FROM HARBOUR TO PORT: Sydney's stars hit Portland. |
G’day! On Wednesday, April 25, the Australian Chamber Orchestra comes to the Merrill Auditorium. These folks from the Lucky Country are one of the youngest orchestras in the world, and will rock up to Portland to perform an evening of Baroque music. These tall poppies play upwards of 80 concerts a year in Australia, and while they may be flat out like a lizard drinking, they have taken time from their busy schedules to plan a North American tour — including a trip to Maine, New England’s own bush country.
Their tour includes performances of six different programs, and Maine will be audience to the one with the most selections, featuring Baroque composers. They bring with them guest soloist Pieter Wispelwey, a Dutch cellist known for his equal proficiency on both modern and period instruments. Another ace musician, ACO’s artistic director and lead violinist Richard Tognetti, is known to have “developed a keen sensibility for performing music on period, modern and electric instruments, and has performed with a wide range of musicians covering many genres.” No wonder this bloke was declared a national living treasure by Australia in 1999!
The ACO itself is versatile — having performed as either a chamber ensemble, a small symphony orchestra, or as an “electro-acoustic collective.” They specialize in period music, but also have a penchant for “innovative cross-artform projects.” One recent CD release, Song of the Angel, features classical accordion player James Crabb. Another corker of a collaboration with rock singer Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil) and cartoonist Michael Leunig, yielded their best-selling recording The Carnival of the Animals, accompanying a book of Leunig’s text and illustrations. In the beginning of the year, I requested more chamber music in Portland, and intentional mixing of genres (see "Chamber Music Revival," January 5). These young dinkum wizards of Oz have what Maine needs.
Unfortunately, don’t expect amplifiers to be rolled out, or a bald greenie rock singer to jump out asking “How can we sleep while our beds are burning?” — this concert will be in beautiful Baroque form. Consistent with tradition, only the cellists will be seated, performing concerti by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), Uncio Wilhelm van Wassenhaer (1692-1766), Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), and George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), and a sinfonia by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788). A free pre-concert “About the Music” discussion entitled “Going for Baroque,” with David Ober will take place in the Green Room at 6 pm to educate listeners about how Baroque music differs from other musical periods.
The ACO shows its age, and its energy, on its Web site where they post ideas and happenings from their world tour. A post, “Strings of Death,” humorously portrays boarding a flight where their instruments were scrutinized as terrorist weapons. If I played a 1743 Guarneri del Gesù violin, made available exclusively to me by an anonymous Australian benefactor, as does Tognetti, I wouldn’t want to put it “in the hold” either. Another blog contains welcome yabber by new violist Chris Moore — a picture of a body piercing containing the word “Bitch”!
