Chamber Orchestra at QSO Studio Program

Chamber Orchestra

At QSO Studio

Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra

Peter Luff, Conductor

Featuring works by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Villa-Lobos

11 August, 7:30pm

Program

String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor

Felix Mendelssohn

I. Allegro di molto

II. Andante

III. Allegro

Ciranda das Sete Notas

Heitor Villa-Lobos

Christopher Buckley, Bassoon Symphony No. 92 in G Major—“Oxford”

Josef Haydn

I. Adagio—Allegro spiritoso

II. Adagio cantabile

III. Minuetto: Allegretto

IV. Finale: Presto Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work. We pay respect to the Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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Program notes

By Dr Samuel Dickenson

String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor (1821) Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)

The most extraordinary aspect of this work is undoubtedly that it was written the year Mendelssohn turned 12. His musical education alongside his elder sister, Fanny—a gifted pianist in her own right—led to a lifelong close relationship between the two and to Felix’s dedication to pursuing music as a career. His parents, both wealthy and highly dedicated to their children’s artistic and intellectual development, often held private concerts in their home to premiere his latest works. This symphony, less than 10 minutes long, focuses primarily on well-crafted counterpoint, unsurprising after his composition tutor’s focus on the masters of the Baroque and Classical eras. It lacks some of the expressiveness of his mature works, such as his Midsummer Night’s Dream or the exquisite Songs without Words. That being said, the persistence of a lightness and energy even throughout the minor sections creates a charming work that one can imagine Felix writing before throwing down his pen and going to play marbles outside.

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The opening, Allegro di molto, is a dark and relentless beginning, the longest movement of the three.

Heard next is the Andante, with effortless melodic leaps that die away to a surprisingly brief ending.

The finale’s Allegro brings back the energy of the first movement, before ending just as abruptly as the second.

Ciranda das Sete Notas, W325 (1933)

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959)

Christopher Buckley, Bassoon

Villa-Lobos’s Ciranda das Sete Notas is one of his many works that gives voice to his unique fusion of Brazilian folk music (or choro) and European art music.

The young Villa-Lobos learnt music primarily from his father’s friends and as a self-taught instrumentalist, working in cinema and theatre orchestras around Rio de Janeiro or joining street musicians.

With over 2,000 works completed by the time of his death, Villa-Lobos often experimented with instrumentation, style and form. He remains one of the most significant South American composers known today.

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The work heard today is one of many in his Ciranda collection. A ciranda is a type of circle dance in Brazil, thought to originate in Pernambuco in the north-east; those who are familiar with string instruments may also know that Pernambuco is also the wood from which bows are traditionally made. These works in his oeuvre most often use traditional “circle songs”, folk music, and rounds, and develop them into a fully realised piece of music. The Ciranda das Sete Notas is based on the seven notes of the C major scale.

The work, marked Allegro ma non troppo, opens with the title’s sete notas; the strings play them confidently before settling into a dialogue with the bassoonist, ranging from percussive remarks in between the soloist’s technical passages to smooth legato that echoes the sense of circularity.

After a più mosso, a sinuous cello line sits under the soloist’s challenging compound melody, leaping between different registers. The work’s final phrases have a sense of inevitability to them, with simple harmony and insistent, repetitive accompaniment relaxing into stillness and a final unison.

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Symphony No. 92 in G Major—

“Oxford”, Hob. I:92 (1789)

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

I. Adagio—Allegro spiritoso

II. Adagio cantabile

III. Menuetto: Allegretto

IV. Presto

Few composers can claim to have written such a sheer number of symphonies as Haydn. Although these musical works may not be at the same grand scale of instrumentation and length as those by his protege, Beethoven, and composers who proceeded, Haydn’s compositions and innovations earned him the apt name “Father of the Symphony”.

Those familiar with Haydn are aware of his relationship with the Esterházy family, to whom he served as court musician for much of his life, but the 92nd Symphony was commissioned by Claude-François-Marie Rigoley— the Comte d’Ogny.

The Comte d’Ogny was a keen musician himself, and founded a musical organisation called the Olympic Lodge in 1782, also serving as third-chair cellist in the Société Olympique. Haydn’s commission included symphonies 90 to 92, which were to be performed in Paris.

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It was only after 1791 that the symphony picked up the nickname “Oxford”, as Haydn conducted it at the conclusion of a graduation ceremony in the same year, where he had earned the degree of Doctor of Music.

The symphony is presented in four movements, commencing with a sonata form movement. Slowly introducing the thematic material that permeates the entire work, Haydn unusually establishes and emphasises the German augmented sixth chord during the first section of the opening movement.

