Canberra Choral Society proudly presents GREAT PERFORMANCES ALexANDeR BALus IN THE ALBERT HALL the second 25 years (1954–1979) 20 September 2014 | Canberra Playhouse Conducted by Brett Weymark Starring Tobias Cole, Christopher Saunders and Jacqueline Porter with Christopher Richardson and Christina Wilson Sunday 13 July 2014 Great Performances in the Albert Hall the second 25 years (1954 – 1979) Conductor/MC: Tobias Cole Featuring Louise Page, Christopher Lincoln Bogg, Anthony Smith and CCS Chorus With Katie Cole, Barbara Jane Gilby, Joy McDonald and the Turner Trebles Guests Veronica Thwaites-Brown and Peter Tregear God Save the Queen (all) 1954–Vienna Boys Choir (Turner Trebles) Emperor's Waltz (Johann Strauss) 1955–Medea (Elizabethan Trust Theatre starring Judith Anderson) (Katie Cole and Tobias Cole) 1956–Miklos Gafni (Christopher Lincoln Bogg) Recondita Armonia (Puccini) Mattina (Leoncavallo) Torna a Surriento (de Curtis) 1957–Leontyne Price (Louise Page) 'Piangerò' from Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Handel) Après un rêve (Faure) 1959–Beryl Kimber 1961–Isaac Stern (Barbara Jane Gilby) ‘Loure’, ‘Gavotte en rondeau’ from Partita No. 3 in E (JS Bach) ‘Sonatensatz: Scherzo’ from FAE Sonata (Brahms) 1960–The Magic Pudding (Peter Scriven’s Puppets) (Joy McDonald) 1961–The Sentimental Bloke (singalong) 2 Interval 1963–Rita Streich (Louise Page) ‘O luce di quest’anima’ from Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti) 1965–Canberra Choral Society ‘Hallelujah’ from Messiah (Handel) 1968–Canberra Children’s Choir (Turner Trebles) ‘Wolcum Yole’ from Ceremony of Carols (Britten) 1968–Canberra Choral Society ‘Kyrie’, ‘Gloria’ excerpt from Missa Solemnis (Beethoven) (with Louise Page, Veronica Thwaites-Brown, Christopher Lincoln Bogg & Peter Tregear) 1969–Canberra Choral Society ‘Quando corpus morietur’, ‘Amen’ from Stabat Mater (Dvořák) (with Louise Page, Veronica Thwaites-Brown, Christopher Lincoln Bogg & Peter Tregear) 1969–Canberra Choral Society ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’ from Mass in B minor (JS Bach) 1970–Canberra Choral Society ‘O Haupt voll Blut’ from St Matthew Passion (JS Bach) 1971–Canberra Choral Society ‘Lacrymosa’ from Requiem (WA Mozart) 1972–Canberra Choral Society ‘Conquissabit’ from Dixit Dominus (Handel) 1975–Canberra Choral Society ‘Amen’ from Messiah (Handel) 3 A Message from CCS President, Alison White Canberra Choral Society is really delighted to return for our second in the series Great Performances at Albert Hall. This much-loved venue has witnessed some truly wonderful performances over the years and we have much pleasure in recreating some of those historic performances this afternoon. I would particularly like to acknowledge all the talented Canberra artists who have contributed to the program and of course our dynamic and creative conductor and artistic director, Tobias Cole. I would also like to thank the very hard-working members of the Canberra Choral Society committee and choir members who devote hours of their time to the choir and without whose hard work we could not possibly put on these performances. The Canberra Choral Society relies in major part on funding from ticket sales and donations and I gratefully acknowledge those donors who have so generously supported this concert. You too can choose to support us and by doing so help us to present high quality and creative performances for Canberra audiences. All donations to the Canberra Choral Society are tax deductible. Our next performance will be the Australian premiere of Handel’s oratorio Alexander Balus, with acclaimed tenor Christopher Saunders and our own Tobias Cole as two of the leading soloists, along with many other talented musicians and singers. This concert will be performed on original instruments in the Canberra Playhouse and we look forward to seeing you in the audience on Saturday 20 September. In the meantime I hope you really enjoy this entertaining program. Alison White ‘While on the subject of goosebump-raising singing voices, Canberra’s greatest vocal goosebump-raiser is Tobias Cole the counter-tenor. He materialised (an unprogrammed surprise) singing as Queen Elizabeth I in … Great Performances in the Albert Hall – the first 25 years. Cole, this column’s 2012 Canberran of the year, gets that gong for 2013 4 A Message from CCS Artistic Director, Tobias Cole For its first thirty-seven years the Albert Hall served as Canberra’s major performance venue. Whenever a singer, musician, or company (dance, theatre or puppet) of national or international renown visited Canberra, people would put on their finest and make their way to the Albert Hall. After the Canberra Theatre opened in 1965, the Albert Hall became an affordable and preferred performance venue for community groups including Canberra Choral Society. But when the Canberra School of Music Auditorium (now known as Llewellyn Hall) opened in 1976, CCS deserted the Albert Hall for the larger stage and, arguably, better acoustics of the new venue. I am sure you will enjoy all our guest artists this afternoon, including Beryl Kimber and Isaac Stern (Barbara Jane Gilby), Albert, the