Pinchgut Opera presents The Spiritual Forest by Monteverdi

PINCHGUT OPERA PRESENTS

THE SPIRITUAL FOREST

BY MONTEVERDI

CONCERTS CITY RECITAL HALL, SYDNEY | 2-3 APRIL MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE | 5 APRIL

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PINCHGUT OPERA PRESENTS

ORONTEA

BY CESTI

Irresistibly charming and wickedly funny

Conducted by Erin Helyard | Directed by Constantine Costi Featuring Anna Dowsley, Sofia Troncoso and Jacqueline Dark CITY RECITAL HALL, SYDNEY | 26 MAY – 1 JUNE

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THE SPIRITUAL FOREST CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI for singers and instruments (1641)

Chloe Lankshear and Amy Moore sopranos Anna Fraser and Hannah Fraser mezzo-sopranos Richard Butler and Louis Hurley tenors David Greco and Andrew O’Connor basses Orchestra of the Antipodes Erin Helyard – conductor and claviorgan Peter Rubie – lighting designer City Recital Hall, Sydney – Sat 2 Apr at 2pm and Sun 3 Apr at 5pm Melbourne Recital Centre – Tue 5 Apr at 7pm Sung in Latin.

This concert is being performed without an internal, and lasts approximately 75 minutes.

These concerts are being recorded and filmed in Sydney for later digital release on Pinchgut At Home.

Any microphones you may see are for recording only.

The Spiritual Forest will not be surtitled.

Since our selections from Selva morale e spirituale were based on musical, rather than liturgical, reasons, and contain repetition of parts of the liturgy, we have chosen to provide, on this occasion, translations of the sung texts online, for your perusal either before or after the concert. Please visit: pinchgutopera/the-spiritual-forest-translation

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THE SPIRITUAL FOREST Claudio Monteverdi, 1567-1643 Dixit Dominus à 8, SV264 Salve Regina à 2, SV284 Hail, Queen!

Beatus Vir à 6, SV268 Blessed is the One Credidi del Quarto Tuono à 8, SV275 Laudate Dominum Secondo à 8, SV273 Praise the Lord II Laudate Dominum in sanctis (soprano solo), SV287 Praise the Lord in Holy Places (soprano solo) Confitebor Primo à 3 con 5 in ripieno, SV265 I Will Confess Laudate Dominum Primo à 5 con stromenti (à 4), SV272 Praise the Lord I with instruments Laudate Pueri Primo à 5 con stromenti, SV270 Praise the Lord Dixit Dominus à 8, SV263

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ABOUT PINCHGUT OPERA Pinchgut Opera celebrates the beauty and breadth of emotions through music and the human voice.

Other companies do the more familiar operas and early music repertoire excellently; Pinchgut helps audiences discover something new.

Early opera is like wine: it comes in a fascinating variety of different styles, genres, tastes and colours.

Before steamships, railroads and mass production, music thrived in widespread but localised centres of experimentation and refinement. As cities became more connected, operas became less varied and more standardised. Pinchgut Opera scours this period from opera’s birth to its flowering in the Baroque to bring you the very best masterworks from this dazzling and fertile time in music history.

No one in Australia is better placed than the award-winning Pinchgut Opera to bring you these works – offering an experience true to the glory and spirit of the Baroque.

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CONDUCTOR’S NOTE Spiritual Forest is the name we have given to our collection of sacred pieces from Monteverdi’s great magnum opus, his Selva morale e spirituale of 1641. The original title refers to a diverse collection (a “forest”) of spiritual works in Latin and moral madrigals in Italian that is an extraordinary testament to Monteverdi’s productive and creative tenure at the Cappella di San Marco in Venice. This was his biggest publication of sacred music since his 1610 Vespers, and the works here demonstrate Monteverdi at the height of his powers, at his most creative and ingenious.

Selva morale e spirituale was a massive publishing achievement: ten separate part-books needed to be printed and it contains some forty different works, some on an impressively large scale. Just as in his Eighth Book of Madrigals, Monteverdi produced a synthesis in his 1641 publication of all the most diverse aspects of his craft. He contrasts works in new and old style, and in monodic and contrapuntal forms, with all the varieties of liturgical genre.

