![\"\"](\"https:\/\/soundslikesydney.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/chambermusic-325x233.jpg\" "\\"chambermusic\\"")
Chamber music is the focus in the continuing\u00a0overview of\u00a0Sydney’s 2012 concert agenda.<\/p>\nChamber music is the focus in the continuing\u00a0overview of\u00a0Sydney’s 2012 concert agenda.<\/p>\n
Australia’s flagship chamber ensemble, the Australian Chamber Orchestra<\/strong> continues its innovative and classy programming performing classics as well as thinking outside the square. They’re bringing to Sydney guests artists whom one would otherwise need to travel the world to hear.<\/p>\n Chief amongst these is Melbourne born soprano Danielle de Niese<\/strong>,\u00a0who recently appeared\u00a0at the Met in the new Baroque pastiche\u00a0The<\/em> Enchanted Isle<\/em>. She joins the ACO in June to perform a new work by Carl Vine with text by Patrick White,\u00a0commissioned for her professional debut in Australia. Alongside this, de Niese will\u00a0sing Mozart’s solo motet Exultate Jubilate<\/em>,\u00a0with the orchestra performing Mozart’s Symphony No 196\/121 La finta giardinera<\/em>, Schubert’s String Quartet No 14 Death and the Maiden <\/em>and Richard Meale’s Cantilena Pacifica.<\/em><\/p>\n The ACO’s other guests are no less illustrious. The Hilliard Ensemble<\/strong> who\u00a0join the ACO in March,\u00a0are 4 voices\u00a0who specialise in medieval and renaissance music, and contemporary works. Not surprising that one of the works they will sing is Ah, gentle Jesu <\/em>a a very early four part carol by Sheryngham, <\/em>an English composer about whom little is known except that he was active around 1485-1500. Also in their line- up, contrasting interpretations of the incantation Veni Creator Spiritus, <\/em>in Gregorian Chant, in a French medieval setting, and by Ross Edwards.<\/p>\n In July there is The Reef , <\/em>a cutting edge visual and acoustic presentation in which the indigenous sounds of the didgeridoo are combined with images of the landscape and music by Ian Grandage<\/p>\n The Choir\u00a0of Clare College Cambridge<\/strong> join the ACO in August\u00a0for Beethoven’s 9th symphony – not a work expected from chamber musicians, but much anticipated nonethless – and his cantata A Calm Sea and Prosperous voyage<\/em>. The choir performs Brahms’ Geistliches Lied, <\/em>while the instrumentalists will claim the stage for Messiaen’s Prayer of Christ ascending towards his Father<\/em> from L’Ascension.<\/em><\/p>\n Conductor Richard Egar<\/strong>, director of the Academy of Ancient Music conducts the\u00a0ACO in October in a programme of luscious Baroque and early classical music. Biber’s at times\u00a0burlesque\u00a0Battalia a 10, <\/em>and Mozart’s piano concerto No 12 which Egarr will direct from the fortepiano are certain to attract.<\/p>\n The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra<\/strong> enters a new era with the presentation of its very first opera, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. <\/em>German tenor\u00a0 and early music specialist Markus Brutscher<\/strong> will sing the title role in this 1607 setting of the Greek myth. Venice Secrets<\/em> in late February\/early March sees the return of Italian violin virtuoso and\u00a0period specialist Federico Guglielmo<\/strong>, in an all Vivaldi\u00a0programme that\u00a0transports you to Baroque Venice.<\/p>\n In May, the Brandenburg Choir joins the orchestra in Bach Eternal <\/em>performing choral and instrumemtal excerpts from cantatas, extending to Bach’s contemporaries\u00a0Zelenka, Telemann \u00a0and Handel.\u00a0 Trumpeter extraordinaire Gabriele Cassone<\/strong> has been the soloist of choice for Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Ton Koopman in their performances of Bach.\u00a0 In July-August Dazzling Virtuoso<\/em> Gabriele Cassone\u00a0showcases his virtuosity in early classial music when he performs the music of Haydn and Hummel on the keyed trumpet. There are more period instruments on show\u00a0during October\/November in Beautiful\u00a0Minds<\/em> when\u00a0solo works by Mozart\u00a0are performed by\u00a0ABO principal artist Craig Hill\u00a0<\/strong>( the Clarinet Concerto in A K 622)<\/em> on the basset clarinet, and guest concertmaster Madeleine Easton\u00a0<\/strong>( the Violin Concerto no3 in G major, K 216). <\/em>The ABO wraps up its year with its traditional programme of seasonal music Noel Noel<\/em>, now in its 14th year.<\/p>\n In 2012, the landscape has changed for two chamber ensembles. The Australian String Quartet<\/strong> have a brand new line up after the departure of two of its founding members. Violinist Kristian Winther and violist Stephen King have taken over from Sophie Rowell and Sally Boud who have left to pursue independent careers. The ASQ presents 3 concerts this year. In each concert, they will\u00a0be joined by a\u00a0 guest artist\u00a0to explore\u00a0some of the quintet repertoire.\u00a0Pianist Daniel de Borah joins them in March\u00a0\u00a0playing the Piano Quintet opus 57<\/em> by Shostakovich. Brett Dean performs in June with his own Epitaphs for Viola and String Quartet<\/em> as well as Brahms String Quintet in G opus 111. <\/em>Clarinest Paul Dean is the ASQ’s guest in September performing Clarinet Quintets by Wilfred Lehmann and Weber.<\/p>\n Selby and Friends<\/strong> farewelled its short-lived but memorable ensemble TriOz, but maintains an\u00a0intense and innovative\u00a0programme\u00a0with 5 tours through the year. As always, Artitic Director Kathy Selby performs at the piano. Her collaborators this year include Ex-ASQ violinist Sophie Rowell, cellists Cancy Newman, Julian Smiles and Emma- Jane Murphy, clarinetist Catherine McCorkill, violinists Elizabeth Layton and Natsuko Yoshimoto and violist Glen Donnelly. Amongst the classical giants (Beethoven’s ‘Ghost’ Trio, Mendelssohn’s D minor piano trio opus 49), watch for the unusual – Neils Gade, John Cage, Paul Schoenfield and Andrew Schultz. Watch too for their daytime offerings at the City Recital Hall – “A Little Lunch Music”.<\/p>\n Cellist Rachel Scott once again presents her series Bach in the Dark in <\/strong>March, June, August and October. Scott’s repertoire is based in the music of JS Bach. Drawing on the wealth of Bach inspired compositions and adaptations, she collaborates this year with fellow\u00a0cellist and her former teacher David Pereira, soprano Jane Sheldon and harpist Genevieve Lang, accordionist Anthony Schulz and percussionist Ben Sibson.<\/p>\n The Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra<\/strong> is carving a niche for itself\u00a0in the inner west with its\u00a0concerts in Leichhardt and Balmain. This year it is venturing to the lower north shore with a series at the Independent Theatre in North Sydney. Presenting a ‘Met Series’ of six orchestral concerts and an ‘Indy Series’ of\u00a0 four chamber concerts, their programming is more traditional,\u00a0and replete with popular classics.<\/p>\n This is by no means an exhaustive list. In the coming days we’ll look at highlights from\u00a0Music Viva, the Utzon Series, and some of\u00a0the musicians who are touring Sydney\u00a0independently.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chamber music is the focus in the continuing\u00a0overview of\u00a0Sydney’s 2012 concert agenda. Australia’s flagship chamber ensemble, the Australian Chamber Orchestra continues its…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"sls_format":[],"class_list":["post-6237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":{"deck":"","is_featured":false,"media_type":"standard","audio_embed":"","video_url":""},"yoast_head":"\n