sirius chamber ensemble

Happy New Year from Sirius Chamber Ensemble! We have some exciting plans for 2015, including our first recording project and an expanded concert series. More details about our guest artists and concert program will be released in the coming weeks.

The ensemble will begin the year with a short, informal recital at St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Macquarie St, Sydney at noon on Australia Day. Entry is free (donations are encouraged), and the location is ideal for those enjoying the celebrations in the city on Australia Day.

Program:

Kristofer Spike – Promenade for flute, clarinet and piano

John Rutter – American Miniatures for flute and clarinet

Otar Taktakishvili – Sonata for flute and piano

Performers:

Melissa Coleman (flute), Claire Howard Race (piano) and Ian Sykes (clarinet).

When: Monday 26^th January 2015, 12 pm.

Where: St Stephen’s Uniting Church, 197 Macquarie St, Sydney.

Tickets: Free Entry (donations encouraged).

What makes strange bedfellows? A strange title for a chamber music concert perhaps? Well, yes but we do have a group of very different people all connected together in the one activity, that being making music. And for our last performance of our 2014 series, Sirius Chamber Ensemble presents a concert of music for unusual combinations of instruments. Joining our regular line-up of woodwinds, strings, brass and piano are special guests Andrew Smith (alto saxophone) and Matthew Collins (trumpet). Music includes the Australian premiere of Aaron Copland’s Quiet City in its original instrumentation, and The Death of Baldr, a new work written especially for Sirius by local composer Paul Smith.

Quiet City, by Aaron Copland

The original score for the play was composed for trumpet, alto saxophone, B♭ clarinet (doubling bass clarinet), and piano. In the composer’s own words, the piece was “an attempt to mirror the troubled main character of Irwin Shaw’s play”. The man, who had abandoned his Jewishness and in pursuit of success had married a rich socialite and became president of a Department store; however, was continually recalled to his conscience by the haunting sound of his brother’s trumpet playing. Copland also observed that, “Quiet City seems to have become a musical entity, superseding the original reasons for its composition”, owing much of its success to its escape from the details of its dramatic context.

The Death of Baldr, by Paul Smith

Norse mythology has long been a source of inspiration for a variety of media. Paintings, novels and video games have all depicted or based their figures on gods and monsters from Norse mythology. The movements of this work, for both the full sextet and the three solos, respond to different characters in the famous tale of the death of Baldr, god of light. As with many mythologies, the pantheon of gods govern different parts of life and nature. The tone of each movement reflects this. The piece culminates with a movement inspired by chief god, Odin, who approaches Baldr’s funeral pyre and whispers, ‘rebirth’.

La Revue de Cuisine, by Bohuslav Martinu

Radio Praga – Ecos del jazz en la obra de Martinů

The program also includes music by Prokofiev and Koechlin.

Program:

• Sergei Prokofiev – Overture on Hebrew themes for clarinet, string quartet, piano
• Paul Smith – The Death of Baldr for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, cello and piano
• Charles Koechlin – Epitaph de Jean Harlowe for flute, alto saxophone and piano
• Aaron Copland – Quiet City for alto saxophone, trumpet, clarinet/bass clarinet and piano
• Bohuslav Martinu – Revue de Cuisine for clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, violin, cello and piano

Performers: Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinets), Alison Evans (bassoon), Julia Zeltzer (french horn), Martyn Hentschel (violin), Clare Kahn (cello), Claire Howard Race (piano)

Guests: Andrew Smith (alto saxophone), Matthew Collins (trumpet), Vanessa Tammetta (violin), Luke Spicer (viola), Belinda McGlynn (piano).

Saturday 1 November, 7:30pm

Glebe Justice Centre (formerly Glebe Café Church), 37-47 St Johns Rd, Glebe

Tickets available at classikon.com or at the door

Admission: $30 Adult/ $20 Concession/ $10 Child

BYO food, drink and alcohol welcome. Tea, coffee and refreshments available

As spring arrives the flowering cherry blossoms brighten clear blue skies. Although short lasting, these blooms are best enjoyed outside with a picnic lunch.

This Sunday 21 September, 1.30pm at Glebe Justice Centre, local composers Christine Draeger and Paul Smith join us to discuss their musical influences and style. We will premiere two works written for members of the Sirius Chamber Ensemble, including Christine Draeger’s Variations on a Patriotic Love Song for wind quintet, and Paul Smith’s The Death of Baldr for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, cello and piano.

Christine Draeger is a represented composer at the Australian Music Centre. She has written works for solo flute, flute and piano, flute quartet and theatre pieces. She has also written a flute tutor Practical Studies for the Advanced Flautist with Rosamund Plummer. Other works by Christine included in this concert are Aubade (2011) flute and piano – written for Melissa Coleman; Two Fires Suite (2005) for flute solo – written for the Two Fires Festival of Arts and Activism; as well as Into Forever (2013) for oboe and piano.

