CSO 2021

The Quintet is suffused with what Edward Said, discussing late style in general, described as a ‘mature subjectivity, stripped of hubris and pomposity, unashamed either of its fallibility or of the modest assurance it has gained as a result of age,’ writes Gordon Kerry.

“Dvořák’s Eight Waltzes, Op. 54…are wonderfully original, and range in mood from the wistful to the boisterous,” writes Phillip Sametz.

“Music is the conduit through which I live my life. It’s the way I view my challenges, my successes.” Meet CSO Concertmaster, Kirsten Williams, who will direct the upcoming Classic Afternoon: The Elements, presented by Canberra Weekly.

“…a characteristic and delightful combination of what are now familiar conventions of form with quirky surprises, musical experiments and dramatic gestures. It seems there was nothing Haydn liked better than to play with his listeners’ expectations,” writes Yvonne Frindle.

Inspired by a poem by George Meredith, “The Lark Ascending” is one of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ most beloved works.

In the Second Piano Concerto and other creative output of that period, Rachmaninoff displays “…a new assuredness of style…an almost overwhelming abundance of melody,” writes Scott Davie.

“I start with a provocation. Is the beauty and virtuosity of Western classical music still enough? Should it be entering the debates of our time?…I also ask us to reflect on how and why music can process seemingly intractable notions and turn them into feelings that we can respond to. Climate change comes to mind…what can music do?”

Leah Curtis: “In To Rest in Peace, I saw a visually stunning film capturing a moment of time in Kuwait during the tensions of the 1990 Iraqi invasion. I wrote a score to resonate with the humanity of the main character.”

“When we are young, we jump headfirst into stories, into magic and fantasy and make-believe. We spend hours occupied with the tales we have invented ourselves, play-acting them and recruiting others to take part. I’ve been thinking about this recently: my seemingly lost ability to leave the reality of bills and deadlines for the creations of my imagination.” – Megan Stellar

Phillip Sametz explores Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet score, “…one of the most widely loved of the classical ballet repertoire…”.