Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Event Details

PLEXUS brings together the talents of three of Australia’s most vibrant and versatile musicians, violinist Monica Curro, clarinetist Philip Arkinstall and pianist Stefan Cassomenos, with the goal of commissioning and celebrating Australian and international composers.

The ensemble is devoted to engaging an ever growing network of exceptional artists, celebrating their contribution to Australia’s rich and diverse cultural landscape.

Paying homage to Debussy in his centenary year, PLEXUS explores intersections of text and music from La Belle Époque. Legendary actor Helen Morse sets the scene to Stefan Cassomenos’ imaginative adaptation of exquisite songs from fin-de-siècle French composers including Debussy, Satie, Fauré, Ravel, and Lili Boulanger. Across the Atlantic, Gerald Cohen’s Variously Blue depicts a different perspective of the same era, highlighting crossroads between jazz and concert music, alongside three premiere performances by Australian composers Katy Abbott, Clare Johnston and John Polglase.

Program

KATY ABBOTT
New work (2018)
world premiere

STEFAN CASSOMENOS
Chansons Françaises (2018)
featuring guest artist, Helen Morse

GERALD COHEN
Variously Blue (2009)

CLARE STRONG
New work (2018)
world premiere

JOHN POLGLASE
Trio No.7 (2018)
world premiere
I. Prelude
II. Sonata
III. Interlude
IV. Scherzo
V. Postlude

Presented by Melbourne Recital Centre & PLEXUS

Featured non-Australian music: Gerald Cohen

Further information for this event is available online at the event's website or by phone on (03) 9699 3333

Featured Australian Works

	Trio No. 7 : for violin, B flat clarinet and piano (2016) by John Polglase — World premiere — performed by Plexus Ensemble
	Chansons Françaises (2018) by Stefan Cassomenos

Featured artists

• New work by Katy Abbott
• New work by Clare Strong
• Music of Stefan Cassomenos
• Performer Plexus Ensemble