2019 Upcoming Talks
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Mozart, Master Musician
Presenter: Michael Morton-Evans Sunday 28th April, 2.30pm A great deal of nonsense has been talked and written about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, not least as a result of the Peter Shaffer movie, Amadeus, in 1984. His relationship with Antonio Salieri was friendly and the older composer readily recognised and supported the younger man and most certainly never tried to poison him! Further nonsense has been written about Mozart’s fatal illness, death and funeral. He was in fact treated by two of the best doctors in Vienna and the official cause of death was given as what we now call camp fever. It is also equally untrue that he was given a pauper’s funeral by his impoverished wife Constanze. His burial was in accordance with local custom with Salieri present, nor were there any lasting money problems. It has been calculated that Mozart’s total income in the last 11 years of his life was 3,500 gulden a year, the equivalent of about $75,000 today, at a time when the average manservant earned 120 gulden and school teachers a mere 100 a year. Michael Morton-Evans takes a look at Mozart’s life and tries to dispel some of the nonsense. |
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An afternoon with Celeste Haworth: mezzo-soprano, Opera Australia and International Artist
Presenter: Celeste Haworth Sunday 19th May, 2.30pm Australian mezzo-soprano Celeste Haworth has sung as a principal artist internationally in Europe and Asia, as well as in Australia. Having only recently returned to our shores, she will be seen in 2019 singing arias and duets as part of Opera Australia’s Great Opera Hits Concert Series at the Sydney Opera House, among several other engagements. Her operatic journey has been far reaching, including Vienna, Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, Singapore and Sydney, and she will be speaking about her career, taking us backstage with photos, experiences and stories of her adventures in the opera arena. |
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Musicals – not just entertainment
Presenter: Sue Jowell Sunday 16th June, 2.30pm The musicals of the 1930s consisted of simple melodies, and limited story-lines. However, Showboat by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, broke new ground by introducing three-dimensional characters and soaring music that integrated with the libretto. Above all, distasteful topics were woven into a complex plot. From then on musicals confronted other equally taboo subjects including racial prejudice, drug abuse, politics and even war. Musicals would never again be ‘just entertainment’. |
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Making it real
Presenter: Angela Cockburn Sunday 21st July, 2.30pm What is the difference between performances that are just technically beautiful and performances that move us to tears of laughter, although they may even be less well sung? We will explore the elements of performances that really make a difference, entertaining examples from opera, operetta and song. |
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The art of instrumentation
Presenter: Nicky Gluch Sunday 18th August, 2.30pm Let’s turn back the clock, to a time before music notation software and when pianos were found in nearly every house. In this world, writing music for soloist and piano or for piano, alone, was both accessible and ensured performance. However, if the fame of a piece grew, or its popularity called for a grander, concert performance what was required for the composer to take the piece (or another’s) from being for one instrument to many? What is the art of orchestration? |
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Can you think of any composers who wrote classical Spanish music - but were not Spanish?
Presenter: Marilyn Schock Sunday 15th September, 2.30pm Can you think of any composers who wrote classical Spanish music – but were not Spanish? How about Rimsky-Korsakov with his Capriccio Espagnole, Bizet's Carmen, Ravel's Bolero and Spanish Rhapsody, Tchaikovsky's Spanish Dances from his ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Debussy's Iberia, Chabrier's Espana, Boccherini's Fandango, Lalo, Liszt…the list goes on! They all wrote exhilarating music inspired by visits to Spain, and some hadn't even been to Spain. If you'd like to know more about them and their music, Marilyn Schock will be featuring them and you may even be treated to a live castanet display at the end! |
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The instruments of a jazz band
Presenter: Jeannie McInnes Sunday 20th October, 2.30pm What are the sounds of a jazz band? And on what instruments can you play jazz? We are familiar with the sections of the orchestra and the instruments each contains, but is there a set line-up of instruments in a jazz band? The early bands in New Orleans utilised instruments available from marching bands and army surplus so included clarinets, trumpets, trombones, drums, brass bass and in the halls, clubs, ‘speakeasies’ and brothels, the piano was available. That was 100 years ago, so does this still hold true? Jeannie McInnes will be exploring some of the instruments that have become familiar in jazz bands, and some not so familiar. It will also be an opportunity to hear how the instruments have affected the music and how the song affected the instrumentation. |
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Was Shakespeare actually Emilia Bassano?