Paul Smith has recently completed a Doctorate of Creative Arts exploring Japanese visual aesthetics and music at the University of Western Sydney where he also works as a lecturer and tutor in musicology. He also works in and around Sydney as a singer and composer as well as a supervisor and lecturer for the University of New England. Other works by Paul included in this program are Chasing Cherry Blossoms for two sopranos, flute, clarinet, bassoon and cello – inspired by hanami and spring in Japan; as well as I Dream of Purple Lakes for soprano, clarinet and piano.

Performers – Sirius Chamber Ensemble – Mel Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet), Alison Evans (bassoon), Julia Zeltzer (french horn), Claire Howard Race (piano)

With guests Alex Fontaine (oboe), Ezmi Pepper (cello), Taryn Srhoj (soprano) and Jermaine Chau (soprano)

Tickets available at www.classikon.com
$30 Adults/ $20 Concession/ $10 Children
BYO food and drink, tea and coffee provided

A Spring Rain by Tate Hamilton

Are we getting sick of the rain yet? Well it is only a few weeks to go till Spring arrives. We have two recitals coming up in September. On the 5th of September Ian Sykes, Georgina Price and Claire Howard Race will be performing at St Stephen’s Uniting Church Friday Lunchtime Series. And then on 21st of September we are holding a Meet the Composer Concert – an informal performance and discussion with two Sydney composers.

1. Lunchtime Concert – Friday 5 September
At: St Stephen’s Church, 197 Macquarie St
Time: 1.10-1.50 pm
Performers: Ian Sykes (clarinet), Georgina Price (viola) and Claire Howard Race (piano)
Program: Saint-Saëns Clarinet Sonata Op.167; Mozart “Kegelstatt” Trio for clarinet, viola and piano.
Free entry, donations are welcome.

2. Meet the Composer Concert – Sunday 21 September
Sirius Chamber Ensemble will perform music by local composers Christine Draeger and Paul Smith at Glebe Justice Centre. We have invited both composers to speak about their works in-between performances. Through an informal discussion you will be able to hear about their compositional influences, writing style and have your questions to the composers answered.

At: Glebe Justice Centre (formerly Glebe Café Church), 37-47 St Johns Rd, Glebe
Time: 1.30pm
Performers: Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet), Alison Evans (bassoon), Julia Zeltzer (french horn), Claire Howard Race (piano).

Program: Christine Draeger’s Wind Quintet and Paul Smith’s new work based on Norse mythology, The Death of Baldr for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, cello and piano. The program also includes recent music by our featured composers.

Tickets are available at classikon.com or at the door.

Visit our Facebook page for more concert information closer to the date.

We are delighted to be joined by some talented Sydney artists for our next concert on Saturday 28^th June, 1:30pm at the Glebe Justice Centre. Owen Torr (harp), Alex Fontaine (oboe), Vanessa Tammetta (violin), Ella Brinch (viola), and members of Sirius Chamber Ensemble present a concert of French music for woodwinds, strings, harp and piano.

View of the Canal Saint-Martin, Paris, oil on canvas by Alfred Sisley, 1870; in the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

The Magic of Paris will explore music composed and premiered in the French capital between 1876 and 2012. Central to the program is music by early twentieth century impressionist composers, Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy.

The Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet was hastily written by Ravel in 1905 and first performed in Paris in 1907. The commission came from Érard, maker of harps and pianos, to promote the newly crafted double action pedal harp. As such, the harp plays a dominant role in this septet.

Claude Debussy wrote the Sonata for flute, viola and harp in 1915 while suffering a terminal illness. Planned as one of six sonatas for various combinations of instruments, only three works of the cycle were completed before the composer’s death in 1918.

Moving to French music of the present day Guillaume Connessonhas been described as… incontestably the most gifted, demanded and versatile composer of his generation in France today – La Terrasse, Jean Lukas, 2003. Disco Toccata for clarinet and cello, written in 1994, is a modern interpretation of the Baroque form, usually a keyboard piece. The Adams Variations for clarinet, violin, cello and piano (pub. 2011) is a set of six variations based on the letters of American minimalist composer, John Adams.

The program also includes Elegie for cello and piano (1880) by Gabriel Fauré and Quintette in G minor for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn (1876) by Claude-Paul Taffanel.

Sirius Chamber Ensemble

Ian Sykes (clarinet)

Alison Evans (bassoon)

Melissa Coleman (flute)

Julia Zeltzer (french horn)

Martyn Hentschel (violin)

Georgina Price (viola)

Clare Kahn (cello)

Claire Howard Race (piano)

When: Saturday 28^th June, 1.30pm

Where: Glebe Justice Centre (formerly Glebe Café Church Space), corner St John’s Rd and Colbourne Ave, Glebe.

