Inner West Chamber Music Festival 2024

Saturday August 24th

Percussion Ensemble @ 12 pm

Students From Sydney Guitar School – Under The Gazebo @ 2pm

Brass Quintet @ 3:30 pm

Sunday August 25th

Violin and Guitar Duo @ 12 pm

Students From Inner West Institute Of Music – Under The Gazebo @ 2pm

Quintet Plus Clarinet @ 3:30 pm

Acknowledgment Of Country

The Metropolitan Orchestra acknowledges the traditional Aboriginal custodians of the land.

We acknowledge this is a country in which the members and elders of the local Aboriginal communities have been custodians for many centuries, and on which these people have performed age-old ceremonies.

The Metropolitan Orchestra acknowledges and pays our respects to the Gadigal and Wangal peoples of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of this land, and we pay our respects to their Elders both past and present.

Presented as part of Inner West Council’s Live Music Activation program in partnership with The Metropolitan Orchestra. Proudly supported by the Inner West Council.

Percussion Ensemble

Saturday August 24th @ 12 pm

Percussion Ensemble Program
Czárdás Vittorio Monti arr. Treɓ
Lullaby Kevin Man
Beast Steven Mackey
The Heavenly Musak Machine: six miniatures for vibraphone eight hands (Part 1 & 2) Mark Clement Pollard
Waltzing Matilda Banjo Patterson/Christine MacPherson arr. Stopa
Losa Emmanuel Séjourné
Three Scenes from the Desert Alex Stopa
Duet for Tom Toms Charles Steele
Clang Clack Matthew Curley

Percussion Ensemble Program Notes
Czárdás | Vittori Monti arr. Treɓ
Czárdás, is a traditional Hungarian Romani gypsy folk dance, the name derived from csárda (old Hungarian term for roadside tavern and restaurant). It originated in Hungary and was popularised by bands in Hungary as well as neighbouring countries and regions such as of Slovenia, Croatia, Transylvania and Slovakia. The origin of the csárdás can be traced back to the 18th century Hungarian music genre the verbunkos, where the ‘verbunk’ dance was used as entertainment to recruit young folk to the Austrian army. Márk Rózsavölgyi (1787-1848) is known to be the ‘father’ of the csárdás, and Vittorio Monti is known as the composer with the most famous concert version.

Vittorio Monti (1868-1922) was an Italian composer, violinist, mandolinist and conductor. Written in 1904, it was originally composed for violin, mandolin, and piano, and has since attracted many arrangements for a range of solo instruments with orchestra or small ensemble. Arranged for percussion ensemble by percussion composer and arranger Gunther Treß.

Lullaby | Kevin Man
Lullaby is a beautiful and peaceful chorale written for marimba. It seeks to explore the organ-like timbre of the marimba through sustained rolls and expressive phrasing. It was written for the wedding of a friend of the composer. Kevin Man is a Sydney-based percussionist, originally from Queensland where he played full time with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. He moved to Sydney to play with Australia’s premiere Japanese drumming group, TaikOz, where he excelled in performance on both taiko (drums) and flutes (shinobue and shakuhachi). In 2016, Kevin was appointed Associate Principal Percussion position with the Opera Australia Orchestra, where he remains today, as well as holding position of Coordinator of Percussion Studies at Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Beast | Steven Mackey
Steven Mackey is an American composer whose primary instrument is actually electric guitar. He is a GRAMMY-winning composer of works for chamber ensemble, orchestra, dance, and opera—commissioned by the greatest orchestras around the world, including the LA Philharmonic and Boston Symphony orchestras. He teaches and mentors at Princeton University and is also part of the composition faculty at Curtis Institute of Music.

His marimba solo Beast was commissioned by Nancy Zeltsman (Professor, Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music) and the Zeltsman Marimba Festival, Inc. It premiered in 2009, performed by Ivana Bilic (Internationally recognised Croatian marimba artist) as part of the festival, and was subsequently recorded for a double-CD release. It is published in a collection of 24 concert marimba pieces in two volumes called Intermediate Masterworks for Marimba, compiled by Zeltsman and has become a virtuosic staple in marimba repertoire today.

