Fine Music Enjoy, Learn, Discuss Series
Monthly informative talks at the Fine Music Studios 

Upcoming Talks

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.
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.
How the Guitar Went Global
Presenter: Darryl Rule
September 16th | 2.30pm

Darryl Rule will present a talk on how the classical guitar tradition developed in Southern Spain and then migrated to all corners of the globe; creating its own particular traditions in each locale. He will look at major centres of guitar activity, the players, composers and teachers in each, and how they added their voice to the global guitar tradition we have now, which is probably stronger than it has been since it’s heyday in the 1970s.
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.
How Low Can You Go?
Presenter: Peter Poole
November 18th | 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’.
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!

Past Talks

Upbeats and Downbeats: A Conductor's Life
Presenter: Toby Thatcher
​February 19th | 2.30pm

​Toby Thatcher opens the 2017 Enjoy Learn Discuss Series discussing his approach to forging a career as a conductor from the point of view of a young musician. He will also share his thoughts on the evolution of the arts into the 21st century, and the role he sees young people taking in this.

Richard Strauss’ one-act shockers: Salome and Elektra
Presenter: Michael Field
March 19th | 2.30pm

In the earliest ears of the 20th century, at the peak of the late-Romantic and nationalist periods in music, the young Richard Strauss burst onto European opera stages with these two short operas which shocked but excited audiences with their scandalous subject matter and strident musical language. Using plenty of musical and visual illustrations, this talk will explore the basis of the initial impact and lasting success of these two masterpieces.  Michael Field is a regular presenter at Fine Music, where he also chairs the Under 30s Committee. He was previously a flautist in the Australian Doctors Orchestra but now does more listening than playing.

Bach: the opera composer
Presenter: Andrew Dziedzic
April 23rd | 2.30pm

Bach never composed an opera, but can we work out not only why, but what sort of opera Bach would have composed had he done so? The results might surprise you if you’re only familiar with his large-scale or instrumental works. Andrew Dziedzic is a presenter, presenter trainer and Board member at Fine Music 102.5 with a long-standing passion for the music of Bach which has been the subject of several previous well attended talks.

Debussy’s opera: Pelleas & Melisande – Elusive greatness?
Presenter: David Garrett
May 21st | 2.30pm

Debussy’s setting of Maurice Maeterlinck’s play will be presented in concert by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit (June 23, 24, 28). For some this is the greatest of all operas, best matching literary and musical achievement. But it is mysterious and elusive, especially to non-French speakers.
David Garrett is a regular presenter at Fine Music. He has been a music programmer for orchestras, writes about music and lectures to opera study groups.

Beethoven’s Concertos
Presenter: Ron Walledge
June 18th | 2.30pm

Beethoven played a dominant role in the evolution of classical music, something which can be observed in the ongoing development of his own works, especially the symphonies, piano sonatas and string quartets. However, Ron Walledge is going to illustrate this progress by means of the composer’s concertos – five for piano, one for violin and one for piano, violin and cello. Many of the performances are legendary.
Ron has been a Fine Music volunteer since his retirement from business in 1993. Throughout his life he has been involved in music as an amateur performer and occasional administrator, culminating in eleven years on the MBS Board (three as Chairman) and nearly twenty years as a presenter. Nowadays he prefers to relax and listen to others.​

The Saxophone in the 19th Century: Adolphe Sax and the Music He Inspired
Presenter: James Nightingale, the speaker will also play the instrument
July 16th | 2.30pm

When Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone, he had high hopes for it. Things didn’t quite turn out as he planned through and it’s quite a story. In this talk we’ll hear about the early history of the saxophone, investigate music written for it in the 19th century and even hear some excerpts played live.
James Nightingale is a saxophonist who has performed with all of Sydney’s orchestras and toured internationally with the ACO and SSO. He is a member of the saxophone quartet Continuum Sax and taught at the Sydney Conservatorium between 1996 and 2009.

In Harmony
Presenter: Sally Cameron
​August 20th | 2.30pm

Paul McCartney said: “I love to hear a choir. I love the humanity… to see the faces of real people devoting themselves to a piece of music. I like the teamwork. It makes me feel optimistic about the human race when I see them cooperating like that.”
Singing in harmony is good for your mental health – it creates a sense of connection with other people and has a calming yet energising effect on the singer.
Want to learn to sing in harmony? Fine music presenter Sally Cameron will teach you some fun, simple ways to begin (or improve) your harmonic adventure. No experience is necessary.

Chopin – The Ultimate Romantic
Presenter: David Brett
​September 17th | 2.30pm 

​His music, his piano technique, his patriotic fervor, his lifestyle, his passions, even his youthful death – everything about Chopin was an expression of what we have come to know as the age of Romanticism. In this talk, long-time Fine Music 102.5 presenter and Board director, David Brett will discuss and illustrate this much-loved composer’s life and music. Come and learn about a composer who, more than most, helped define the times in which he lived. 

Gilbert & Sullivan and Offenbach Irrepressible Irreverent Operetta
Presenter: Angela Cockburn
​October 15th | 2.30pm 

It’s 1875, and Richard D’Oyley Carte is putting on a production of – Offenbach’s La Perichole. He needs a short companion piece, and asks librettist W.S. Gilbert to write a piece. He approaches Arthur Sullivan, with whom he has worked once before, and a great partnership is born.
A fun look at two operetta greats: Jacques Offenbach and his librettists “Meil-et-Hal”, and the duo of Gilbert and Sullivan – similarities, differences, censorship, piracy (and Piracy). Entertaining and informative.
Angela has a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Birmingham and a Master: Research into Staging and Costuming. Angela presents her own radio series: Staging Music on Digital Channel

Schumann and his Violin Concerto
Presenter: Charles Barton 
​November 12th | 2.30pm

It would be a remarkable thing for an eminent composer to write a concerto for an eminent virtuoso only to have the virtuoso (and dedicatee) suppress it. Yet this is what happened when Robert Schumann presented the manuscript of his violin concerto to his friend Joseph Joachim in 1835.
This talk will explore the curious history of the concerto: the possible reasons for Joachim’s disapproval of it; the strange circumstances of its recovery in 1937; early performances and recordings in the same year; and subsequent recordings which have begun to bring this wonderful work into the repertoire.

We will also look at some of the strange things associated with the violin theme of the short but beautiful slow movement of the concerto. Charles is one of the founders of 2MBS-FM, occasional sound engineer and on-air presenter from 1974 to date.
Missa Solemnis
Presenter: Tom Forrester-Paton
​December 10th | 2.30pm 

​​Beethoven considered his Missa Solemnis his greatest work. Yet many find it a puzzle, saying it doesn’t have a proper ending, nor really a proper beginning, worthy of a solemn mass. I’ve sung Missa Solemnis serveral times, and have come to see it as Beethoven’s musical testament, and the work which drew down the curtain on the classical era. It’s fair to say I’ve developed something of a bee in my bonnet about this astonishing work, and I’ll be sharing that bee with fellow volunteers and guests in Enjoy, Learn, Discuss.
Tom Forrester-Paton has been a Fine Music presenter for five years, and sings as a bass in Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.