With Pinchgut Opera’s offering, we concentrate on the Latin works (hence “spiritual forest”) which are the apotheosis of the Venetian concerted style which our audiences first heard in our critically acclaimed Vespers tour of 2021. Instruments and voices are encouraged to blend together in artful ways, creating the possibility of unique sonic and textural frameworks.

Monteverdi is always pragmatic and suggests expanding forces to include trombones or stringed instruments, according to the players at hand.

Accordingly, we have taken up some of his suggestions and replaced voices with instruments in some of the cori spezzati (pieces composed for several choirs). This is sublime music of magnificence, pathos and rhythmic vitality.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Chloe Lankshear soprano

Amy Moore soprano

Anna Fraser mezzo-soprano

Hannah Fraser mezzo-soprano

Richard Butler tenor

Louis Hurley tenor

Taryn Fiebig Scholar*

The Humanity Foundation Taryn Fiebig Scholar*

* The Taryn Fiebig Scholar program was established to acknowledge Taryn’s extraordinary abilities, her legacy, and the significant effect she had on Pinchgut Opera.

David Greco bass

Andrew O’Connor bass 5

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A gift to us is a gift for many...

When you donate to Pinchgut Opera, your gift goes directly toward creating these glorious musical adventures for our audiences and future generations to cherish. Your support also enables our dedicated singers, instrumentalists and arts workers to flourish in a high-calibre, professional artistic life, here in Australia.

We ask you to please consider making a donation to Pinchgut Opera today, to support our Australian artists and the music they make.

To donate, visit pinchgutopera.com.au/donate or phone 02 9318 8344 All gifts over $2 are fully tax deductible.

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ORCHESTRA OF THE ANTIPODES

Karina Schmitz Violin

Simone Slattery Violin

Laura Vaughan Viola da gamba / Lirone

Anton Baba Cello

Martin Nebel, 1954 Philadelphia

Claude Pierray, Paris, France, 1726

Bass viol by Henner Harders, Mansfeld, Germany, 2007, after Michel Colichon, Paris, France, 1691

Peter Elias, Aigle, Switzerland, 2000, after Stradivari

Matthew Manchester Cornetto

Ros Jorgensen Sackbut

Nigel Crocker Sackbut

Brett Page Sackbut

Cornetto (cherry) by Matthew Manchester (Christopher Monk Instruments), London, UK, 2012

Alto sackbut and Large bore tenor sackbut in B-flat

by Rainer Egger, Basel, Switzerland, copy of the 1670, after Hieronimus Starck.

Large bore tenor sackbut in B-flat by Rainer Egger, Basel, Switzerland, after Sebastian Hainlein, Nuremberg, Germany, 1632

Bass sackbut in F by Rainer Egger, Basel, Switzerland, after Isaac Ehe, Nuremberg, Germany, 1612

Neapolitan harpsichord after Bocalari by Carey Beebe, Sydney 2002, courtesy of Carey Beebe Harpsichords Chamber organ by Henk Klop, Garderen, Netherlands, 2007, courtesy of ABC Classic, Cantillation and Pinchgut Opera.

Claviorgan prepared by Carey Beebe.

Simon Martyn-Ellis Theorbo

Hannah Lane Harp

Jirì Čepelák, Prague, Czech Republic, 2004

Italian Baroque triple harp ‘Nuvolone’ by Claus Hüttel, Düren, Germany, 2014

Erin Helyard Conductor and claviorgan

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PINCHGUT OPERA LIMITED ABN 67 095 974 191 PO Box 291 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 pinchgutopera.com.au

PATRONS His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d) and Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley LIFE PATRONS Elizabeth Nielsen, Jeremy Davis AM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Erin Helyard CONDUCTOR EMERITUS Antony Walker GENERAL MANAGER Cressida Griffith ARTISTIC MANAGER Alison Johnston OPERATIONS AND Andrew Johnston PRODUCTION MANAGER MARKETING AND Ilona Brooks PHILANTHROPY MANAGER MARKETING AND Alexandra Peek ADMINISTRATION CO-ORDINATOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR Emma Murphy FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT Barbara Peters BOARD

