Tivoli Dances

476 6502 GRAEME KOEHNE tivoli dances TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The selection of pieces recorded here forms a on-stage by a piano quintet. The ballet explored survey, ranging across 20 years, of Graeme themes of the continuities between the past Koehne’s engagement with an aesthetic of the and the present, and Murphy called it Old ‘lighter touch’. Graeme’s turn towards ‘lightness’ Friends, New Friends. Graeme (Koehne) chose began in the early 1980s, when he moved from to write in a ‘Palm Court’ style both because it Adelaide to the university town of Armidale in suited the ensemble and had an appropriately New South Wales. Here he encountered, on the nostalgic quality – hence the title Palm Court Graeme Koehne b. 1956 one hand, a withdrawal from the support Suite when the work appears without dancers. Tivoli Dances [20’39] network of Adelaide’s then thriving ‘new music’ The piece was the surprise success of the 1 I. Santa Ana Freeway 4’46 scene; and on the other, a small, close-knit but program and Murphy decided to expand it into a 2 II. Forgotten Waltz (Tivoli Memories) 5’52 musically active community. The change of social full evening work called Nearly Beloved, which 3 III. Salvation Hymn and Whistling Song 5’10 environment prompted Graeme to re-evaluate his has had several seasons, including at the Créteil 4 IV. Vamp ’Til Ready 4’51 aesthetic priorities, leading progressively to his Maison des Arts. rejection of the ideology of ‘heroic’ modernism Shaker Dances [21’14] The return to simplicity and vernacular musical in favour of a new, more modest aim of 5 I. Whirling Dance 7’25 expression of the early 1980s led Graeme on a engagement with the listener. The extraordinary 6 II. Precept and Line 7’00 line of enquiry into the aesthetic questions thing I recall from the time, though, is the 7 III. Square Order Shuffle 6’49 posed by his rejection of modernity and return excitement which this change generated for to musical tradition. Among the diverse sources Graeme: the realization that he was free to Palm Court Suite [24’25] from which Graeme drew conviction and 8 I. Nocturne (Prelude I) 2’27 compose in a more traditional mode, to explore a support for his stylistic alteration, he was 9 II. Valse noble... 3’29 language growing from his own enthusiasms – attracted to ‘the unique philosophy and way of 0 III. Berceuse (Prelude II) 2’59 such as Ravel and Debussy. It was a tremendous life developed by the 19th-century American ! IV. Blues 5’44 release, not to say an epiphany. religious community known as the Shakers’. @ V. Elegy (Prelude III) 2’06 When the Australian String Quartet Graeme was offered the perfect opportunity to £ VI. ...et sentimentale 7’40 commissioned Graeme’s second string quartet further explore his radical stylistic shift when in 1994, he adapted the Shaker way of life and $ To His Servant Bach, God Grants a Final Glimpse: The Morning Star 4’06 Graeme Murphy asked him to write the music concepts as both an inspiration and a guide to for a new dance work to be premiered at the Total Playing Time 70’24 the piece’s construction. Sydney Dance Company’s 1984 Triple Bill in the Sydney Opera House. Murphy wanted to make As Graeme points out in his program note to the a work combining young SDC dancers with piece, he was not the first composer inspired by retired guest dancers, with the music performed ‘the Shakers’ spiritual integrity and their 2 3 communistic philosophy’: Copland and John Angst, offensiveness and modernity are Australian Ballet and Sydney Dance Company evoke scenes from the original Tivoli production Adams had been there before him. prevalent enough without me adding to the and a host of additional artists in a grand featuring a love scene and a Salvation Army rally Encompassing the philosophical views which load. Like the Shakers, I prefer to reject collaboration. The production also, as Graeme respectively, and the final movement makes, Graeme had developed by this time, his program negative values, and celebrate constructive says in his notes, covered ‘the period of popular says Graeme, ‘an eccentric commentary on the note for Shaker Dances continues: ones. Beauty and simplicity are serious music’s most exhilarating years, and afforded function of music as theatrical accompaniment, objectives for an artist. rich potential for a composer like me, keenly taking as its starting point the ubiquitous “vamp” The Shakers are remembered today for interested in the diversity of popular music of early popular music.’ their skill as craftsmen and designers; for The theme of humility and gentleness pervades forms and integrating them into “classical” James Koehne the affecting directness of their poetry; and another of Graeme’s most popular chamber music-making.’ for their use of dance to celebrate the works from this period, To His Servant Bach, Richard Mills union of physicality with spirituality. Music God Grants a Final Glimpse: The Morning Graeme notes that for this lavish production, was central to their lives, melding with their Star. Here, Bach is the model, aesthetically and Murphy ‘devised a scenario which gave him free Richard Mills is one of Australia’s most sought- poetry and the divine joyfulness of their musically. The long title aims to encapsulate a rein to conjure spectacular dances and tableaux, after composers and music directors. Mills dance. Simplicity of spirit, life and art was story from Spitta’s famous biography of the revelling in the delicious aesthetic indulgence studied with Edmund Rubbra (composition) and the governing principle of Shaker culture. In composer. Suffering blindness in his last years, which Tivoli had presented throughout its life. Gilbert Webster (percussion) at the Guildhall every aspect, their culture reflects an Bach momentarily regained his sight on the day The ballet required music to accompany scenes School of Music, London, where he won the idealism which sought to reject crass before he died, sufficient to view the stars for for Swing Band, a Salvation Army Rally, and a Saltzman Prize. He has also been recipient of materialism, to instil dignity into human one final time. This modest homage to Bach was French Lido-Style revue, among others. Weaving the Maggs Award (1982), the Don Banks Music lives, and to restore harmony with nature. commissioned and premiered by Janis Laurs for between the risqué and the sentimental, the Fellowship (1995), and an Order of Australia the Mt Buller Chamber Music Camp then scenario gave me all the inspiration I needed to (1999). Victoria State Opera commissioned him All in all, there is much in Shaker culture adapted for the guitar quartet Guitar Trek at the indulge my musical imagination.’ to write an opera of Ray Lawler’s Summer of which deserves to be honoured, not just as request of Timothy Kain. In response to demand the Seventeenth Doll, which premiered in nostalgic memory, but as a continuing from performers, Graeme re-worked it for string At the request of the Tasmanian Symphony Melbourne in 1996. Opera Australia spiritual and philosophical presence. My orchestra (the version recorded here). Orchestra, a year or two after the original commissioned his second opera Batavia, which string quartet Shaker Dances is inspired production, Graeme organised some of the key was premiered at the Melbourne Festival in by this presence. People say that The most recent work on this disc again stems orchestral sections into a four-movement suite, 2001 and received Green Room and Helpmann contemporary music should ‘reflect the from a ballet project in which Graeme Koehne Tivoli Dances. To the first movement Graeme Awards including Best Opera and Best New spirit of the age’, or that the artist should collaborated with Graeme Murphy: the huge gave the title Santa Ana Freeway, in reference Australian Work. In 2006 his performance of give expression to ‘serious’ emotions like touring production of the Australian Centenary to the legend that many of the original old Tristan and Isolde at the Queensland Music personal angst, or that he should ‘confront’ of Federation, Tivoli. Telling the story of the rise scores of the great Hollywood film composers Festival won Best Classical Concert Helpmann the audience. For various reasons I think and fall of the Tivoli variety entertainment circuit (including Carl Stalling’s Warner Brothers Award. His CD recording Richard Mills these are the least interesting, and the – Australia’s vaudeville empire until the advent of cartoons) were used as landfill for the freeway’s Orchestral Works with the Queensland least important things that music can do. television – the show brought together the construction. The second and third movements Symphony Orchestra has become a best-seller 4 5 for ABC Classics. In 1992 his recording of the Fanfare (the ABC news theme). He has been Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra film music of Franz Waxman with the same Lecturer in Composition and Conducting at the Established in 1948, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is acclaimed as one of the world’s finest orchestra was awarded a Deutsche Queensland Conservatorium of Music and small orchestras. Resident in the purpose-built Federation Concert Hall, Hobart, the TSO presents Schallplattern Kritiks Preis. Richard Mills has Visiting Fellow, University of Melbourne School more than 60 diverse concerts across Tasmania and mainland Australia each year. German-born undertaken commissions for the 1982 of Music. Since 1997 he has been Artistic Sebastian Lang-Lessing has been the orchestra’s Chief Conductor and Artistic Director since 2004. Commonwealth Games, the 2000 Olympic Director of the West Australian Opera, and has Games, and the Australian Bicentenary re- recently taken up the post of Artistic Consultant With a full-time complement of 47 musicians, the TSO’s core repertoire is the music of the Classical orchestration of Charles Williams’ Majestic with Orchestra Victoria.

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