‘Transfigured Night’ from Sydney Camerata
An appearance in a courtroom is not something that might generally be considered desirable, but for Sydney Camerata this is a cause for celebration. Their upcoming performance of chamber music in the Courtroom of the Justice & Police Museum celebrates 5 years of superb music making.
On the programme are three ‘must hear’ works – Light Rain by Australian composer Lachlan Skipworth, Nocturne & Scherzo by American composer Arthur Foote, and the pièce de résistance, Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) opus 4. In the concert, Sydney Camerata will be led from the violin by Liz Gormley and flautist Lina Andonovska is the soloist in the new work by Skipworth which she premiered in 2009.
Under the guidance of founder and Artistic Director Mathisha Panagoda, Sydney Camerata has established a fine record of depth in programming that is finesssed with excellence in performance.
In 2012, Sydney Camerata were appointed to Music Viva’s Rising Stars programme. In their concerts they present the cornerstones of classical chamber music alongside new works commissioned from Australian composers and existing works in the contemporary repertoire. Notable works they have performed with aplomb over the years, include R.Strauss’ Metamorphosen and Mendelssohn’s Octet in E flat major opus 20.
Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) opus 4 was written early in his career before he ventured into the world of twelve tone writing and is considered Romantic in style. Nonethless it was a harbinger of his style to come and was rejected by the Vienna Musikverein in its early days.
Composer Lachlan Skipworth has studied composition with Roger Smalley and Anne Boyd. A shakuhachi performer as well, he spent over two years studying music and composition in Japan and in Germany. His music is infused with Japanese idioms. Leading Australian ensembles, amongst them the West Australian and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, the Sydney Symphony Fellows, the Song Company, Sydney Chamber Choir, Chronology Arts and the Enigma String Quartet have commissioned and performed his music.
Skipworth writes that “light rain begins with sustained tones ……which are passed to natural harmonics in the strings, creating a luminous surface texture. Like rain drops on a calm pond, subtle agitations………. begin to create ripples and shimmering colours in the accompaniment.”
The 19th century American composer Arthur Foote, studied music at Harvard and was a popular and respected musician whose Nocturno & Scherzo for Flute & String Quartet, (1918) is considered one of his best works.
Tickets: from $10 – $35, under30s & family discounts available.
Click here to book.