Steve Mackey says that when he began his compositional journey he was always searching for the “right wrong notes”, in reference to great jazz pianist Thelonius Monk. And now, “I want my music to be human and connected to the core motivations of music – to sing, to dance and to have transcendent experience.”

The Heavenly Musak Machine: six miniatures for vibraphone eight hands | Mark Clement Pollard
Australian composer Mark Clement Pollard has an eclectic compositional style utilising such diverse materials as improvisation, jazz, pop and the indigenous music of Southeast Asia. His music is broadcast and performed widely in Australia. Internationally his work has been included at many major festivals including the Warsaw Festival and the Tokyo Nova Festival. Among many other prestigious awards, Mark received the AMC /APRA Classical Music State Award in 2008, for long-term contribution to the Advancement of Australian Music. He is an educator and curator, Professor in Music (Interactive Composition) at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (Melbourne University), whose research over 30 years spans a range of sound, cross-media and cross-genre areas.

The Heavenly Musak Machine is inspired by heavenly sounds and the sacred, sometimes machine-like, ritual of performance. It draws on these aspects both in how the instrument is used and the heavenly sound sources that each movement resonates. Four performers play one vibraphone from both sides and use alternate tools and techniques to produce ambient and resonant notes, using gamelan-style cyclic patterns. THMM was first performed in 2010 by Melbourne’s Speak percussion ensemble, who commissioned the work with assistance from the Australia Council for the Arts.

Waltzing Matilda | Banjo Patterson/Christine MacPherson arr. Stopa
Australian-born percussionist and composer arranges this beautiful Australian classic for marimba and vibraphone.

Losa | Emmanuel Séjourné
Emmanuel Séjourné is a musician of international renown who leads a triple career as a composer, percussionist and teacher. His music is rhythmic, romantic, energetic, inspired by both Western classical tradition and popular culture. Acclaimed by many members of the percussion community, his works have been commissioned and recorded by many artists. His percussion concertos have been a huge success and have become major standard works in the advanced percussion repertoire today.

Séjourné’s Losa is a lively duet for Marimba and vibraphone inspired by Spanish flamenco music. It’s very syncopated and rhythmic and features some short solo sections. This unique, up-tempo and lively piece will make you want to groove and get up out of your seats for a little cha-cha – we encourage it!

Three Scenes from the Desert | Alex Stopa
Australian-born Alex Stopa is an Emmy award winning drummer, percussionist, Marimba soloist and composer. As a composer, his works reflect his versatile tastes, drawing inspiration from classical, jazz, pop, rock and other diverse styles. Currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dr Stopa performs regularly as a percussionist and timpanist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Nevada Ballet Theater Orchestra, and Nevada Pops Orchestra.

It is the deserts of South California and Nevada that became the inspiration behind this composition.

Originally written in 2016 as a suite of duets, Three Scenes from the Desert was updated (2018) to an ensemble edition to allow a broader performance soundscape.

Red Rock Canyon: ‘A four-over-three polyrhythm forms the basis for the thematic material in this movement. Images of the ‘Wild West’, horse-drawn carriages, ranchers, and frontier settlers inspired this short, energetic piece.’

Waltz for a Rainy Day: ‘Rain in the desert is a pleasure. In the springtime, in the heavy rains, desert wildflowers will often bloom in brightly coloured fields as far as the eye can see.’

Desert Sunrise: ‘An all-night drive through the Mojave Desert. Just as your eye-lids are becoming heavy, a sliver of sunlight, the new day, is seen on the horizon. Vibraphone parts imitate fingerpicking technique on an acoustic guitar.’

Duet for Tom Toms | Charles Steele
This piece is a fast-paced and playful conversation for two percussionists on four tom toms. It explores different sounds and dynamics with varying time signatures to showcase a traditional yet spirited side of drumming.

Clang Clack | Matthew Curley
Matthew Curley is a music educator, percussionist, and musician located in Connecticut, USA. He is also a well-known composer with a focus on percussion solos and arrangements. He is currently Middle School Band Director in Darien, Connecticut, and has performed in ensembles and concerts across America.

Clang Clack is a creative percussion quartet that allows the performers to choose from open instrumentation i.e. anything they like! The TMO Percussionists have chosen to play small, ordinary objects from everyday life to display that playing percussion is not always on conventional instruments.

