Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Image: Stephen Adams, Producer ABC Classic FM  

April on ABC Classic FM boasts a plethora of premieres and an exciting Australian music festival dedicated to the performance of compositions by living composers, the Aurora Festival. Tune in to ABC Classic FM to hear ‘In Performance’ and the other concert slots offering a range of new and old Australian compositions from the festival, including premieres from Michael Atherton, Mark Isaacs, Cyrus Meurant, Alex Pozniak, Rosalind Page, Elena Kats-Chernin, Damien Ricketson, Michael Smetanin and Aurora Festival Director, Matthew Hindson.

Other Australian premieres this month include Lee Bracegirdle’s Euphonium Concerto, Gravity’s Rainbow by Brian Howard and Freeman McGrath’s Percussion Concerto. And New Music Up Late features recordings from the Aurora Festival along with the latest incarnation of the Orpheus Remix phenomenon.

Online the weekly Australian Music podcast continues at http://www.abc.net.au/classic/podcasts/feeds/amu.xml.

And new on our website is the Lute Web feature with composer and performer interviews, score and tablature extracts, a short video on lute techniques and recordings of the new works for lute commissioned by ABC Classic FM at http://www.abc.net.au/classic/lute.

New Music Up Late with Julian Day

Sat 5 April 10.30pm

International Window
As well as a look outside these shores, we re-visit The Orpheus Remix in the form of a special radio package on its way to Europe's Prix Marulic, and take a peek at what's coming up in the 2008 Aurora Festival, opening next weekend.

Sat 12 April 10.30pm

Aurora Festival: Crash, Bang, Swoon
Duo Edwardes/Balkus – Claire Edwardes (percussion), Bernadette Balkus (piano). From the Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown, NSW. Tonight we prepare ourselves for a battery of percussion and piano hammers plus a few sharp edges in Harrison Birtwistle’s The Axe Manual and new works for piano and percussion from young Australian composers Alex Pozniak and Cyrus Meurant.

Sat 19 April 10.30pm

Aurora Festival: Mark Isaacs Up Late
From The Riverside Theatre, Parramatta, Mark Isaacs jazzes up the chamber ensemble. Performers include Jonathan Brown (double bass), James Hauptmann (drums), Alistair Howlett (flute), Mark Isaacs (piano), Stephen Wylks (clarinet), and the Greenway String Quartet. A complete program of works by Mark Isaacs.

Sat 26 April 10.30pm

Aurora Festival: From Ung to Atherton
Sydney-based composer Michael Atherton and Cambodian-American Chinary Ung are two featured composers at this year’s Aurora Festival. Tonight we hear their music including new works presented at the festival.

In Performance

Tuesday 1 April 8.00pm

Presented by Simon Healy from the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall featuring Sydney Symphony, Scott Kinmont (euphonium). Recording of the world premiere of a new Euphonium Concerto by Lee Bracegirdle along with Percy Grainger’s arrangement of Maurice Ravel – Mirrors: The Valley of the Bells.

Fri 11 April 8.00pm

Aurora Festival: The Art of the String Quartet
Grainger String Quartet. Direct Broadcast from Campbelltown Arts Centre. Works by Andrew Ford, Peter Sculthorpe, Richard Meale, Damien Ricketson and Matthew Hindson.

Saturday 12 April 8.00pm

Aurora Festival: Aura/Aurora
Featuring Halcyon. Direct Broadcast from Campbelltown Arts Centre. Works by Ross Edwards, Somei Satoh, Chinary Ung. Incl. Michael Atherton – Of Stone and Silence*.

Wednesday 16 April 8.00pm

Presented by Simon Healy. Recorded at the Concert Hall of the Queensland Performing Arts Complex. The Queensland Orchestra, Deborah Riedel (soprano), Christian Elsner (tenor), Philip Kang (bass), Johannes Fritzsch (conductor). Incl. Brian Howard – Gravity’s Rainbow*.

Fri 18 April 8.00pm

Aurora Festival: Duelling Violins
James Cuddeford & Natsuko Yashimoto (violins). Recorded at The Female Orphan School, Parramatta. Works by Kenji Bunch, Roger Smalley, Elliot Carter, Matthew Hindson, James Cuddeford, Stuart Greenbaum, Stephen Hartke and Elena Kats-Chernin.

Tuesday 22 April

Aurora Festival: The Lute Project.
ABC Classic FM commissioned four of Australia's most dynamic composers to write brand-new suites for virtuoso lutenist, Tommie Anderson. This is a rare and delightful experience not to be missed. Recorded at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith. New works by Michael Atherton, Elena Kats-Chernin, Rosalind Page and Damien Ricketson.

Tuesday 22 April

Aurora Festival
With Julian Day, recorded at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith, Modern Music Ensemble of Sydney Conservatorium; Daryl Pratt (percussion/conductor), Halcyon. Incl. Michael Smetanin – Micrographia**.

Thursday 24 April 7.30pm

With Julian Day, a direct broadcast from the ABC Ferry Road Music Centre, West End, Brisbane. The Queensland Orchestra with Claire Edwardes (percussion), Adam Jeffrey (percussion), Matthew Rigby (violin), Ryusuke Numajiri (conductor). Incl. Freeman McGrath – Percussion Concerto*.

Afternoons

Wednesday 2 April 1.05pm

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, David Porcelijn (conductor)
Incl. Richard Meale – Scenes from Mer de Glace.

Wednesday 9 April 1.05pm

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Ole Rudner (conductor)
Incl. Carl Vine – The Tempest: Suite.

Wednesday 23 April 1.05pm

Len Vorster (piano), Kopke String Quartet, Australian Ballet School.
Incl. Michael Easton – Appassionata.

Sunday Live

Sunday 6 April 3.00pm

Direct broadcast from Canberra Girls’ Grammar School, Deakin, ACT
Concert-goers in Canberra are welcome. Please be seated by 2.50pm as the performance begins promptly at 3pm. Entry is free.

Virginia Taylor (flute), Timothy Kain (guitar).
Incl. Elena Kats-Chernin – Character Interludes.

Your Requests

Saturday 12 April 10.00am

Patricia Pollett (viola), Philippa Robinson (clarinet): Nigel Sabin – Postcards from France ; Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, David Porcelijn (conductor): Peter Sculthorpe – Little Suite.

Saturday Session

Saturday 12 April 3.00pm

Recorded in the Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Ultimo Centre, Sydney: Sally Walker and Philip Mayers Duo. Including Richard Meale – Melisande for solo flute and Gordon Kerry – Sonata for Piano

Weekend Life

Saturday 19 April 12.05pm

With Mairi Nicolson. Sydney Symphony, Tabea Zimmerman (viola), Steven Sloane (conductor). Including an Australian premiere by Georges Lentz – Monh, from Mysterium (Caeli enarrant…VII)

Just Classics

Friday 25 April 11.00am

With Damien Beaumont. Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, David Porcelijn (conductor), Peter Sculthorpe (narrator), Joseph Ortuso (organ): Peter Sculthorpe – The Fifth Continent: Small Town; Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Ronald Hanmer (conductor): Ronald Hanmer – Blue Hills Rhapsody; Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Richard Mills (conductor), Barry Davis (cor anglais): Colin Brumby – Scena for cor anglais and orchestra

* = world premiere
** = Australian premiere