design. A typically Mendelssohnian scherzo, in B minor,
follows. The slow movement contemplates an original melody
in chorale style, before an energetic and virtuosic finale.
Gordon Kerry © 2009
8:00pm toWnSville civic tHeatre
eveninG SerieS FrencH PlUS one
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Fantaisie in a for violin and harp, op.124
Jack Liebeck (Violin)
Sebastien Lipman (Harp)
In about 1896 the sexagenarian Saint-Saëns re-evaluated his
compositional style. In stark contrast to the opulence of works
from the previous decade such as the `Organ Symphony',
to name but one example, the works from the time of the
Second Violin Sonata on are clear in texture almost to the point
of austerity, and the piano his own instrument becomes
much less common in his works. His two string quartets date
from this period, as do a number of works in which he replaces
the piano with the more delicate textures of the harp.
The Fantaisie dates from 1907, and is dedicated to sisters
Marianne and Clara Eissler. It falls into four clearly articulated
sections, beginning with lyrical melody from the violin and
idiomatic harp accompaniment, followed by a more assertive
second section. The roles of the two instruments are
repeatedly swapped in the third section, and the ornate fourth
concludes with a return to the opening material.
Gordon Kerry © 2009
Paul Stanhope (born 1969)
Songs for the Shadowland for soprano, winds and piano
`Tree Grave'
Interlude
`Dawn Wail for the Dead'
Southern Cross Soloists
In this work I have set two poems `Tree Grave' and `Dawn
Wail for the Dead' by the indigenous Australian poet
Oodgeroo Noonuccal which form the outer movements of
the piece. These mourning poems struck me as being both
deeply moving and also full of other resonances to do with
Oodgeroo's fight for indigenous rights. The poems give us an
insight into the extraordinary importance placed by Aboriginal
cultures on ancestry and respect for the dead. The allusions
to a funeral ceremony in `Tree Grave' reminded me of the
profound cultural expression inherent in traditional indigenous
mortuary rites. In both poems, Oodgeroo manages to express
with remarkable subtlety and understatement of emotion the
devastation at the loss of loved ones. At the same time she
conjures up images of a `wild death croon' and a tribe one by
one wailing for dead relatives. Her restraint of language makes
these statements all the more powerful.
The middle movement is a solo horn lament, which
emphasises the melancholy quality of the instrument,
expressed through the use of natural harmonics and weeping
glissandi. This interlude attempts to express something a little
more abstract and personal about what Oodgeroo is saying.
It is, perhaps, an expression of personal sorrow for the past
suffering of indigenous Australians.
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery - Townsville's premier public gallery - is located on the
corner of Denham St and Flinders Mall in the heart of the city. With a diverse range
of exhibitions and programs, it is also at the heart of arts and culture in the city, and
is a must-visit during the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.
Urapun Kai Buai
Billy Missi
19 June until 16 August
PERC TUCKER REGIONAL GALLERY - FREE ADMISSION
Cnr. Denham St & Flinders Mall, Townsville
P. (07) 4727 9011 F. (07) 4772 3656 E. ptrg@townsville.qld.gov.au
www.townsville.qld.gov.au/recreation/gallery/perctucker
PERC
TUCKER
REGIONAL
GALLERY
Major exhibitions during the AFCM:
Billy Missi, Mudhaw Warul (Sheltered turtles behind the reef), 89.5 x 70 cm, Handcoloured linocut,
edition of 90, 2007. Published by Djumbunji Press KickArts Fine Art Printmaking.
Metal as Anything
Ron McBurnie
26 June until 16 August
RECORDED live BY