Anita Cook

Students From Sydney Guitar School

Under The Gazebo Saturday August 24th @ 2pm

Brass Quintet

Saturday August 24th @ 3:30 pm

Brass Quintet Program
Renaissance Dance – Tylman Susato. Arranged by John Iveson
Waltzing Matilda – Traditional. Arranged by Adrian Hallam (Australian)
I Dreamed A Dream – Claude-Michel Schonberg. Arranged by Steven Verhaert
Charleston – Cecil Mack and Jimmy Johnson. Arranged by Thomas H. Graf
Oblivion – Astor Piazzolla. Arranged by Steven Verhaert
Two Cuban Dances – Ignacio Cervantes. Arranged by Charles Decker
Songs For My Family *World Premiere – Gareth Lewis
Tango 45 – Gregory Michael Butcher (Australian)
Waltz No.2 – Dimitri Shostakovich. Arranged by Steven Verhaert
Over The Rainbow – E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, Harold Arlen. Arranged by Andrea Bonaldo
Bohemian Rhapsody – Freddy Mercury. Arranged by Steven Verhaert
Can Can – Jacques Offenbach. Arranged by Arthur Frackenpohl

Brass Quintet Program Notes

Renaissance Dance – Tylman Susato. Arranged by John Iveson

La Mourisque from “The Danserye”

Tylman Susato was one of the best known Flemish Renaissance composers. He lived in Antwerp from 1500 – 1562, and was a talented composer, instrumentalist, calligrapher, and the first music publisher of the Netherlands. While much of his music was vocal, including several masses and motets, today he is probably most remembered for his instrumental music, much of it in dance forms.

Waltzing Matilda – Traditional. Arranged by Adrian Hallam (Australian)

“Waltzing Matilda” is a folk song or as the locals like to say, a bush ballad. The original lyrics were composed in 1895 by Australian poet Banjo Paterson. The song was first recorded in 1926 as performed by John Collinson and Russell Callow. In 2008, this recording of “Waltzing Matilda” was added to the Australian Sound Archives, who claim “Waltzing Matilda has the most recordings of any Australian song.

I Dreamed A Dream – Claude-Michel Schonberg. Arranged by Steven Verhaert

“I Dreamed a Dream” is a song from the 1980 musical “Les Misérables” It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Shonberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Patel and Herbert Kretzmer. Les Misérables is a novel in five volumes and it explores what people stuck in the lower rungs of society must do to survive.

Charleston – Cecil Mack and Jimmy Johnson. Arranged by Thomas H. Graf

The Charleston is a dance named after the harbour city of Charleston in South Carolina. The Charleston was popularised in mainstream dance music in 1923, after appearing in the Broadway show “Runnin’ Wild”. The Charleston became one of the most popular hits of that decade.

Oblivion – Astor Piazzolla. Arranged by Steven Verhaert

Argentine tango composer Astor Piazolla wrote “Oblivion” in 1982. The nostalgic tune starts out as a slow Milonga, a dance genre originating in Uruguay and Argentina, considered to be a forerunner of the tango.

Piazzolla is credited with revolutionising the tango by creating “nuevo tango” (new tango). New Tango is a blend of tango, jazz and classical music. “Oblivion” is considered to be more traditional and less ‘jazzy’.

Two Cuban Dances – Ignacio Cervantes. Arranged by Charles Decker

1. No Illores mas! (Weep No Longer!)
2. Porque, eh? (Because, Eh?)

Ignacio Cervantes is a Cuban composer and a key figure of Latin American piano music. During the 19th century, Cuba’s cultural and national identity grew in strength and the national genres of danza and contradanza became a fixture of the island’s dance and concert halls. These provided a bridge between different sections of society. Cervantes’s pieces, which display a similar style to Scott Joplin’s Rags, combine Cuban local humour and culture.

Program notes by Adrian Hallam (2024)

Songs For My Family – Gareth Lewis (World Premiere)

1. Song For Men
2. Song For Women

I. Song For Men

Father, sons, grandfathers, uncles, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-law and more. There is a certain energy when we get together – exuberant, joyous & at times boisterous. The brotherhood men offer is contagious and the music I have written reflects this transfer, commencing with a trumpet then sharing the mirth until everyone has joined in. Styled as a sea shanty there is a main melody in a minor key with two brief call-and-response interjections and a key change top off the mood.

