CRICOS: 00233E | TEQSA: PRV12076
Melody’s & Brahms 4 Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra Johannes Fritzsch, Conductor Melody Eötvös Artefacts - Symphonic Cycle Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 queenslandconservatorium.com.au
Friday 20 October 2023, 7:30pm Conservatorium Theatre
Program Melody Eötvös Artefacts - Symphonic Cycle i. Saqqara Bird (2016) ii. Hic svnt dracones (2021) iii. Pyramidion (2022) Interval Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 i. ii. iii. iv.
Allegro non troppo Andante moderato Allegro giocoso Allegro energico e passionato
Griffith University acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work, and pays respect to the Elders, past and present.
Program Notes Dr. Melody Eötvös Artefacts - Symphonic Cycle The three orchestral works in this symphonic cycle were written between 2016 and 2022. They are united in that each of them is inspired by some kind of artefact: The Saqqara Bird, the Hunt-Lenox Globe, and a pyramidion. In each of these orchestral works the music follows a unique pathway through a sound world built around each artefact. In The Saqqara Bird (2016) we hear a mysterious but inert wooden bird come to life. In Hic Svnt Dracones (2022) we sail through the unchartered waters off the coast of South-East Asia. And in Pyramidion (2022) we’re propelled from the base of an ancient, dusty pyramid, up to its capstone and to the point at which the structure truly becomes its namesake. The Saqqara Bird (200 BCE)
Martin Gregorie, 2002. gregorie.org/freeflight/saqqara_bird/
The Hunt-Lenox Globe (1510 CE)
Hunt-Lennox Globe: Rare Book Division, The New York Public Library / CC0 digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/hunt-lenox-globe
A Pyramidion (ex. Pyramidion of Amenemhat III – 1850 BCE)
Pyramidion “Isometrische Rekonstruktion der Spitze der Pyramide G III-a” - from Das Pyramidion der Pyramide G III-a. Bemerkungen zu den Pyramidenspitzen des Alten Reiches, author: Peter Janosi, Wien
Program Notes Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98 (1884-1885) 1. Allegro non troppo 2. Andante moderato 3. Allegro giocoso 4. Allegro energico e passionato As one of the “three Bs” of the classical landscape alongside Bach and Beethoven, much has been written about Brahms extolling his virtues as an extraordinary composer and pianist. At the time of the Fourth’s premiere, Brahms had already been recognised as a prominent cultural figure. His works emphasised lyricism and subtlety, demonstrated a mastery of counterpoint, and employed complex and irregular rhythms and rubato. In striving to utilise traditional forms and compositional approaches in his work, Brahms’ methods were set against those of Wagner’s self-proclaimed “music of the future” during their careers. This caused some controversy in the German music scene, and the schism was later referred to as the “War of the Romantics” by some, with Brahms and Clara Schumann (among others) standing for conservatism in music while Wagner and Liszt represented the progressives. The Fourth Symphony is a fine example of how Brahms’ admiration for tradition did not interrupt his interest in developing techniques within his aesthetic confines. All movements within the symphony are modifications of the
sonata form; the first having a single exposition, the second with no exposition, the third a scherzo—missing its trio— and the last a Baroque chaconne (per Brahms), that uses thematic material from a Bach cantata. The final movement is not only a tremendously complex set of continuous variations, but also outlines the formal sections of the sonata form within it. The work is widely considered his masterpiece, balancing detailed construction and integration of musical motifs and detail with an expressive and tragic nature. This quality was a source of great concern to Brahms - he wrote to a friend before its premiere “...I’m really afraid that it tastes like the climate here. The cherries don’t ripen in these parts; you wouldn’t eat them!” Fortunately, however, the audience at its premiere understood him perfectly. The symphony opens with a melancholic string line written in descending thirds. Occasional fanfare motifs lead to the second melody in the cellos. The descending thirds pattern foreshadows tonal aspects of the work as a whole, and recurs at the end of the movement, now wilder and angrier. In the second movement, a lone horn introduces a modal melodic line in E Phrygian, which is taken up by the winds. The simple but melodically rich melody is delicately encouraged forward by pizzicato strings. Listen for a forceful, rushing theme that is transformed into a lush cello line shortly thereafter by being played at half speed. The movement closes with the opening horn call, accompanied by the orchestra. The Allegro giocoso is clear and energetic, with a particularly academic nature to the treatment of the melodic material. It derives power from the contrasts of homophonic tuttis and intimate melodies with accompaniments.
