Sydney Youth Orchestra Pays Tribute To The ANZAC Centenary

In a touching gesture, the young musicians of today will acknowledge the heroes of the past when the Sydney Youth Orchestra conducted by Stephen Mould presents Legends of Past, an orchestral tribute to the centenary of the birth of the ANZAC legend – an indelible event in Australian history.

Five special works will feature in the concert, the centrepiece of which will be the Australian premiere of Adrian Sutton’s War Horse Suite which pays tribute to Australia’s involvement in the First World War, the First World War Australian Light Horse Regiment  and the creation of the ANZAC legend.

The evening will open with the world premiere of Cathedra, a new work by celebrated young Australian composer Andrew Howes,  Cathedra speaks of the powerful themes of loyalty, honour, loss, courage and mateship.

This will be followed by an innovative combination in which Morris Gleitzman’s monologue Loyal Creatures read by Paul William Mawhinney is juxtaposed with Adrian Sutton’s War Horse Suite, a large orchestral work expressed in 20th century symphonic language which includes evocative folk songs from the War Horse production – The Year Turns Round Again and Only Remembered. Composed by Adrian Sutton with lyrics by John Tams, the songs will be performed by Australian folk singer John Thompson. Both Mr Thompson and Mr Mawhinney are original cast members of Global Creatures and the National Theatre of Great Britain’s Australian production of War Horse which toured Australia in 2013.

Adrian Sutton says he is especially thrilled that the Sydney Youth Orchestra will give the first Australian performance of his War Horse Suite “because” he says, “young players are the lifeblood of tomorrow’s orchestras,” 

Carmen Pavlovic, CEO of Global Creatures said, “It is the aspiration of Global Creatures to nurture and give voice to new and creative live performance. We hope our support for the Sydney Youth Orchestra’s performance of War Horse Suite as part of this special tribute concert will provide these extremely talented young musicians with an invaluable learning and performance experience.”

Supporting this, Stephanie Hutchinson, general manager of Sydney Youth Orchestras commented, “It’s an incredible honour for the Sydney Youth Orchestra to premiere War Horse Suite in Australia in Legends of Past which will be a very special performance to pay tribute to the Australian men and women who fought for our country one hundred years ago.”

“Through this unique performance incorporating the Loyal Creatures’ monologue together with the use of vocal folk music, the SYO will create a new and exciting performance and acoustic landscape to provide a powerful artistic reference that links the internationally acclaimed War Horse themes to the Australian Light Horse Regiment in the hearts and minds of the audience,” she added.

The second half of the concert acknowledges the redemptive powers of music and nature to restore peace through the virtuosic brilliance of violinist Dimity Hall and cellist Julian Smiles as they join the Sydney Youth Orchestra in a performance of Brahms’s Double Concerto for Violin and Cello.

Debussy’s La Mer concludes the concert, calling on the power of nature to transcend human conflict and erase the descruction wrought by man leaving a sense of hope and the promise of a peaceful world.

Sydney Youth Orchestras is a leader in the field of orchestral training providing education and professional development for some of Australia’s most talented young musicians. These young performers are able to extend their musical experiences and professional development. Many graduates of the SYO enter the international stage.

Tickets: Adults $50 – Concession & Seniors $40 – Child $15 (U16) Bookings: Phone 02 8256 2222 or online www.cityrecitalhall.com