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ensemble liaison

& friends

il bel canto

Three Concert Series in 2015 29 April, 21 August, 29 October

elisabeth murdoch hall melbourne recital centre

melbournerecital.com.auPh: 03 9699 3333

ensemble liaison & friends

“ What a national treasure Ensemble Liaison has really become”

“ Ensemble creates sublime performance. This display was stunning and will linger long in the memory”

“ an impassioned and committed performance ... not just technically superb but spiritually intense too.”

LIMELIGHT 2014

HOBART MERCURY 2012

THE CLASSICAL REVIEW 2012

Ensemble Liaison in their 9th season presents a journey of ‘beautiful songs’; the ultimate bel canto arias by Bellini in a special chamber arrangement, Mahler’s 4th Symphony in collaboration with the talented students from the Australian National Academy of Music and instrumental beauty in works by Brahms, Schumann, Piazzolla and Bruce.

welcome to ensemble liaison and friends

il bel canto

This season features premieres of two new Australian works, winner of the Melbourne Recital Centre’s composition award, Mark Viggiani and the recently appointed Chamber Music Australia Chair of Composition at Monash University, Mary Finsterer.

We are joined by new friends and old; two of Australia’s finest sopranos, Emma Matthews and Greta Bradman, along with four wonderful violinists, regulars to the EL family, Natsuko Yoshimoto Elizabeth Sellars and Cameron Hill along with new friend, Paul Wright.

We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Bittern Estate Wines. Please come along and join us for a series of beautiful music, wonderful guests, fine wine and conversation!

2015 will be ‘Il Bel Canto’!

David, Svetlana and Timothy

ensemble liaison

ensemble liaison

Timothy YoungIs a Resident Artist, Coordinator of Piano and Head of Chamber Music at the Australian National Academy of Music and enjoys a reputation as one of Australia’s leading pianists. Described by critics as a “rare talent” he regularly performs a wide-ranging repertory in recital as a soloist and in partnership with leading Australian and international musicians and ensembles.

David Griffiths Is Senior lecturer in clarinet and Coordinator of Woodwind and Brass at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University. David is renowned for his dynamic and virtuosic performances. Equally at home in Klezmer, ragtime, improvisation, classical and contemporary genres, he has appeared as Guest Principal Clarinet with every major Australian Orchestra and performed chamber music on many of the world’s great stages.

Svetlana Bogosavljevic Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Svetlana has delighted audiences throughout Europe, Asia and Australasia with her rich and expressive tone. Hailed as, “an accomplished musician in full control of a rich palette of colours and emotions” she has appeared with many notable musicians and ensembles including the North German Radio Orchestra and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra.

ensemble liaison and friends is a unique concert series presented by three internationally acclaimed musicians – David Griffiths clarinet, Svetlana Bogosavljevic cello and Timothy Young piano.

Their first concert series at the Edge, Federation Square in 2007 established Ensemble Liaison as a tour de force renowned for imaginative and innovative programming and setting the trend for brilliant collaborations with leading artists including: Anthony Marwood, Cheryl Barker, Ray Chen, Peter Coleman-Wright, Henning Kraggerud, Tony Gould, David Jones, Wilma Smith, Peter Wilson, Nemanja Radulovic, Emma Matthews, Greta Bradman, Natsuko Yoshimoto and Principal Dancers from The Australian Ballet.

Critics have hailed their performances as: spellbinding, flawless, a revelation, moving, joyous, polished, engaging, powerful and having boundless lyricism.

Described by Limelight magazine as a ‘national treasure’, they have performed across Australia and New Zealand and in 2012 gave a series of festival performances in Central Europe. They have regularly recorded for broadcast on the abc Classic fm and 3mbs and have released critically acclaimed recordings on the Melba Recordings, Tall Poppies and el Records labels.

Ensemble Liaison was appointed Ensemble in Residence at Monash University in 2010.