The crowning glory of this symphony is the chaconne— Brahms’ unification of the aspects of historical practice he admired so much with his search for perfection in every detail. The opening eight bars are used to create thirty variations and a coda, relentlessly restructured, and formed with an unbelievable density of compositional output. If this wasn’t enough, three variations include the primary theme of the first movement as well! Listen for the “development section” which takes a much slower pace and major tonality, and the recapitulation, which carries the ferocious power of the exposition over into a dramatic finale. Program notes by Dr Samuel Dickenson
Artists Johannes Fritzsch Conductor Johannes Fritzsch is currently the Principal Guest Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, having previously served as their Chief Conductor (2008-2014). Since 2018, he has held the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
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From 2006 – 2013 he was Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Oper Graz, Grazer Philharmonisches Orchester (Austria). Prior to his appointment in Graz, Johannes held the position of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Staatsoper Nürnberg. From 1993 until 1999, he was Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Städtische Bühnen and the Philharmonic Orchestra in Freiburg. He has conducted many leading orchestras, both within Germany and internationally. He regularly conducts the major Australasian orchestras as well as leading productions for Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, West Australian Opera and State Opera of South Australia. In January 2015, Johannes was appointed Adjunct Professor, The Conservatorium of Music, School of Creative Arts and Media at the University of Tasmania; in June 2019, he joined
the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University as Professor of Opera and Orchestral Studies. Over the past twenty years, Johannes has given many Masterclasses for the German conductor training and development organisation Dirigentenforum des Deutschen Musikrates. Similarly, he was active and enthusiastic in the training of conducting participants selected to take part in Symphony Services’ International Conductor Development Program. In 2017, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra invited him to design and lead the newly founded Australian Conducting Academy.
Dr. Melody Eötvös Composer Melody Eötvös was born in the Southern Highlands, New South Wales, Australia. From the age of five she studied piano and music theory under her parent’s tutelage and at eight began learning the cello which coincided with her first experimentations in composition. Eötvös has composed 19 orchestral works to date and embraces both acoustic and electronic components across her extensive output. Melody attended the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, studying composition with Stephen Leek and Dr. Gerardo Dirié, where she completed her Bachelor of Music in composition with Honors. Melody holds a Doctor of Music (2014) from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music USA, and a Master of Music (2008) from the Royal Academy of Music, London UK. Melody is a Senior Lecturer in Composition, Aural Studies, and Orchestration at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Commissions in 2023 include a major new work for Synergy Percussion through Percussion Australia, a string trio for the Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival, a wind quintet for Arcadia Winds in celebration of their 10-year anniversary, and an orchestral work for the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Symphony Orchestra international tour (Singapore and Malaysia). melodyeotvos.com
Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra The Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra consists of approximately 90 of the most talented young instrumentalists in Queensland. The orchestra, from its home at the Griffith University South Bank campus, performs an annual series of orchestral concerts, large choral works, and operatic and musical theatre productions, in addition to a range of creative collaborations both on site as well as in the wider community. Students in the Queensland Conservatorium orchestral program have the unique opportunity to perform under the baton of a variety of conductors, instilling a flexibility required in the profession. Resident conductors Johannes Fritzsch, Peter Luff and Peter Morris are joined each year by distinguished guest conductors from around the world, providing students with the rich depth of experience they will find when entering the profession. Notable guest conductors have included Sir Neville Marriner, Peter Sculthorpe, Jessica Cottis, Nicholas Braithwaite, Natalia Raspopova, Larry Rachleff and Elim Chan, to name a few.
