma non tanto – Allegro – Andante - Allegro

Heitor Villa-Lobos

"The Jet Whistle"

Allegro non troppo - Adagio – Vivo

Emile Pessard

Andalouse

****** ****** ******

Biographies

Rachel Scott – Cello

Rachel Scott studied with David Pereira in Canberra and Robert Cohen in London. She has played as a soloist and chamber musician in the United Kingdom, Serbia, Albania (she is pretty sure she’s the only cellist to have played Martin Wesley-Smith’s “Uluru Song” live on Albanian television), Finland, Hungary and Germany. She is now resident in Sydney and works in duos with some of Sydney’s best musicians - the pianist Rachel Valler, the guitarist Raffaele Agostino, the flautist Sally Walker and the soprano Nicole Thomson among others.

Rachel also teaches for the Australian Children’s Music Foundation, working with underprivileged children, going into schools teaching music to children who have never had this experience before. She has written a series of radio programmes for the MBS network for children aged 5-8, and mentors music programmes in schools in both Darwin and rural NSW. Rachel has recently been invited to help set up the “Hadahur” music school just out of Dili, East Timor and now travels there twice a year, mentoring a school music programme, and an early childhood music programme. Although Timor has a rich musical tradition, these lessons are the first formal music classes since Indonesian occupation. She is also co-writing a radio series “Club Kangaroo” with Don Spencer, for children aged 3-5.

Upcoming projects for 2010 include the continuation of the “Bach in the Dark” concerts in the St James church crypt, a concert in the main woolshed in Hillston, central NSW, a chamber concert in the “cathedral cave” in the Jenolan Caves and performances at various music clubs in and around Sydney.

Rachel plays on an English cello, made in 1749, called Harold. More information on both her and Harold, and news of upcoming performances, can be found at her myspace site.

(www.myspace.com/rachelandharold)

Sally Walker - Flute

Flautist Sally Walker returned to Australia in 2006 after having been in Europe for 9 years where she was a member of the Cologne Chamber Orchestra and Principal Flute of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss before playing full-time with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. She has worked with conductors including Riccardo Chailly, Herbert Blomstedt, Gustavo Dudamel and has recorded and toured with the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle with performances in the London Proms, the Lucerne and Salzburg Festivals. As Guest Principal, she has performed with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Norddeutscherundfunk Radio Philharmonie Hannover, Kammerakademie Potsdam and has played with Early Music ensembles such as: Das Neue Orchester Köln, the Leipzig Chamber Orchestra and the Neues Bachisches Collegium Leipzig.

Sally was finalist in the Leonardo de Lorenzo International Flute Competition in Italy, won 2nd Prize in the Friedrich Kuhlau International Flute Competition in Germany and was the recipient of the Ian Potter Foundation Cultural Award, the DAAD German Government Scholarship and the Queen's Trust Prize. She has performed as soloist with orchestras including the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn, Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra and L'Accademia Filarmonica Verona and is deeply committed to chamber music. Recent highlights have been performing the Weber Trio with Cellist Steven Isserlis and Pianist Dènes Varjon, premiering new works by Nigel Butterley and Andrew Ford with Halcyon and being a guest in Rachel Scott’s inaugural “Bach in the Dark” series. Composers including Elena Kats-Chernin, Michael Askill, Knut Mueller, Coco Nelegatti and Mark Clement Pollard have composed for her.

“Sally Walker shone with a godly flexibility and colouring in her most soul-stirring tone formation …highly sensitive flute-playing and breathtaking musicicality“ Die Rheinpfalz

“Flautist Sally Walker is a young master of both the early wooden as well as the silver flute…atmospheric, fine musicianship balanced with effortless virtuosity” Hamburger Rundeschau

© Sally Walker 2009

Songs of Love and Nature - October 2009

The October concert of the Robertson Village Music Society was presented by Jenny Morgan (Soprano) and Jenny Duck-Cheong (Mezzo-Soprano) and John Martin (Pianist).They presented a delightful concert of "Songs of Love and Nature".

It was a mix of traditional "Art Songs" songs and "Lieder" as well as some more modern pieces. The (unfortunately) small audience was very appreciative of their fine repertoire and their beautifully balanced presentation.

The Pianist John Martin accompanied the singers and also gave us some very fine solo pieces.Study of John's hands

In accordance with tradition, the ladies were given a bouquet.
They then graced us with a lovely encore performance.
Robert Goldsack promoting the next concert

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

Scott Stiles and Elisabetta Calzavara - Special Concert in Robbo

Special Concert – The Sonatas

Sunday 28^th June, 2009

2.30pm at the Christian Education Centre, behind St John's Church

Scott Stiles ..... Violin

Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra

Elisabetta Calzavara .....Piano

from Salzburg

Beethoven Sonata No.4 in A minor Op.23

Alfred Hill Scotch Sonata Op.6

Brahms Sonata No.1 in G major Op.78

Tickets: $30.00 /RVMS Members $24.00

As this is not a series concert and is on a Sunday afternoon, it is important to please phone Robert on 0404 444 099 to advise attendance; payment on day is quite acceptable.

The Ilythian Ensemble plays in Robertson

The Ilythian Ensemble played for the Robertson Village Music Society on Wednesday 27 May 2009. They were playing a mixture of classical and new "romantic " music.

Their musical presentation was lovely. It was complemented by soft lighting provided by candles (unfortunately, posing a terrible problem for the RVMS photographer). Examining reviews of the playing of the Ilythian Ensemble, I had to wade through a mass of florid prose and superlatives. One detects the hand of an enthusiastic publicist in their "media". None the less, I cannot disagree with this Review: "This ensemble has definitely marked a turning point in the overall deliverance and perception of classical music."

What the reviewers are ignoring is the obvious - beautiful young performers, playing beautiful old music and some beautiful new music as well. Chloe Charody is a composer, who has written some lovely, fresh and personal music, inlcuding one piece inspired by the death of a young child.
An example of her music may be played from the group's "MySpace" site

Sonja Schebeck

Lindsay Gilroy

Chloe Charody (composer), Sonja Schebeck and Lindsay Gilroy
acknowledging the enthusiastic applause from the RVMS audience.

THE ILYTHIAN ENSEMBLE COMING TO ROBBO

OUR NEXT CONCERT IS ON WEDNESDAY MAY 27th 2009
At 2.pm St John's New Hall, Robertson

The Ilythian Ensemble

Chloe Charody, Sonja Schebeck and Lindsay Gilroy

present

THE DIVINE ROMANTICS


Music by:-

J.S BACH, CLAUDE DEBUSSY, MASSENET, PAGANINI, RACHMANINOV

plus new compositions by the highly talented,

Chloe Charody

“The Ilythian Ensemble play some of the world's most romantic music” - W.L. Hoffman (Music Reviewer)