Norman Gillespie (Chair), Virginia Braden OAM, Nicola Craddock, Tony Gill, Monika Kwiatkowski, John Pitman

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Tony Gill (Chair), Ilona Brooks, John Claudianos, Norman Gillespie, Cressida Griffith, Julia King, Alden Toevs, Claire Wivell Plater, Mark Prior

FOR THIS PROGRAM ASSISTANT TO THE CONDUCTOR LIGHTING SUPPLIERS PROGRAM EDITING PROGRAM DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHERS CONCERT FILMING AUDIO RECORDING THANKS TO

Jacob Lawler Intense Lighting Natalie Shea Imagecorp Cassandra Hanagan, Albert Comper Steve Polydorou, A Space Apart Tony David Cray for aFX-Global Pty Ltd Carey Beebe, Amanda Harris and Jacob Lawler

CITY RECITAL HALL LIMITED

Chair, Board of Directors: Rachel Launders CEO: Justin Boschetti 2 Angel Place, Sydney NSW 2000

MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE

Chair, Board of Directors: Professor Andrea Hull AO CEO: Euan Murdoch 31 Sturt St, Southbank VIC 3006

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Relive the moment on Pinchgut At Home PRE-ORDER NOW: 2022 DIGITAL SEASON We are thrilled to offer The Spiritual Forest as a digital concert, premiering on Pinchgut At Home on Thursday April 21.

2022 DIGITAL SEASON OPERA PLUS PASS – $70

2022 DIGITAL CONCERT SEASON PASS – $50

The Spiritual Forest by Monteverdi

The Spiritual Forest by Monteverdi

Platée by Rameau

Women of the Pietà by Vivaldi

Women of the Pietà by Vivaldi Streaming from April

athome.pinchgutopera.com.au

*Titles also available for individual purchase

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THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS Pinchgut Opera exists so that we may touch lives, and to see our audiences transcend the everyday through the power of music and the

FOUNDATION SUPPORTERS Graeme Wood Foundation Sisyphus Foundation The Humanity Foundation

beauty of the human voice.

LIFE PATRONS Liz Nielsen, Jeremy Davis AM

We exist also because of the generosity of our

MAESTRO’S CIRCLE SUPPORTERS Leading Patrons ($10,000 and above) Justice François Kunc and Ms Felicity Rourke, in memory of Lidia Kunc

incredible family of donors, and would like to thank everyone who has supported us through our Donor Circles, Annual Giving Campaign and special projects.

Supporting Patrons ($5,000 – $9,999) Tony Gill Anonymous (3) FARINELLI PROGRAM Leading Patron ($10,000 and above) Emily and Yvonne Chang Supporting Patrons ($5,000 – $9,999) Andrew Goy Nena Beretin John Claudianos James and Claire Kirby Family Fund Anonymous (3) ORCHESTRA OF THE ANTIPODES Chair Patrons John and Irene Garran – supporting Kirsty McCahon (bass) PLATÉE GIVING CIRCLE Principal Supporters James and Claire Kirby Family Fund Suzanne Kirkham

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CONTINUO MENTORSHIP PROGRAM Principal Supporter Norman Gillespie Anonymous (1) TARYN FIEBIG SCHOLAR PROGRAM Sisyphus Foundation The Humanity Foundation Australian Philanthropic Services Foundation Ian Dickson and Reg Holloway Nick and Caroline Minogue Graeme Wood Foundation Emily and Yvonne Chang Pam and Ian McGaw Toula and Nicholas Cowell Justice François Kunc and Felicity Rourke Shane and Danielle Simpson Trevor Parkin Mark Walker Frances Muecke Hon J C Campbell QC and Mrs Campbell Stephen Shanasy Richard Fisher AM and Diana Fisher John Allard The Elliott Family Leslie C Thiess Anonymous (4)

