Volume — 29 Australian October 2018 Free Music National Academy Makers of Music Brett Dean: in conversation — Page 3 What the Fact?! Music Hacked — Page 2 A reflection: Debussy100 so far — Page 2 Event Calendar — Page 4 Golden Gate Brass reunites — Page 6 1000 reasons to say thank you — Page 6 Mahler’s last completed work — Page 7 A Fitting Finale to 2018 — Page 8 viola Alexander MacDonald (NZ) Alexander anam.com.au ANAM CutCommon / Debussy100 What the Fact?! Music Hacked This year we partnered with WTF?! HOW SHOULD WTF?! DOES THE B-FLAT CutCommon, Australia’s independently I LOOK AFTER MY REEDS? OR E-FLAT CLARINET WIN? run classical and new music magazine, to produce an interview series titled What are the biggest mistakes What can the E-flat clarinet What the Fact?! Music Hacked that owners of reeds can make? do that the B-flat can’t? where our musicians, faculty and “Playing reeds for too long, “The E-flat has a particularly guest artists have given informed too soon. If you blow them in penetrating, piercing sound; and as answers to real questions about gradually and carefully, you’ll get a result is most frequently used by pursuing a career in music. about 10 times longer life compared composers for incisive, jagged solos – with playing continually on a brand something it can bring off more Ever wondered why you feel new reed. Think of the lifespan of convincingly than a B-flat performance anxiety? What the deal a reed as a curve, with a middle part (although, in its very high register, is with tuning to 440Hz – or not? where it is at it’s best: consistent the B-flat can sound pretty How to lead an orchestra? and vibrant. Blowing it in carefully penetrating, too). As its lower range CutCommon and ANAM have covered will elongate and optimise that is limited, compared to the B-flat, it all! To give you a taste of the series, middle part of the curve.” it is more difficult to make the we’ve included two interview snippets E-flat sound mellow and smooth – below from two clarinet stars but you David Thomas ANAM Head something one normally associates can view the full interviews and more at of Woodwind, Clarinet Faculty with clarinet sound. There are some cutcommonmag.com/category/ exceptional E-flat specialists out what-the-fact there, though, who manage it!” Dimitri Ashkenazy ANAM Guest Artist, Clarinet A reflection: Debussy100 so far Words by Roy Howat is renowned as both What a thrill it has been for Timothy Young pianist and scholar whose concerts, ANAM musicians to also work with ANAM Head of Chamber Music, broadcasts and lectures regularly composer Lyle Chan on his Sonatas Resident Piano Faculty take him worldwide. We were lucky written especially for this project. enough to have him join us for two Debussy never completed his series concerts in our Debussy100 series, of six Sonatas for various instruments performing a selection of Préludes and Lyle brilliantly took up the It’s hard to believe we are nearing Book 1 in April and Suite bergamasque challenge of writing his own with the end of our series performing and En Blanc et Noir in September. Debussy’s intended instrumentation. Claude Debussy’s complete piano and Don’t miss the last two concerts in our chamber music. So far this year visiting Kathryn Stott’s visit in May Debussy100 series with ANAM musicians artists Roy Howat, Kathryn Stott, was an intense few days to prepare, and Stephen McIntyre (16 November) Ian Munro and Steven Osborne have among other things, the Cello Sonata and yours-truly (26 October). worked with, and alongside, our ANAM and a collection of wonderful orchestral musicians. The response has been transcriptions for two pianos including wonderful and it has been inspiring the three Nocturnes, La Mer and to see how this genius of the musical Prelude à l’Après-midi d’un Faune. DOUZE ÉTUDES PRÉLUDES [BOOK 2] world touches the heart and intellect In June Ian Munro not only performed Friday 26 October 7.30pm Friday 16 November 11am of musicians and audiences alike. Images Book 1 but also presented some largely forgotten gems, DEBUSSY Petite Pièce DEBUSSY Syrinx To get the year underway, a highlight being the Chansons de for clarinet & piano DEBUSSY Préludes Book 2 Roy Howat presented a series of Bilitis, incidental music for narrator, DEBUSSY Première rapsodie DEBUSSY Élégie for clarinet & piano lectures on the French master, two harps, two flutes and celesta. DEBUSSY Le petit nègre DEBUSSY Rêverie going into great depth on the DEBUSSY Children’s Corner workings of his musical structures, Steven Osborne worked with DEBUSSY Deux arabesques harmonic language and extraordinary ANAM musicians on the String Quartet, DEBUSSY Hommage à Haydn Stephen McIntyre piano associations with French verse. It left numerous relatively unknown 4-hand DEBUSSY Danse bohémienne ANAM Musicians no doubt