April was an amazing month for the QSO. April had the incredible Hymn to Mother Earth – which included exquisitely curated pieces; Johannes Fritzsch conducted Sculthorpe’s From Uluru, Britten’s Four Seas from Peter Grimes, movements from Respighi’s The Birds, and Glazunov’s Autumn from The Seasons. All of which created a peaceful Sunday morning – it was, as promised, an orchestral hymn.
Not to be outdone, two weeks later Shiyeon Sung conducted Holst’s The Planets. Sung was a joy to watch and the QSO clearly enjoyed her conducting, almost as much as the audience did. Holst is a perennial favourite and it’s easy to hear why. Soprano Sara Macliver sang Golijov’s Three Songs and was equally appreciated. Such a beautiful performance.
So far May has given us Night Music, Don Quixote, Love and Passion and coming up on 26th and 27th is Cinematic: Blockbusters and Beyond. It’s a regular feature on the QSO programme and is hugely popular. So warning: get tickets now. The Voices of Birralee will add choral highlights to music from Star Wars. But this concert does not simply re-hash Star Wars – it has quite the eclectic lineup: The Mandalorian, Love Actually, Harry Potter, and Saving Private Ryan. Twenty pieces will be played and thus is perfect for those with a short attention span (ie children). It truly has something for everyone. At the risk of repetition: book now.
But wait … there’s more. June promises A Baroque Tribute for the traditionalists and for the family you must get tickets to The Lost Thing; yes, Shaun Tan’s book turned movie has now gone choral/orchestral thanks to Paul Rissman. It’s on Saturday 10 June at 10am – a perfect time for the family and a delightful way to introduce the kiddies to the joys of QSO. If you like your music brassy then listen to the Terrific Trumpets on 16th and 17th June. Closing out the month (24th June ONLY) is the ever-popular Favourites – yes there will be Carmen, Morricone (from Cinema Paradiso) and, one of my personal faves, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet; but, arguably the highlight will be guitarist Karin Schaupp playing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.
QPAC Concert Hall
Friday 26 May 7:30pm
Saturday 27 May 1:30 pm and 7:30pm