JUPITER (SEMELE) $20,000 and above Emily and Yvonne Chang John and Irene Garran Patricia H. Reid Endowment Fund Anonymous (1) THEODORA (THEODORA) $10,000 – $19,000 Justice François Kunc and Felicity Rourke in memory of Lidia Kunc Rebecca Davies Sisyphus Foundation Tony Gill James and Claire Kirby Family Fund Suzanne Kirkham Nick and Caroline Minogue Gillian and David Ritchie Agnes Sinclair Anonymous (4) DIANA (IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE) $5,000 – $9,999 Margaret and the late Edward Billson Edward Curry-Hyde and Barbara Messerle Shamistha and Suvan de Soysa Andrew Goy Reg and Kathie Grinberg Penelope Huntstead Alan Hyland Christopher McCabe Jan Marie Muscio Andrew Peace Anthony Strachan Alden Toevs and Judi Wolf Cameron Williams Westpac Good2Give Anonymous (4)

ORFEO (ORFEO & L’ANIMA DEL FILSOSFO) $2,000 – $4,999 Michael Ball Carey Beebe Marco Belgiorno-Zegna AM and Angela Belgionro-Zegna Christine Bishop Stephen Booth and Zorica Rapaich Henry Burmester and Peter Mason Toula and Nicholas Cowell Prudence and Peter Davenport Jennifer Dowling Mark Gaal Jocelyn Goyen Catherine Playoust and Elliott Gyger Frank and Pat Harvey Elisabeth Hodson Emma Johnston and Mark Probert Mrs W G Keighley Mary Jane Lawrie Alexandra Martin Kevin and Deidre McCann Pam and Ian McGaw Helen and Phillip Meddings Frances Muecke Jan Marie Muscio Jennie and Ivor Orchard Prof Andrew Rosenberg Jennifer Thredgold Mark Walker Dr. Elizabeth Watson Annie and Anthony Whealy David Wood McCauley Software Pty Ltd Anonymous (4)

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GRISELDA (GRISELDA) $1,000 – $1,999

Susanne de Ferranti

Priscilla Adey

Jennifer Dowling

Antoinette Albert

Julie and Bill Dowsley

Gillian Appleton

David Duncan

Martin and Ursula Armstrong

Dr Marguerite Foxon

Ms. Lynne Ashpole

Freilich Prescribed Private Fund

Ellen Borda

John and Diana Frew

Ms Jan Bowen

Ruth and Ian Gough

Barbara Brady

Paula and Ferdinand Gritter

Hon J Campbell QC and

The Hon Don Harwin

Mrs Campbell

Lyndsey Hawkins

Malcolm Cardis

Katherine and Darryl Hodgkinson

Colleen and Michael Chesterman

Janet Holmes à Court Beatrice Janssen Sue Johnston Maia Ambegaokar and Joshua Bishop Shinji Kakizaki Wolf Krueger Alumni Travel Diccon and Elizabeth Loxton Mr James MacKean Peter McGrath

Robert Clark Robert and Julie Clarke Nena Beretin and John Claudianos Alison Clugston Jean Cockayne Barbara Ann Colquhoun J Connery Anita and Richard Dammery Raoul de Ferranti

B A Douglas

Brendan McPhillips Kerry Murphy Prof John Nethercote Paul O’Donnell Trevor Parkin Peter Garnick and Dr Jillian Graham Rod Pobestek Fe Ross Jane Smith Beverley Southern James Wilson & Steve Dunn Graham Tribe Suzanne and Ross Tzannes Dr. Elizabeth Watson Anonymous (5) This list acknowledges gifts $1000 and above and is current as at 17 March 2022.

For a full listing of our donors, please visit pinchgutopera.com. au/our-donors

Leave a Gift to Pinchgut in Your Will Make a lasting contribution and help to ensure future generations experience the pleasure and inspiration that Pinchgut has given you by leaving us a gift in your Will.

If you would like more information or wish to discuss leaving Pinchgut Opera a bequest, please contact Ilona Brooks on 02 9318 8344 or email ilona@pinchgutopera.com.au.

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Alexandra Oomens and Anna Dowsley

SPECIAL THANKS TO GOVERNMENT PARTNER

MEDIA PARTNERS

Pinchgut Opera is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

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PINCHGUT OPERA PRESENTS

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