Presenter: Robert Small Sunday 17th November, 2.30pm Henry VIII vied with the Doge of Venice for the services of the super musical Bassano family; six brothers skilled in performing, composing, instrument making and repairing. In 1540 he appointed them “in the science of art and music”, after which members of the family provided court musicians continuously for 125 years, and incredibly, Bassanos are prominent musician in England to this day. By far the most controversial member of the family is daughter Emilia, the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets, who according to the latest research may well have actually been Shakespeare himself! Intrigued? Judge for yourself and discover more at Robert Small’s talk where he will be joined by Consort 8, who will play compositions by the Bassanos and their contemporaries. |
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The role of musicians in elevating the status of a composer
Presenter: Nena Beretin Sunday 8th December, 2.30pm During the twentieth century composers actively pursued performers to form professional partnerships. It is widely acknowledged that the success of a composer’s work is dependent to a large extent on the talent and the virtuosic attributes of the musician/vocalist in the performance realisation. The teaming of a high-profile composer with a renowned performer most definitely ensures optimum press coverage. The teams I will discuss include Pierre Bernac and Francis Poulenc, Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, Edward Elgar and Yehudi Menuhin, John Cage and David Tudor, Luciano Berio and Cathy Berberian as well as Philip Glass and Joan La Barbara. Performers not only inspired these composers, but also gave advice on techniques. I argue that these established partnerships elevated the reputations of both the composer and their respective performer within the classical music scene. This presentation will include original recordings by the respective performers and written musical examples. |
Past Talks
2019
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The unknown Bach
Presenter: Andrew Dziedzic Sunday 17th March, 2.30pm Bach didn’t just compose the Brandenburg concertos, the Passions and the B minor Mass. In this talk we will explore the lesser known, forgotten jewels from Bach’s choral repertoire, with some samples and reflections on how Bach composed, re-adapted and transformed works that turned them into delightful new creations with a completely new identity. |
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Bizet’s Women – Models for Carmen? (with an Australian connection)
Presenter: David Garrett Sunday 17th February, 2.30pm Carmen is fickle and a law unto herself in love. So is another of Bizet’s heroines, the woman of Arles. Women known to Bizet may have given him the idea. David Garrett is on their track, including an Australian connection! |
Past Talks
2018
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The Schubert Project
Presenter: Nicky Gluch February 18th | 2.30pm What does it take to put on a Mass at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music? Apart from the planning and steeping yourself in the music - a lot of luck, as it turns out. In this talk, Nicky will explore the journey that was her Schubert Project. She will explain some of the challenges and rewards of this genre of music and explore what it means to embark on such a journey as a conductor. |
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Leading the Dance: The Ballerina or the Conductor?
Presenter: Annabelle Drumm March 18th | 2.30pm From Baroque court dances through to modern ballet productions, our history is rich with stories of how the dancer worked or fought with the conductor. Who decided on the tempo of the dance? How could a naïve or naughty conductor make or break a performance? Ex-professional dancer Annabelle Drumm regularly presents our Ballet on Saturday afternoon, and takes us behind the scenes for a look at the relationship between dancer and conductor. |
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Felix and Fanny
Presenter: Meg Matthews April 15th | 2.30pm Sister and brother Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn were born into a cultured Jewish family. Both displayed precocious musical talent which was fostered by their parents. Both had lessons in piano, violin, and composition, and both sang in the Berliner Singakademie choir. And yet history has been much more attentive to Felix than Fanny. Why? Recently this imbalance has been shifting, and in this exploration of their lives and music, we will look at the how, why and when these changes are taking place. |
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Carlo Gesualdo – Composer, Prince, and Murderer
Presenter: Robert Small May 20th | 2.30pm Carlo Gesualdo is one of the most mysterious figures in music, a Prince composing the most striking harmonies of the Renaissance, but whose life and legacy were forever shaped by his murder of his wife and her lover. In this talk Robert will tell Gesualdo's story, and explore his incredible music and its place in history. Robert will be joined by Consort 8, Sydney's unique Renaissance ensemble, to perform examples of Gesualdo's music including "Moro Lasso". |
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Persian Music and the Classical Influence
Presenter: Sepehr Fard June 17th | 2.30pm Traditional Persian music and Classical music both have rich histories. With the advent of new communication technologies, cultural exchange has greatly increased. In this talk, Sepehr will explore the nature of Persian music and discuss how each musical form has influenced the other. The fundamental emotions that inspire art manifest themselves in many ways, and here we will see how composers from both musical styles incorporate them into their work. |
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Musical Creativity and Mental Illness
Presenter: Debbie Scholem July 15th | 2.30pm Debbie Scholem will present on a topic of both musical and medical interest. Are creative people more prone to psychopathology than any other group? We know that some composers, like Schumann, suffered from bi-polar illness, but other lesser known composers had distinct neuroses that made their lives much harder. You will hear wonderful examples of works written during these composers' challenging times. |
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Is it on Tape?
