If you have a spare 15 minutes this is a video well worth checking out!
A quartet of ACO musicians (Richard Tognetti, Helena Rathbone, Christopher Moore and Timo-Veikko Valve) perform around a desk at the National Public Radio office in the USA. They play some Ravel and are joined by Joseph Tawadros on the oud for an Egyptian-Classical piece.
Click here to see the ACO Tiny Desk Concert.
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Monday, 21 December 2009
Barry Humphries Reviews
"It was a night when three stars 'slipped out' and a trio of icons took to the stage - all in the person of Barry Humphries... Behind this outrageous trinity was the best little chamber orchestra in the world, the ACO, under the deft hand and bow of Humphries' old friend Richard Tognetti... This was an evening when possums young and old went home happy." Mt Druitt Standard
"Humphries, a beguiling raconteur, revisited the musical enthusiasms of his youth, notably those classical composers who flirted with jazz in whose scores the young Barry heard an irresistible combination of the sophisticated and the illicit." Sydney Morning Herald
"Tognetti's arrangement of two movements from Ravel's Violin Sonata No 2 was much more imaginative: glittering, percussive sonorities evoking Grainger's haunting orchestrations of Debussy and Ravel... Fans of Humphries will adore the show: it is brilliantly funny." The Australian
"You get a rather tangy musical stew when you mix the Australian Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Richard Tognetti, pianist Dejan Lazic and the incomparable Barry Humphries, in all his guises, and together they were responsible for a memorable night of theatre." Daily Telegraph
"Barry Humphries and his personalities are a wonder of cultural nostalgia." Trespass Magazine
"Guest Pianist Dejan Lazic... had a star quality of his own, shining in his performance of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, which he played with panache and precision..." Australian Stage Online
See these reviews in full at www.aco.com.au/humphries-reviews
"Humphries, a beguiling raconteur, revisited the musical enthusiasms of his youth, notably those classical composers who flirted with jazz in whose scores the young Barry heard an irresistible combination of the sophisticated and the illicit." Sydney Morning Herald
"Tognetti's arrangement of two movements from Ravel's Violin Sonata No 2 was much more imaginative: glittering, percussive sonorities evoking Grainger's haunting orchestrations of Debussy and Ravel... Fans of Humphries will adore the show: it is brilliantly funny." The Australian
"You get a rather tangy musical stew when you mix the Australian Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Richard Tognetti, pianist Dejan Lazic and the incomparable Barry Humphries, in all his guises, and together they were responsible for a memorable night of theatre." Daily Telegraph
"Barry Humphries and his personalities are a wonder of cultural nostalgia." Trespass Magazine
"Guest Pianist Dejan Lazic... had a star quality of his own, shining in his performance of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, which he played with panache and precision..." Australian Stage Online
See these reviews in full at www.aco.com.au/humphries-reviews
Monday, 14 December 2009
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Vasse Felix Festival review
Drawn into the perfect moment
THERE are those rare moments in listening to music when a performance is so concentrated and compelling that one is drawn totally into its sound world and time seems to stand still.
I had such an experience last Sunday afternoon in a rustic gallery space at the back of a winery in Margaret River.
This extraordinary performance was delivered by violinist Richard Tognetti and pianist Dejan Lazic, who created a powerfully gripping interpretation of Brahms's enigmatic G-major violin sonata.
Tognetti was at his creative best here, probing the work's dark corners, exploring its complex character, blended from suppressed joy and melancholic tenderness.
His interpretation was profoundly insightful, its effect breathtaking and affecting.
Lazic was a superb duo partner and, while it seems unlikely that they had much time to rehearse together given their touring schedules, there was an impressive unanimity of approach.
This performance was the high point of three concerts by the Australian Chamber Orchestra at Vasse Felix Winery; an annual weekend festival of music, complemented by fine food and
wine, for a small audience of 220.
Lazic also shone in his account of Mozart's charming A-major piano concerto, K414.
His playful exploration of colour and gesture worked well in this musical style and the effect was much more satisfying than his recent, rather unsettled account of Beethoven's fourth piano concerto, which he performed on the ACO's last national tour.
Other highlights from the weekend included Maxime Bibeau's arrangement of Astor Piazzolla's Kicho for double bass and strings, and violinist Satu Vanska's elegant rendition of the musically problematic but technically dazzling Rondo Brillant by Schubert.
Tognetti also created a magical atmosphere in his arrangements of two songs by Ravel.
Eleven of the ACO's string players made the journey to Margaret River and they were at their best in a warm and relaxed performance of Corelli's Christmas Concerto.
Despite these high points, there was also some variable playing throughout the weekend and the orchestra was noticeably less vibrant than at the same time last year.
Not that anyone seemed to mind. To be surrounded by large, colourful canvases of some of Australia's leading Aboriginal artists while listening to some of our most outstanding musicians in one of the most beautiful parts of the country was an extraordinary privilege, and the prolonged standing ovation on Sunday afternoon was a heartfelt expression of gratitude.
Review by Mark Coughlan, The Australian
THERE are those rare moments in listening to music when a performance is so concentrated and compelling that one is drawn totally into its sound world and time seems to stand still.
I had such an experience last Sunday afternoon in a rustic gallery space at the back of a winery in Margaret River.
This extraordinary performance was delivered by violinist Richard Tognetti and pianist Dejan Lazic, who created a powerfully gripping interpretation of Brahms's enigmatic G-major violin sonata.
Tognetti was at his creative best here, probing the work's dark corners, exploring its complex character, blended from suppressed joy and melancholic tenderness.
His interpretation was profoundly insightful, its effect breathtaking and affecting.
Lazic was a superb duo partner and, while it seems unlikely that they had much time to rehearse together given their touring schedules, there was an impressive unanimity of approach.
This performance was the high point of three concerts by the Australian Chamber Orchestra at Vasse Felix Winery; an annual weekend festival of music, complemented by fine food and
wine, for a small audience of 220.
Lazic also shone in his account of Mozart's charming A-major piano concerto, K414.
His playful exploration of colour and gesture worked well in this musical style and the effect was much more satisfying than his recent, rather unsettled account of Beethoven's fourth piano concerto, which he performed on the ACO's last national tour.
Other highlights from the weekend included Maxime Bibeau's arrangement of Astor Piazzolla's Kicho for double bass and strings, and violinist Satu Vanska's elegant rendition of the musically problematic but technically dazzling Rondo Brillant by Schubert.
Tognetti also created a magical atmosphere in his arrangements of two songs by Ravel.
Eleven of the ACO's string players made the journey to Margaret River and they were at their best in a warm and relaxed performance of Corelli's Christmas Concerto.
Despite these high points, there was also some variable playing throughout the weekend and the orchestra was noticeably less vibrant than at the same time last year.
Not that anyone seemed to mind. To be surrounded by large, colourful canvases of some of Australia's leading Aboriginal artists while listening to some of our most outstanding musicians in one of the most beautiful parts of the country was an extraordinary privilege, and the prolonged standing ovation on Sunday afternoon was a heartfelt expression of gratitude.
Review by Mark Coughlan, The Australian
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)