about his deep philosophical and two piano works and also DEBUSSY Piano Trio in G major Tickets All $35 approach on what music can and performed the Petite Suite and Images DEBUSSY Douze études should be, his genial craftsmanship Book 2. “I find it hard to put my finger Performance to be followed by and intellect bent on realising these on what it is about Debussy that I love,” Timothy Young piano complimentary light refreshments and an opportunity to meet the musicians ideals in composition. To quote says Steven, “but it’s an absolutely ANAM Musicians Debussy himself “Music is a secret amazing openness in some way. Venue South Melbourne Town Hall form of mathematics, the elements To not control the way the music goes, Tickets Full $60 Sen $47 Con $35 Bookings anam.com.au of which have a share in eternity…” but to just see what happens. And he Timothy Young's ANAM Faculty or 03 9645 7911 keeps finding these amazing things.” position is generously supported by Margaret Johnson Debussy100 project presented in partnership with ABC Classic FM Music Makers Volume — 29 Page 2 ANAM at Melbourne Recital Centre Brett Dean: in conversation Interview by Miranda Cass ANAM Marketing Coordinator As ANAM’s former Artistic Director, what do you most look forward to about returning to ANAM’s home at the South Melbourne Town Hall? Once you’ve been a part of the ANAM family, to return always feels like coming home. Now I know that might sound like an artist- interview cliché but it’s really true. You only need to look at the vast array of returning national and international artists that have maintained ongoing relationships with ANAM over many years, even decades, to see it’s not mere Between the viola, conducting The only work I haven’t conducted Finally, what would you say marketing! To be part of the very and composing, what are before is Georges Lentz’s to encourage someone to see particular ANAM vibe again is you dedicating most of extraordinary and mesmerising the ANAM Orchestra perform what builds these lasting bonds your time to now? (Or do all Jerusalem (after Blake), on 9 November? and is what I’m most looking three roles intertwine?) here receiving its second Look, I’m a tad biased of forward to, with the wonderful mix Proportionally, I spend most performance ever in Australia. course, being one of the four amongst its musicians of curiosity, of my time composing however composers, but I have to say wonder, skill and ambition. all three disciplines are constant After its world premiere in the UK this is a very special program companions and cross-pollinating in 2017 and its Australian premiere of new music. It’s evocative, Earlier this year, you were invited in character. I simply can’t at the Adelaide Festival earlier imaginative and sensuous, to be a keynote speaker to imagine only composing without this year, your Hamlet opera has yet also highly dramatic and welcome the new and returning performing, or vice-versa. As a taken the musical world by storm. darkly haunting. And how often musicians to Week One at ANAM. composer I find it incredibly helpful Can you tell us more about the do we get to immerse ourselves During this talk, you encouraged to have a hands-on knowledge of particular piece that the ANAM in an entire evening of Australian the musicians to open their minds the act of performing. Similarly, I Orchestra will perform with orchestral music? I do hope people to the diverse options that are think all performers should at least Lorina Gore and Topi Lehtipuu? embrace this rare opportunity, available for musicians and you ‘have a crack’ at composing, to From Melodious Lay is a which should also prove a great reflected on when you were a experience first-hand what musical 25-minute suite of music from vehicle to show the versatility violist in the Berlin Philharmonic challenges and conundrums arise, my Hamlet opera, focusing in and thrilling power of ANAM’s Orchestra but devoted your what decisions need to be made particular on the nature of the wonderful orchestra together spare time to improvising. It was and how composers make them. relationship between Hamlet with two stellar vocal soloists. an inspiring part of your talk It can only help to inform and and Ophelia. Ostensibly Lorina and it offered a great insight inspire the art of interpreting sings Ophelia and Topi is Hamlet, into how you shaped your life music. And it just might become though not exclusively, as the two and career. Can you briefly your main gig! vocal lines also explore views on repeat it here for our readers? this relationship as expressed CELEBRATING My early years in the Berlin You’re known as an advocate by other major characters in the BRETT DEAN Philharmonic were characterised for Australian music and we’re play: Hamlet’s mother Gertrude Friday 9 November 7.30pm by discovery.