grumpy pudding (Joy McDonald), American soprano Leontyne Price (Louise Page), Polish tenor Miklos Gafni (Christopher Lincoln Bogg), Australia’s expat actress Judith Anderson (Katie Cole), the Vienna Boys Choir (Turner Trebles), and many famous accompanists and local orchestras (Anthony Smith). I have drawn my information from three main sources: the online digital newspaper collection on the National Library’s Trove website, Peter Campbell’s book on the history of Canberra Choral Society and a very insightful conversation I had with local writer Lenore Coltheart, whose history of the Albert Hall will be published very soon. Enjoy this glimpse of what it might have been like for Canberrans of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s to experience a performance in our Albert Hall. Tobias Cole as well, in part for staging things so progressive, so unpretentious and so excellent. Concert-going, music loving Canberrans speak of him with the fondness with which, in his heyday, football-loving Canberrans used to speak of Mal Meninga.’ (Ian Warden, Canberra Times, 31 December 2013) 5 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 Extracts from the Canberra Times 8 June 1954 18 June 1956 6 6 October 1955 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 6 October 1955 5 August 1957 7 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 3 August 1960 10 June 1961 8 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 8 March 1961 My Sentimental Bloke (Singalong) Bill! You're the man that I adore Bill! You're the man I've waited for All my life I knew that someone soon Would come to me out of my dreams Bill! When you say you'll love me true Bill! When you say I'll do for you My heart tells me now that I'm bespoke I know I'm yours, My Sentimental Bloke. Music by Albert Arlen, lyrics by Nancye Brown 9 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 25 September 1963 25 September 1963 15 March 1965 10 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 11 October 1968 15 October 1968 11 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 11 April 1969 28 October 1969 12 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 19 October 1970 All articles in our Great Performances Scrapbook come from the Canberra Times via the amazing resource trove.nla.gov.au. 13 Our Artists Tobias Cole, CCS Artistic Director Tobias Cole has gained a reputation as a highly sought after choral trainer and innovative concert programmer and was recently appointed a Distinguished Artist in Residence at the ANU School of Music. As CCS Artistic Director, his inspiring long- term vision includes presenting one Handel dramatic oratorio in Canberra each year. He is well qualified for the task, with a Helpmann Award nomination in Handel’s Julius Caesar (Opera Australia, 2007) and a Green Room Award in the title role of Handel’s Xerxes (Victorian Opera, 2009). CCS has presented two of Handel’s dramatic oratorios under Tobias’ leadership: Saul (2012) and a sellout Theodora at the Canberra Playhouse in 2013. 2014 will see the Australian premiere of Alexander Balus. Tobias is also one of Australia’s most successful countertenors, travelling the country as a soloist in opera, oratorio and theatre. Last year he performed in a staged production of Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Opera Queensland, Dido and Aeneas for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Theodora for the Canberra Choral Society, concerts at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Canberra International Music Festival and the Woodend Winter Arts Festival, Carmina Burana for the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and a number of guest appearances with the Song Company. This year Tobias has appeared in the Canberra International Music Festival and in New Zealand with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. In August he will perform the title role in Philip Glass's Akhnaten with the State Opera of South Australia. 14 Our Artists Louise Page Louise Page is one of Australia’s most highly regarded singers and has performed in opera, operetta, oratorio, cabaret, recital and broadcasts throughout Europe and Australia. She is the winner of the inaugural Mietta's Song Recital Competition, the vocal grand final of the ABC Young Performer of the Year Award, the Robert Stolz/Apex scholarship to Vienna, and the Belgian Radio and Television Opera en Bel Canto City of Ghent Prize. Louise has performed throughout Europe, including at the Vienna State Opera as a member of the young artist program. Now based in Canberra, she has performed with the Sydney, Queensland, Canberra and Central Coast Symphony Orchestras and the National Capital Orchestra, and in recital for Musica Viva, the ABC, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Canberra International Music Festival and many others. Louise has recorded six CDs with accompanist Phillipa Candy, varying from Lieder to operetta, Australian music and Christmas songs. Her awards include a Canberra Critics Circle Award for music (2007), Canberra Times Artist of the Year (2007) and an OAM for services to the performing arts (2013).