23 August 2010
Australian Music on ABC Classic FM in September 2010
In September on ABC Classic FM we mark the 50th anniversary of the death of versatile expatriate composer Arthur Benjamin with a new Music Makers documentary and a studio recording of his piano music featuring a raft of Australian premieres. We also hear world premieres of new works from prominent Australian composers Elena Kats-Chernin, Andrew Ford and Peter Sculthorpe. And we catch some recent performances of Australian music at the BBC Proms and Scotland's famous Edinburgh Festival.
Online we continue to grow our classic/amp collection which recently saw the addition of Nigel Butterley's 1966 studio classic In the Head the Fire among others. And you can subscribe to our AMU podcast series for more new recordings of new Australian music from around the country.
Music Makers
With Mairi Nicolson
Sunday 5 September 12.05pm - Arthur Benjamin: The Man and his
Music
Written and presented by Wendy
Hiscocks
Wendy Hiscocks explores the life of
Arthur Benjamin, the Australian-born composer who died in
London 50 years ago. Benjamin is probably best known for writing
Jamaican Rumba; he was also among the ranks of those
fine composers who wrote music for British films in the 1930s.
Benjamin learnt to improvise at the piano early in his Brisbane
childhood, and his training at the Royal College of Music was cut
short when he enlisted in the army at the outbreak of World War
I. But his determination, natural musical gifts and sheer hard
work led to a notable career in England and Canada as a composer,
pianist, teacher and conductor. Benjamin's wit and beautiful
sense of craftsmanship pervade his more light-hearted scores, and
his larger scale dramatic works - such as the Symphony and the
opera A Tale of Two Cities - explore human tragedy with
genuine compassion. These various qualities all contributed to
the 'inner style' that Benjamin considered so important in his
music.
Wendy Hiscocks is a composer and pianist, and the author of the
first biography of Benjamin, to be published soon.
Saturday Session
Saturday 4 September 3.00pm - Arthur Benjamin Anniversary. Wendy
Hiscocks and Anthony Hunter Smith, piano
A studio recital of works focussing on the music of Arthur
Benjamin and those who influenced his own compositions
Arthur Benjamin - Etudes Improvisées (Australian
premiere); Siciliana; Saxophone Blues; Benjamin
arr. Hiscocks Two Jamaican Street Songs: No 2, Cookie
(Australian premiere); Two Jamaican Street Songs: No 1,
Mattie Rag (Australian premiere); Benjamin arr. Trimble
Jamaican Rumba; Mayerl arr. Hiscoks Insect Oddities:
No 1, Wedding of an Ant (Australian premiere); Insect
Oddities: No 2, Ladybird Lullaby (Australian premiere);
Oddities: No 3, Praying Mantis (Australian premiere);
Insect Oddities: No 4, Beetle in the Bottle (Australian
premiere)
Saturday 11 September 3.00pm - Peter Kneeshaw, organ
Including Colin Brumby - Wedding March; Dulcie Holland -
Verset
Afternoon Concerts
Saturday 11 September 1.00pm - Edinburgh International Festival
2010
Sydney Symphony, Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor; Rebecca Evans,
soprano
Including Ross Edwards - Maninyas, Concerto for Violin
and Orchestra; Peter Sculthorpe - Memento Mori
Tuesday 21 September 1.05pm - Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Calvin Bowman, celesta; Louisa Breen, piano; Paul Daniel,
conductor.
Including Elena Kats-Chernin after Piazzolla - Re-Collecting
ASTORoids: movements 1, 4 & 5 (world premiere; plus
Elena Kats-Chernin's interview with producer Duncan Yardley)
Saturday 25 September 1.00pm - TrioZ
Including Miriam Hyde - Fantasy Trio in B minor
Tuesday 28 September 1.50pm - Peninsula Summer Music Festival:
Ironwood with Nicola Boud, clarinet
Including Elena Kats-Chernin - Eliza Aria for string
quartet; Paul Stanhope - Morning Star
In Performance
Thursday 2 September 9.00pm - BBC PROMS 2010: I Fagiolini
From the Cadogan Hall, London. Robert Hollingworth, director;
Britten Sinfonia; Lawrence Power, viola; Ryan Wigglesworth,
conductor
Including Brett Dean - Carlo
Thursday 2 September 7.05pm - TrioZ
Direct broadcast from the City Recital Hall, Angel Place,
Sydney
Including Andrew Ford - Nine Fantasies about Brahms
(world premiere)
Wednesday 22 September 8.00pm - Flinders Quartet
Including Peter Sculthorpe - String Quartet No 18 (world
premiere)
plus Peninsula Summer Music Festival: Alannah Guthrie-Jones,
harp; Karen Schofield, flute
Including Colin Brumby - 4 Exotic Pieces for flute and
harp
New Music Up Late
With Julian Day
Saturday 4th September 10.30pm - Pateras takes the Academy
Music curated by Anthony Pateras, this year's guest composer at
the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, and
recorded by ABC Classic FM at the South Melbourne Town Hall in
March 2010.
Friday 24th September 10.30pm - Brave New Brisbane
Friday edition - online and on digital radio
This Friday we welcome guest presenter team Roger Gonzalez and
Robert Davidson with a program with a distinctly Brisbane
eye-view.
At Home
Saturdays at 7.05pm with Julian Day
4 September
Westlake - Stepfather Of The Bride: To Have and to Hold;
Antarctica: Suite for guitar and orchestra;
Kalabash; Six Fish
11 September
Hindson - Little Chrissietina's Magic Fantasy; Violin
Concerto; Love Serenade; Pulse Magnet
18 September
Kent Farbach - Sky Blue; Graeme Koehne - Shaker
Dances; Paul Stanhope - Steal Away; Sea
Chronicles
© Australian Music Centre (2010) — Permission must be obtained from the AMC if you wish to reproduce this article either online or in print.
Stephen Adams is a composer of concert music, music theatre and digital music. Since 2004, he has been working full-time at ABC Classic FM in the development of Australian music programming, recording and commissioning projects, and online Australian music presentation. Since 2006, he has been co-producer of CFM’s New Music Up Late program. Recent online projects include the AMU podcast, Orpheus Remix Awards, Lute Project and classic/amp.
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