Piano

Cello

Clarinet

& friends

Yehudi Menuhin School, Guildhall and Juilliard trained Adelaide born violinist Paul Wright has performed with leading ensembles and orchestras in Australia and overseas. Paul is deeply involved in the performance practice of music from the 18th and 19th C and has performed in numerous early music ensembles throughout the country. He has enjoyed many seasons as guest concertmaster of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra including the recent complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies under Asher Fisch. Paul has been on the faculty at the Australian National Academy of Music and is

currently Head of Strings at the University of Western Australia, a position he has held since 1990.

Winner of the 2013 Australian International Opera Award, dramatic coloratura soprano Greta Bradman has been described as “one of the foremost sopranos of her generation” (abc Classic fm, 2012). She is Australia’s only classical artist signed to Sony Music. In 2014 Greta completed a Master of Advanced Vocal Studies at the Wales International Academy of Voice under the tutelage of Dennis O’Neill, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Maestro Richard Bonynge. Later that year Maestro Bonynge invited Greta to sing the title role of Rodelinda under his baton at Melbourne Recital Centre.

Upcoming performances include a national tour with the Australian String Quartet, a tour of Australia and New Zealand with Teddy Tahu Rhodes, David Hobson and Lisa McCune, concerts in Rome, London and Florence.

Emma Matthews, Australia’s most highly acclaimed and awarded soprano, performs regularly with Opera Australia, the state opera companies, in recital, and with the major symphony orchestras and festivals. Internationally Emma has performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and has released two solo cd’s: Emma Matthews in Monte Carlo (Deutsche Grammophon / abc Classics) and Mozart arias (abc Classics).

Musicians from the Australian National Academy of Musicanam is the only professional-training focused institute in Australia, and one of only a few in the world. Renowned for its innovation, energy and courageous programming, anam is consistently committed to pushing the boundaries of how classical music is presented and performed.

Born in Japan, Natsuko Yoshimoto began playing the violin at the age of three. She studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Royal Northern College of Music in England and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadephia. She has won many awards and prizes in international competitions including the Gold Medal in both the prestigious 1994 Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Competition and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa Award. In great demand as a soloist, she has appeared with many world renowned orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia

(London), Halle Orchestra, Odense Symphony (Denmark), Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Melbourne Symphony and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Natsuko is the Concertmaster with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. She was the leader of the Australian String Quartet and then the Grainger Quartet until the end of 2008.

Australian-born violinist Elizabeth Sellars, is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music in London where she studied with David Takeno (violin) and the Takacs String Quartet (chamber music). A multiple prize-winner, Elizabeth has performed in festivals worldwide and has broadcast on radio in Australia, the uk, Mongolia, Germany and the usa. As a recognized advocate for new music, Elizabeth is the dedicatee of many world premieres. She has recorded for abc Classics and naxos and her musicianship has been described as “glowing, compelling” and “exquisite”.

Elizabeth is a founding member of Sutherland Trio and is currently Co-ordinator of Strings at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University.

Cameron Hill is an Australian violinist who appears as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player. He has performed as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Cameron won both the 2005 Dorcas McClean National Violin Competition and the 2006 abc Younger Performer of the Year and currently performs casually with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared as guest leader of the Flinders Quartet in 2012–2013, as Principal Viola of the aco2, and recently toured

Europe with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. During 2014, Cameron served as Guest Concertmaster of both the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

program 1 wednesday 29 april 2015 7.00pm

Opening the 2015 series Ensemble Liaison presents two classic masterpieces alongside what can only be described as a modern masterpiece, David Bruce’s Gumboots. The concert opens with Ensemble Liaison’s own arrangement of Schumann’s delightful Fairy Tales and concludes with Brahms’ glorious Piano Quintet in F minor where they will be joined by three of Australia’s finest chamber musicians, Paul Wright, Elizabeth Sellars and Cameron Hill.

robert schumann Märchenerzählungen \ Fairy Tales op.132

david bruce Gumboots

johannes brahms Piano Quintet in F minor op.34

Elizabeth Sellars violin Paul Wright violin Cameron Hill viola

ensemble liaison David Griffiths clarinet Svetlana Bogosavljevic cello Timothy Young piano