II. Song For Women

Mother, wife, sister, grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, sister-in-law and more. This is a graceful piece with a mix thoughtful reflection and a monologue of ideas which expands to receive all of the voices having their say in accord. There is caring listening happening and warm chatting. You will hear a repeated figure first in the trumpets before a simple motif is shared amongst all of the instruments. It is more a thought bubble than a true melody, the shaping of an idea. The repeated background figure interacts with the motif and after a wise word from the Tuba, in the end all voices join together in a repeated statement, all at once, in harmony.

Program notes by Gareth Lewis (2024)

Tango 45 – Gregory Michael Butcher (Australia)

“Tango 45” is a play on linguistics (Tango for Five Players). The composer notes:

“Tango 4 5 was written as a light and entertaining piece with a quasi Latin American Tango ‘feel’ played at Tempo ‘di Tango”. It could be played by the brass quintet from memory walking in as an ‘opener’ to a sit down concert stage performance or it could be played as an encore.”

Greg Butcher started composing and arranging music as a member of the Air Force Band, Sydney. Serving in the band gave him a wide instrumental knowledge (as did his father Mike Butcher, who was Director of Music-Air Force Central Band in Melbourne), arranging music to suit the Wind Band, Big Band, Brass/Woodwind Groups and Marching Band, for public, television, school and official ceremonial performances.

Waltz No.2 – Dimitri Shostakovich. Arranged by Steven Verhaert

“Waltz No.2 was composed by Dimitri Shostakovich in 1938. It comes from “The Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2” This suite was written for the newly founded State Jazz Orchestra of Victor Knushevitsky, and was premiered on 28 November 1938. This work had a revival after appearing in Stanley Kubrick’s movie “Eyes Wide Shut”.

Over The Rainbow – E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, Harold Arlen. Arranged by Andrea Bonaldo

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, is a ballad written in 1939 for the film “The Wizard Of Oz”. The ballad is sung by the actress Judy Garland who starred as the character Dorothy. “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and became Garland’s signature song.

Bohemian Rhapsody – Freddy Mercury. Arranged by Steven Verhaert

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, A Night At The Opera (1975). Written by lead singer, Freddie Mercury, “Bohemian Rhapsody” parodies many different elements of opera by using bombastic choruses, sarcastic recitative, and distorted Italian operatic phrases.

Can Can – Jacques Offenbach. Arranged by Arthur Frackenpohl

The Can-Can is a high-energy, physically demanding dance that became a popular music-hall dance in the 1840s, The main features of the dance are the vigorous manipulation of skirts and petticoats, along with high kicks, splits and cartwheels. Many composers have written music for the Can-Can. The most famous piece is the French composer, Jacques Offenbach’s “Galop Infernal” from his operetta Orpheus in the Underworld (1858). “The “Galop Infernal” is one of the final scenes of the play where the gods are having a wild party and galloping around the stage!

Program notes by Adrian Hallam (2024)

Violin and Guitar Duo

Sunday August 25th @ 12:00 pm

Violin & Guitar Duo Program
Rossini/Carulli – Fantasie on the themes of the Thieving magpie
Paganini – Sonata for violin and Guitar
Piazzolla – Histoire Du Tango: Bordel 1900, Cafe 1930, Nightclub 1960
Morricone – Gabriel’s Oboe from the Mission
Myers – Cavatina, theme from the Deer Hunter
Keane – Continuum
Lalor – Manouche Waltz

Students From Inner West Institute Of Music

Under The Gazebo Sunday August 25th @ 2pm

Quintet Plus Clarinet

Sunday August 25th @ 3:30 pm

Le Quattro Stagioni (Four Seasons), Op. 8 Nos. 1-4 Vivaldi, Antonio (1678-1741)

I. E Major, R.269, Spring
II. G Minor, R.315, Summer
III. F Major, R.293, Autumn
IV. E Minor, R.297, Winter

First published in 1725, Vivaldi’s Opus 8 was a series of ten violin concerti, as well as two concertos for violin or oboe. The Opus 8 collection is known as Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’invenzione (The Contest between Harmony and Invention) and was dedicated to Count Wenceslas Morzin. The letter R in the work titles refers to Peter Ryom, the Danish musicologist who published the catalogue of Vivaldi’s works in 1974.

