I'm always amazed at how a little town, population c. 25,000, a long way from a major city can develop a rich musical culture. But last night just added to the amazement.
Musica Viva Australia is a national organisation bringing leading musicians to Australia or enabling prominent local classical entertainers to penetrate the 'bush'. And yesterday I was privileged to witness two excellent performers playing in Armidale's Town Hall sponsored by Musica Viva and our own New England Conservatorium. Yes, Armidale also has a music conservatorium!
In some respects it was a bizarre concert. Karin Schaupp and Umberto Clerici performed a series of 'songs', but neither of them was a singer! Karin played a Guitar and Umberto a Cello! Have you ever heard of any compositions for that combination of instruments? Both were young performers and Karin is hailed by German press as "so perfect, so complete ...". Umberto started playing the Cello at 5 years old and debuted in Japan aged 17 playing Haydn's D Major cello concerto! Umberto has since played with the likes of the St Petersburg Philharmonic, Philharmonia Wein, in Carnegie Hall in New York, and so on. Here they are together sitting on a railway track somewhere unknown!
What they did for the concert was remarkable. They took a series of mostly well known works and rewrote them for their two instruments. These were the works:
No words were sung, not that the Mendelssohn had any words to start with, and they let their instruments do the singing. And their playing was brilliant. I've heard some wonderful cellists in my time, including on one occasion the famous Mstislav Rostropovich, possibly the most famous cellist of the 20th century. I've had some wonderful experiences in my lifetime and one was to sit on a staircase in a house at Rothbury in the UK's Northumberland with Rostropovich playing his instrument 3 meters in front of me!! He'd played at a concert in Newcastle, which I'd attended, and was then invited to a select party in the countryside about 60 km away! And somehow I got an invitation. I was about 23 years old at the time. He gave a 30 minute recital from memory to me and my hosts.
Well, I can judge when an instrument is well played and last night Umberto was absolutely brilliant - as was Karin's own performance. Some of the music was ferociously difficult but handled with aplomb. And the full house in the Town Hall was enchanted. They brought the house down so to speak. I have one last observation. Karin is German and Umberto, unsurprisingly, Italian. Guess where they're living now! Karin works in Brisbane and Umberto is Principal Cello with the Sydney symphony orchestra.
In the first half May, Armidale will hold its annual Bach Festival - entitled this year 'Bach to the Future'. It will feature 10 separate events over 4 days as shown below. Does anywhere else in the world stage such an event ... even in Germany?
We're very lucky to have such a rich cultural life in this town ... something artistic and creative always going on.
AS
Musica Viva Australia is a national organisation bringing leading musicians to Australia or enabling prominent local classical entertainers to penetrate the 'bush'. And yesterday I was privileged to witness two excellent performers playing in Armidale's Town Hall sponsored by Musica Viva and our own New England Conservatorium. Yes, Armidale also has a music conservatorium!
In some respects it was a bizarre concert. Karin Schaupp and Umberto Clerici performed a series of 'songs', but neither of them was a singer! Karin played a Guitar and Umberto a Cello! Have you ever heard of any compositions for that combination of instruments? Both were young performers and Karin is hailed by German press as "so perfect, so complete ...". Umberto started playing the Cello at 5 years old and debuted in Japan aged 17 playing Haydn's D Major cello concerto! Umberto has since played with the likes of the St Petersburg Philharmonic, Philharmonia Wein, in Carnegie Hall in New York, and so on. Here they are together sitting on a railway track somewhere unknown!
What they did for the concert was remarkable. They took a series of mostly well known works and rewrote them for their two instruments. These were the works:
Well, I can judge when an instrument is well played and last night Umberto was absolutely brilliant - as was Karin's own performance. Some of the music was ferociously difficult but handled with aplomb. And the full house in the Town Hall was enchanted. They brought the house down so to speak. I have one last observation. Karin is German and Umberto, unsurprisingly, Italian. Guess where they're living now! Karin works in Brisbane and Umberto is Principal Cello with the Sydney symphony orchestra.
In the first half May, Armidale will hold its annual Bach Festival - entitled this year 'Bach to the Future'. It will feature 10 separate events over 4 days as shown below. Does anywhere else in the world stage such an event ... even in Germany?
AS
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