Tickets: $30/$20/$10 available at www.classikon.com or at the door

Enquiries: sirius.ensemble@gmail.com

Our first concert for 2014 features the compositions of Hungarian 20th century composers, including György Ligeti and Béla Bartók. Joining Sirius member, Ian Sykes (clarinet), are Paul Myers (piano) and Martyn Hentschel (violin) to perform Bartók’s Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano. Paul and Martyn will also perform Bartók’s Romanian Dances for violin and piano. Other music on the program include Sholem-alekhem, rov Feidman! for clarinet and piano by Bela Kovacs, Old Hungarian Dances for wind quintet by Ferenc Farkas, and the Trio for flute, clarinet and bassoon by Zoltán Székely. So what is the connection between all these composers? Many were influenced by each other, but all have a common interest in the folk music of their country of origin.

Hungarian Parliament in Budapest

György Ligeti (1923 – 2006)

Six Bagatelles for flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn (1956)

Ligeti was born in Transylvania, Romania to a Hungarian Jewish family. In 1944, following the German occupation of Hungary, Ligeti was sent to a forced labour brigade, while the rest of his family were interred in concentration camps. Following the war, Ligeti studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, studying with Zoltan Kodaly and Ferenc Farkas amongst others. Similarly to earlier Hungarian masters such as Kodaly and Bartók, Ligeti pursued his studies into Hungarian folk music in Transylvania. After fleeing to Vienna in 1956, Ligeti explored many compositional trends, experimenting with 12-tone serialism, electronic music and minimalism, before developing his own unique style, which he dubbed “micropolyphony”.

The Six Bagatelles for wind quintet, originated from Musica Ricercata (1953), 11 pieces for piano. Ligeti structured the suite around the number of tones used; the first piece is restricted to just two notes of the chromatic scale, the second using three notes and so on to the final piece in which all 12 notes of the chromatic scale are present. Shortly after the work’s completion, Ligeti arranged six of the pieces for wind quintet. The Bagatelles were performed first in 1956, but not in their entirety – the last movement was censored by the Soviets for being too “dangerous”. The work finally received its first complete performance in Stockholm 16 years after its composition.

A Bagatelle suggests a mere trifle; however, these six pieces are diminutive in length only. Each piece inhabits its own sound world, creating a suite of contrasting moods, from playful, sorrowful to downright crazy. While Ligeti’s admiration of folk music is clearly shown in the Bagatelles, so are characteristics of the avant-garde for which he would later become well known for, particularly his experimentation with form and tonality. The Fifth piece is dedicated to the memory of Bela Bartók. His influence on Ligeti, along with that of Stravinsky, is evident throughout the suite.

Notes by Ian Sykes

When: Saturday 26th April, 7.30pm
Where: Glebe Justice Centre (formerly Glebe Cafe Church), corner St John’s Rd & Colbourne Ave Glebe
Tickets: Available at classikon.com or at the door
$30 adult/$20 concession/$10 child

BYO food/drinks/alcohol
Tea, coffee and refreshments available

We are pleased to announce an exciting program for 2014, which will include three evening concerts and smaller recitals throughout the year.

For our recital series, we have chosen diverse repertoire that features our combination of wind and string instrumentalists. We are excited to be joined this year by guest artists including Paul Myers (piano) and Owen Torr (harp). Also, we will premiere new music by Sydney-based composers Christine Draeger and Paul Smith.

Our first concert this year will be in a new venue – Glebe Café Church Space (cnrs St John’s Road and Colbourne Ave, Glebe) – an intimate and relaxed venue with excellent acoustics and comfortable lounges, where BYO food, drinks and alcohol are welcome. Tea, coffee and refreshments will be available.

Concert series tickets are available at classikon.com or at the door.
Adults $30 / Concession $20 / Child $10

Concert 1 – Saturday 26 April 2014, 7.30pm
Hungarian Dances and Songs

Program includes:

• Bartok Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano
• Ligeti Six Bagatelles for wind quintet
• Bartok Romanian Dances for violin and piano
• Kovacs Sholem-alekhem, rov Feidman! for clarinet and piano
• Farkas Four Antique Hungarian Dances for wind quintet

Concert 2014 program details can be viewed under 2014 Concerts. Concert dates and venues will be confirmed throughout the year.

The Sirius woodwind trio, Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet) and Alison Evans (bassoon) will be performing at St Stephen’s Uniting Church as part of their Australia Day recital series.

Our short program begins at 1.30pm and will feature music by Piston, Greenbaum, Washburn and Szekely. It’s the perfect way to escape the heat in the middle of the day if you’re celebrating Australia Day in the city and best of all, it’s free!