The Four Seasons is a musical portrayal of the natural world, and whilst not a new concept in musical composition, Vivaldi’s work is surely the most famous. The first four concerti of the Opus 8 are each devoted to a specific season, taking the listener on a journey through the year, one season at a time. Whilst rarely recited in concert, Vivaldi added descriptive sonnets that guide the listener through the seasons, as well as providing the performers with further insight. The solo violinist is told exactly where the winds are blowing, the birds are singing and the dogs are barking. All four concerti require remarkable virtuosic violin playing, even more so when Vivaldi’s embellishments to the written text are taken into account. Vivaldi himself was a renowned violinist and presumably performed these concerti himself with the court orchestra of the dedicatee, Count Morzin.

Beginning in the Spring, we are presented with a scene of sunny contentment in the countryside. The 2nd movement further develops this peaceful scene, progressing to a joyful dance in the 3rd movement, with shepherd bagpipes represented by bass drones. The temperature increases in Summer, and the solo violin provides the intrepid traveller with the sounds of birds, the cuckoo the most easily recognised of these, as well as the sounds of warm summer breezes and rushing winds. A change in the weather is anticipated in the slow Adagio movement, and a summer storm arrives in the Presto with flashes of lightning and the accompanying booms of thunder. A celebratory dance takes place in Autumn owing to a successful harvest, and this is followed by a sleepy, relaxed 2nd movement. The solo violin triumphantly announces the hunt in the 3rd movement, complete with baying dogs and firing muskets. A cold, icy beauty appears in Winter, present amidst the snow and freezing cold. A reprieve from this arrives in the 2nd movement, with a warm, cozy fire burning in the hearth. Outside, we hear the finale, with biting winter winds howling past and having the final say.

Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A, K.581 Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)

I. Allegro
II. Larghetto
III. Menuetto – Trio I – Trio II
IV. Allegretto con Variazioni

Like so many composers past and present, Mozart had a close friendship with instrumental virtuosi, including the virtuosic clarinettist Anton Stadler. He composed three known works especially for Stadler, the first of these being the Kegelstatt trio for clarinet, viola and piano in 1786. This was followed 3 years later by ‘Stadler’s Quintet’, now known as the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A, K.581 and finally the Clarinet Concerto, K.622.

Mozart’s mastery of a variety of musical genres are all combined in a single work within the Clarinet Quintet. He draws on compositional techniques and styles from opera, concerti and string quartets, with the clarinet most often playing the role of the vocal soloist with a small ‘orchestral’ accompaniment.

The Allegro movement opens the performance with a charming sonata stated initially by the strings. The clarinet responds with cheeky interjections before finally elaborating into a lyrical and melodic theme. The thematic material develops and receives elaborate embellishments through all four string players and then the clarinet before settling into a simple cadence to conclude the movement.

The Larghetto begins as a beautiful aria and develops into what is almost a concerto for clarinet and small string orchestra. The stunning beauty and simplicity of this movement alone formed the inspiration for future composers such as Bäermann, Weber and Brahms to compose for this combination. Following the traditions of 18th century soloists, Andrew has composed his own cadenzas and added ornaments in keeping with the style of this period.

In typical late 18th century style, Mozart wrote his third movement as a Menuetto and Trio, however he adds a second Trio in the tonic minor of A minor. The first, solemn and almost moody Trio is solely for the strings, and is contrasted by the clarinet in the next Trio by a lilting, bouncing tune that displays the full range and flexibility of the basset clarinet.

The final movement is a simple theme followed by a set of variations. Tempo and mood changes abound throughout this movement, and the thematic developments build in intensity until a brief reflective statement of the opening theme appears, tying the whole work together, followed by a quaint coda and simply concluded with a grand final cadence.

Today’s performance will utilise the basset clarinet – a modern version of the instrument that Stadler originally performed on. The range is down to low B, a fourth lower than the low E on the standard A clarinet. Runs and arpeggios no longer need to be inverted, with agile passages across almost four octaves beginning and ending in indulgent low tones that resonate amongst the viola and cello lines.

© Andrew Doyle 2024

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