The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s SOUNDS OF VIENNA chamber music tour from 29 May–15 June invites audiences across five states to journey with them to a magnificent European city at the dawn of the 19th century: Vienna – where music was performed everywhere, from homes to streets and even taverns!
The Sounds of Vienna tour starts in Noosa (29 May), and continues to Brisbane (1 June), Orange (3 June), Mt Barker Summit (5 June), Canberra (7 June), Newcastle (8 June), Woodend (11 June) and, finally, Sydney (15 June).
The orchestra boasts an international ensemble of leading exponents of historically informed performance (HIP), assembled for this program especially – a pairing of a well-known masterpiece by Schubert, and a delightful rarity by Joseph Leopold Eybler.
Schubert’s towering Octet (1824) for winds and strings is his most ambitious chamber work, and arguably his finest. Eybler, though surprisingly little known today, was in his youth dubbed ‘the greatest musical genius in Vienna’ (apart from Mozart!). His sparkling Quintet is a wonderful example of late Classical style.
The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s co-artistic director and clarinettist Nicole van Bruggen (pictured below left) explains the thinking behind this program:
“One of my favourite artistic aspirations for the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra is to present composers from the 18th and 19th centuries who have undeservedly been forgotten or neglected alongside those we know and love. The Eybler String Quintet is a fabulous example of such a work. And of course the magnificent Schubert Octet requires no introduction,” says Nicole.
The line-up for Sounds of Vienna tour consists of Nicole van Bruggen, clarinet (Brisbane); Niels Coppalle, bassoon (Paris); Anneke Scott, horn (London); Jenna Sherry, violin 1 (London); Peter Clark, violin 2 (New York); Simon Oswell, viola (Melbourne); Daniel Yeadon, cello (Sydney); Rob Nairn, double bass (Adelaide).
As part of the related Voyage of Musical Discovery education program, guest artists William Barton, didgeridoo, and Véronique Serret, violin, (pictured below) will perform alongside the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra in Brisbane (Tuesday 31 May) and in Sydney (14 June). Part concert, part demonstration, the Voyage events were established by the orchestra’s founder, conductor and music educator, the late Richard Gill AO. They offer adventurous programs for high school music students and their teachers and are also equally popular among regular audience members keen to widen their horizons and explore the new alongside the classics.