Fairy Tales & Gumboots

program 2 friday 21 august 2015 7.00pm

Ensemble Liaison expand their forces with some of Australia’s finest young musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music to present two magnificent large scale chamber works; Copland’s Appalachian Spring and the chamber arrangement of Mahler’s 4th Symphony by Klaus Simon. Ensemble Liaison welcomes back two friends to their series, Concertmaster of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Natsuko Yoshimoto and soprano, Greta Bradman. This concert also features the world premiere of a new work by Mark Viggiani, winner of the Melbourne Recital Centre composition award for 2015.

aaron copland Appalachian Spring

mark viggiani New Work (Melbourne Recital Centre commission)

gustav mahler Symphony Nº4 (chamber version arr. Klaus Simon)

Greta Bradman soprano Natsuko Yoshimoto violin Musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music

ensemble liaison David Griffiths clarinet Svetlana Bogosavljevic cello Timothy Young piano

Mahler's 4th, ANAM & Ensemble Liaison

program 3 thursday 29 october 2015 7.00 pm

After two previous critically acclaimed collaborations, Ensemble Liaison is delighted to welcome back one of Australia’s most in demand sopranos, Emma Matthews for an evening of her favourite arias by Bellini in special chamber arrangements by Ensemble Liaison. The concert will take a detour to Argentina for Piazzolla’s Four Seasons and also features the world premiere of a new work by the recently appointed Chamber Music Australia Chair of Composition at Monash University, Mary Finsterer.

robert schumann Fantasiestücke op.73 for clarinet and piano

mary finsterer New Work

vincenzo bellini O rendetemi la speme… Qui la voce (I Puritani)

vincenzo bellini Casta Diva (Norma)

astor piazzolla Four Seasons of Buenos Aires

vincenzo bellini Eccomi in lieta vesta… O quante volte (I Capuleti e i Montecchi)

vincenzo bellini Ah non credea… Ah non Giunge (La Sonnambula)

Emma Matthews soprano ensemble liaison Elizabeth Sellars violin David Griffiths clarinet Svetlana Bogosavljevic cello Timothy Young piano

Il Bel Canto, Emma Matthews & Ensemble Liaison

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A chance to win a mixed case of

Bittern Estate Wines

meet the musicians & post-concert wine tasting

Join the musicians of Ensemble Liaison and their guest artists in the Melbourne Recital Centre foyer after each concert for complimentary wine tasting provided by Bittern Estate Wines.

support ensemble liaison

All donations over $2 are tax deductible, and can be made to Ensemble Liaison through the Australia Cultural Fund, which since 2003 has helped artists make great work whilst bringing tax benefits to donors. The fund is managed by Creative Partnerships Australia, to encourage donations and to create more opportunities for artists. These gifts support the mrc series, recordings, commissions and other special events.

To support Ensemble Liaison, print out a donation form available from www.ensembleliaison.com, and post your completed form to:

Creative Partnerships Australia, Level 2, 405 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

To discuss projects including the commissioning of new works, please get in touch with Ensemble Liaison at info@ensembleliaison.com or 0413 661 157

Venue information

Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch HallCnr Southbank Boulevard and Sturt Street, Southbank

bookings

(03) 9699 3333 melbournerecital.com.au

In 2015 Melbourne Recital Centre’s Local Heroes series shares the stories

of our World War I heroes.

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Presented by Ensemble Liaison and Melbourne Recital Centre

design Letterbox letterbox.net.au

photography Greg Barrett

Program details correct at time of publication. ensemble liaison reserves the right to change the program and performance details.

presenting partners

university partner

offcial partners

founding patrons

ensemble liaison would like to thank its sponsors and supporters: Stephen Banham, Lin Bender, Anna Carson, John Hopkins, Brent Ottley www.australianpianotechnology.com.au, Dr. Richard Hiscocks, Clare O’Callaghan, and Dr. Otis Wang.

Dr. Douglas & Mrs Susan Gin

Ensemble in Residence

ensemble liaison.com

Thanks