This strange tonal area propels the work forward into a short dominant section in the Allegro spiritoso before the full orchestra punctuates the arrival at the home key. The second movement is presented in ternary form, in a lyrical style, interrupted by a striking minorkey section in place of the more common dominant key. Similarly, the third movement is not a straightforward compound ternary either: Haydn wrote the minuet section in six-bar phrases (rather than the expected four-bar phrase structure), creating an entertaining break in expectation to the audiences of the time. The fourth movement is a fast and joyous journey that mirrors some of the tonal ambiguities introduced early, at the beginning of the symphony. To tie everything together, the work closes with three loud G major chords, answering the soft opening chords.

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Artist bios

Peter Luff Conductor

Peter Luff is Head of Brass at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU) and Associate Professor in Horn and Brass Studies. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from Adelaide University’s Elder Conservatorium and a Master of Music in conducting from QCGU.

Peter has conducted many orchestras and ensembles, including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble, Bangalow Festival Orchestra, Brisbane Philharmonic, Brisbane Symphony Orchestra, and the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra.

Formerly Associate Principal Horn with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Peter continues to perform with orchestras and ensembles including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Southern Cross Soloists. He is currently a member of QCGU’s ensemble in residence, Ensemble Q.

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Christopher Buckley

Bassoon

Christopher Buckley is an emerging Australian bassoonist. After beginning music playing the clarinet, Chris discovered and fell in love with the bassoon in high school after a demonstration of extended techniques.

Slowly working up to achieving these techniques took Chris through a discovery of the extensive, yet underplayed, bassoon repertoire, and Chris has worked to bring some of these works into the limelight, through both performance and teaching in schools and music camps to bring more interest to the instrument.

Beginning his studies in Adelaide with Mark Gaydon, and now continuing with David Mitchell of the QSO, Chris has studied and performed across Australia and the world with the Adelaide and Queensland symphony orchestras, Band of South Australian Police and the Australian Youth Orchestra, and is a casual member of Orchestra Victoria. He has been the recipient of multiple prizes and awards, such as the Victor Allen Edgeloe Scholarship and, in 2020, Most Promising Bassoon in the international Australasian Double Reed Society (ADRS) competition.

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Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra

The Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra consists of approximately 90 of the most talented young instrumentalists in Queensland.

From its home at the Griffith University South Bank campus, the orchestra performs an annual series of 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, exposing students to the rich depth of experience they will find when entering the industry.

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.

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Orchestra list

Concertmaster

Graeme Jennings*

Violin 1

Miriam Niessl

Noah Coyne

Eden Annesley

Haneulle Lovell

Daisy Elliott

Luke Hammer

Ingram Fan

Dylan Weder

Kaia Scheidler

Violin 2

Theonie Wang*

Yuro Lee

Nai Shan

Maddisyn Dixon

Whitbourne

Julian Lachmund

Madeleine Crosby

Lydia Hwang

Sophia Di Lucchio

Viola

Angelina Kim*

Ella Pysden

Sebastien Masel

Caitlin Annesley

Olivia Spyrou

Felix Hughes Chivers

Jasmine Smith

Violoncello

Mya Whatson*

Caleb Christian

William Bland

Matthew Stuart-Street

Contrabass

Deakin Darby*

Megan McWilliams

Alyssa Deacon

Cooper Le Brocq

Flute

Jenna Choi*

Oboe

Tina Gallo*

Jade Wolter

Bassoon

Georgina Sinclair*

Mairin Thompson

French horn

Jude Austen Kaupe*

Alec Berg

Trumpet

Tennyson Hall*

Matthew Nash

Timpani

Dara Williams*

*Principal player

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Conservatorium staff

Director

Professor Bernard Lanskey

Deputy Director (Engagement)

Professor Peter Morris

Deputy Director (Learning and Teaching)

Associate Professor

Donna Weston

Deputy Director (Research)

Dr Alexis Kallio

Head of Strings

Michele Walsh

Head of Woodwinds

Associate Prof Paul Dean

Head of Brass

Associate Prof Peter Luff

Head of Percussion

Rebecca Lloyd-Jones

Conservatorium Manager

Stuart Jones

Technical Team Leader

Cameron Hipwell

Front of House

Operations Manager

Michael Hibbard

Executive Officer (Engagement)

Dr Natalie Lewandowski-Cox

Operations Administrator

Clare Wharton

Ensembles Administrator

Daniel Fossi

Technical Officers

Keith Clark, Amy Hauser,

Len McPherson

Venue Officers

Grace Royle, Joshua White

Administration Officer

Liz Tyson-Doneley

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Special thanks

Special thanks to Queensland Conservatorium supporters and donors and to the Queensland Symphony Orchestra for their support in providing the use of their Studio for tonight’s concert.

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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