Concertmaster Theonie Wang*
Violin 1 Kevin Hsu Haneulle Lovell Rhys Williams Noah Coyne Eden Annesley Yuro Lee Ingram Fan Luke Hammer Julian Lachmund Dylan Weder Sophia Di Lucchio Lydia Hwang Lauren Mellor Kaia Scheidler
Violin 2 Miriam Niessl* Daisy Elliott Amira Ryan Maddisyn Dixon Whitbourne Nai Shan Alisha Dunstan Madeleine Crosby Alan Leslie Melissa Buddle
Kezia Marvella Ava Gilbert Mirage Hunter Demecs Imogen Revill Chinsia Burns
Viola Edmund Mantelli* Angelina Kim Caitlin Annesley Sebastien Masel Rose-Ann Breedt Olivia Spyrou Felix Hughes Chivers Jasmine Smith Eben Yeh Oscar Nicholson
Violoncello Kate Hwang* Stirling Hall Ai Hasegawa Matthew Stuart-Street Benjamin Crosby Milo Duval Caleb Christian Laura Boon
Contrabass
Clarinet
Deakin Darby* Cooper Le Brocq Sophia Buchanan Alyssa Deacon Rio KawaguchiPiccolo Jenna Choi*
Eötvös Nathanael Duffy* Amy Kubler Josephine Daniel
Piccolo Jenna Choi*
Flute Eötvös Elinor Hillock* Braden Simm Jenna Choi Brahms Braden Simm* Elinor Hillock
Oboe Tina Gallo* Liam Robinson Jade Wolter
Cor Anglais Liam Robinson*
Brahms Lewis Blanchard* Nathanael Duffy
Bassoon Eötvös Georgina Sinclair* Jake Busby Mairin Thompson Brahms Hayden Mears* Georgina Sinclair
Contrabassoon Mairin Thompson*
French Horn Eötvös Saqqara/Dracones Isabelle Raiz-Scanlon* Pyramidion Emma Rolfe* Hannah McLellan Jude Austen Kaupe Lachlan Smith Brahms Patrick De Koster* Emma Rolfe Arabella Davie Hannah Waterfall Lachlan Smith (bumper)
Trumpet
Pyramidion Sophie Ainsworth* Brahms Tate Cassells* Jay Ghodke
Bass Trombone Ethan Parfoot*
Tuba Daniel Kirakovski*
Timpani Eötvös Mikaela Thomsen* Brahms Quinn Ramsey*
Eötvös Matthew Nash* Cooper Williams Nicholas Jones
Percussion
Brahms Isabella Geeves* Tennyson Hall
Harp
Trombone Eötvös Saqqara/Dracones Jonah Nakagawa*
Matthew Conway* Quinn Ramsey
Grace Kikuchi
Piano Jonah Patuto*
Special thanks Special thanks to Queensland Conservatorium supporters and donors. Philanthropy plays a vital role at Queensland Conservatorium. Only through your support can our students experience valuable learning opportunities through productions such as this one. To invest in the future of music and performance in Queensland, contact us on (07) 5552 7218 or email giving@griffith.edu. au. Queensland Conservatorium thanks our generous donors and supporters. We would like to acknowledge our instrument bank donors supporting the students in tonight’s performance.
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Conservatorium staff Director Professor Bernard Lanskey
Conservatorium Manager Stuart Jones
Deputy Director (Engagement) Professor Peter Morris
Technical Team Leader Cameron Hipwell
Deputy Director (Learning and Teaching) Associate Professor Donna Weston
Front of House Operations Manager Michael Hibbard
Deputy Director (Research) Dr Alexis Kallio
Executive Officer (Engagement) Dr Natalie Lewandowski-Cox
Head of Strings Associate Professor Michele Walsh
Ensembles Program Coordinator Daniel Fossi
Head of Woodwinds Associate Professor Paul Dean
Operations Administrator Clare Wharton
Head of Brass Associate Professor Peter Luff
Technical Officers Keith Clark, Amy Hauser, Len McPherson
Head of Percussion Rebecca Lloyd Jones
Venue Officers Grace Royle, Joshua White, Joseph Gale-Grant
Head of Keyboard Natasha Vlassenko
Administration Officer Liz Tyson-Doneley
Head of Composition Dr Gerardo Dirié
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Join us for a night of Australian jazz royalty, performing the highest-selling Australian jazz album of all time
7:30pm Conservatorium Theatre
Saturday 28 October
Tickets on sale now | queenslandconservatorium.com.au *Photo supplied by Creswick Collective
CRICOS: 00233E | TEQSA: PRV12076
/queenslandconservatorium @qldCon_Griffith @qldcon @qldcon griffith.edu.au/music griffith.edu.au queenslandconservatorium.com.au Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University 140 Grey Street, South Bank Qld 4101 Concert enquiries: +61 (7) 3735 6241
Correct at time of publication.
CRICOS 00233E | TEQSA: PRV12076
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