Presenter: Derek Parker August 19th | 2.30pm Derek Parker, who made his first broadcast over sixty years ago, remembers the triumphs and disasters of life as a radio man-of-all-work - programmes which soared and programmes which plummeted, and interviews with the famous and infamous, including Solti and Sargent, Fonteyn and Nureyev, Menuhin and Moore, Kenneth Williams and Arthur Askey. It was often easy enough to pin them down, but getting their voices safely on tape was another matter. |
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How Low Can You Go?
Presenter: Peter Poole September 16th | 2.30pm We all know that the bass is the lowest of the four commonly accepted voice types, but there are some male voices which are able to achieve very low pitch indeed. In operatic tradition these are known as basso profundo (or oktavists in the Russian tradition). Peter Poole has sung bass roles in Gilbert and Sullivan, and currently sings Bass 2 with the Sydney Philharmonia Symphonic Choir. He will explore just how low these voices are and how, and in what contexts, composers use this lower extremity of the range. Who are these men, and what sets them apart from the rank and file low voice singers? Come and find out more, and listen to some examples of these ‘human sub-woofers’. |
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Puttin’ on the Ritz: Irving Berlin and his Music
Presenter: Christopher Waterhouse October 21st | 2.30pm The great composer Irving Berlin was born in Imperial Russia and moved to America when he was five. For his first composition he received just 33 cents for the rights. He would go on to be one of the most successful composers of popular song, penning some 1,500 songs and writing the scores for 20 Broadway musicals and 15 films. In this talk we will explore his long life (he lived to 101), his music, his legacy and his ‘rags to riches’ story. There will be a special focus on the music Berlin composed for the films of Fred Astair by Christopher, who presents Friday Jazz Session on Fine Music. |
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Je suis un tornado! Louise Hanson Dyer and Paris in the roaring twenties
Presenter: Robert Small November 18th | 2.30pm Louise Hanson Dyer was "La Tornade", the Melbourne society girl who took Paris' musical world by storm in the 1920's. In this talk I will explore the life and times of the woman who founded the L'Oiseau Lyre publishing and recording house, sponsored composers such as Holst and Poulenc and contributed so much to the musical life of the era. La Tornade did not forget her Australian roots, the 'Editions de l'Oiseau-Lyre' were the homage to her homeland spelt out in a photograph of tail feathers from a lyre-bird that adorned the front endpapers. They created a sensation: the finest printed music most people had ever seen, impeccably edited, 'traversing time and space', as Louise wrote in her introduction. Louise also championed composers such as Peggy Glanville Hicks and Margaret Sutherland, publishing their works on the L'Oiseau Lyre label and, with characteristic energy, organized a deputation to the prime minister which sought an increase in the funding of literary pensions. So important was Louise to France's cultural life she was made chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1934, with promotion to officier of that order in 1957. Robert will be joined by an ensemble premiering works from L'Oiseau Lyre's 1934 edition "Pipeux" featuring lively compositions by Poulenc, Ibert, Milhaud, Roussel, Auric, Feroud and Martellic. |
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Bizarre Baroque
Presenter: Ross Hayes December 9th | 2.30pm Derived from the Portuguese word barroco, or “oddly shaped pearl,” the term “baroque” has been widely used since the nineteenth century to describe the period in Western European art music from about 1600 to 1750. We mostly know Baroque Music to be a genteel, rather refined, musical form but from the archives, Ross will uncover some real odd-shaped gems for your delectation. Be beguiled by Baroque! |