Concerts in Sydney, Picton and Newcastle

Portrait of French novelist and memoirist George Sand by Charles Louis Gratia.

Sirius is excited to be taking the Wind Quintet on the road over the next two weekends. Starting this Saturday 14^th May at All Souls Church, Leichhardt; followed by a “Classics at Picton” concert on Sunday 15^th May; and lastly at Adamstown Uniting Church on Saturday 21^st May. We have chosen an eclectic mix of chamber music for woodwind trio and wind quintet all of which were commissioned or dedicated to various artists.

Carl Nielsen’s Wind Quintet, Op. 43 is one of the key works of the wind quintet repertoire. In 1921 Nielsen was inspired to compose a wind quintet after overhearing a rehearsal of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante by members of the Copenhagen Wind Quintet. Nielsen’s wind quintet was then dedicated to the ensemble who then premiered the work in 1922. The role of the Copenhagen Wind Quintet in the genesis of the work goes even further, as Nielsen captured musical portrayals of his friends’ characters and used their talents and personalities to inspire his composition.

Elena Kats-Chernin was commissioned to write a woodwind quintet for the Canberra Wind Soloists to perform at the Canberra Festival of Women’s Music in 2001. Kats-Chernin spoke of the Sand Waltz as “fitting to pay tribute to Chopin’s muse and a strong woman, writer George Sand. There is a quote from one of Chopin’s waltzes in the most reflective middle part of the piece. A short chord sequence from this piece became the main material for the movement Green Leaf Prelude of the Concert Suite Wild Swans in 2003.”

Belle Epoque en Sud-America – Suite for Wind Quintet by the Brazilian composer, Julio Medaglia, was written for the wind quintet of the Berlin Philharmonic, who recorded the work and have since frequently performed the work on their tours. Medaglia has arranged much Brazilian popular music for film and television. His suite for wind quintet takes many of these popular instrumental styles. Each movement reflects a popular dance or musical style – a tango, a waltz, and a chorinho.

If you had your wish and could commission a piece of chamber music, what style or genre would it be? As a wind ensemble, we find ourselves incredibly fortunate to have these pieces in our repertoire.

For tickets and more information:

Sydney and Newcastle: $30 Adults, $20 concession, $10 children. Tickets available at www.classikon.com or at the door.

“Classics at Picton”: $20 Adults, Students and Children Free. Afternoon Tea included. Tickets only available at the door.