Omega Ensemble Virtuosity to the Power of Ten
October 3 @ 7:00 pm
Omega Ensemble presents Virtuosity to the Power of Ten performing music by Australian composer Harry Sdraulig, Finnish composer and the master of virtuosity, Olli Mustonen and Frédéric Chopin featuring pianist Vatche Jambazian. There are concerts in Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle, NSW.
A new Australian voice with significant recent accomplishments to his name, Harry Sdraulig’s first commission for Omega Ensemble will receive its world premiere at this concert. Concert pianist and composer Olli Mustonen’s music is greatly influenced from his own performance practice, including early studies on the harpsichord. His Nonet II takes up ideas from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Frédéric Chopin, a notorious introvert, preferred the dark and smoky salons of Paris to grand concert halls, and often arranged his own two concertos to perform in these intimate settings. In this tradition, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is reshaped for just ten musicians, unlocking new raw and emotive power from one of the most expressive works in the canon.
The program: OLLI MUSTONEN Nonet II/ HARRY SDRAULIG New Commission (World Premiere)/ FREDERIC CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1 (for Piano and String Nonet)
Vatche Jambazian, solo piano
Approx. 90 mins without interval
Melbourne 1 October 7 pm, Melbourne Recital centre/ Newcastle 5 October 7 pm, Newcastle City Hall