1 Welcome Moving into our thirteenth season, Omega Ensemble has come of age and entered its teens! If childhood is about magic, the 2018 Concert Season introduces mystery, love, romance and passion. We are proud to continue to perform our Virtuoso Series in the stunning City Recital Hall, alongside our Master Series at the iconic Sydney Opera House. Our 2018 Season is all about relationships, intimacy and connections, between our artists, our audience and the music itself. David Rowden Maria Raspopova Founder and Co-Artistic Director Co-Artistic Director 2 Season Calendar Concert Date and Time Venue Pg O Miss Brill - An Australian Premiere Sun 18 Feb, 7:00pm Art Gallery of New South Wales 21 M Summer Winds: From Beethoven to Ravel Sun 25 Feb, 2:30pm Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House 15 O Four Winds Festival Fri 30 Mar, 5:00pm Bermagui, NSW 21 V Eternal Quartets: Messiaen and Schubert Wed 11 Apr, 7:30pm City Recital Hall 7 O Annual Fundraising Gala Wed 23 May, 7:00pm University Union and Schools Club 21 M Fairy Tales: Schumann, Bruch and Borodin Sun 17 Jun, 2:30pm Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House 16 V Love: Weber and Franck Wed 18 July, 7:30pm City Recital Hall 8 V Joy: Farrenc and Beethoven Tue 25 Sept, 7:30pm City Recital Hall 11 M Vocalise: Rachmaninoff and Poulenc Sun 21 Oct, 2:30pm Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House 17 V Momentum: Schubert and Mendelssohn Tues 13 Nov, 7:30pm City Recital Hall 12 M Maria Raspopova in Recital Sun 2 Dec, 2:30pm Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House 18 M = Master Series V = Virtuoso Series O = Other Performance Composer Index Malcolm Arnold 15 Claude Debussy 15, 18 Olivier Messiaen 7 Johann Sebastian Bach 18 Edward Elgar 8 Ian Munro 17 Samuel Barber 7 Louise Farrenc 11 Francis Poulenc 17 Ludwig van Beethoven 11, 15 César Franck 8 Sergei Rachmaninoff 17, 18 Alexander Borodin 16 Samuel Hogarth 16 Maurice Ravel 15 Gerard Brophy 8 Elena Kats-Chernin 11 Eric Satie 18 David Bruce 12 Franz Liszt 18 Franz Schubert 7, 11, 12 Max Bruch 16 Carl Maria von Weber 8 Robert Schumann 16 Frédéric Chopin 18 Felix Mendelssohn 12 Paul Taffanel 15 3 Subscribe and Win Subscribe to the 2018 Season before 12 December 2017 for your chance to win a Bang & Olufsen Beosound 2 speaker, worth $2475. Music the way the artist intended. The conical design of the BeoSound 2 wireless speaker recalls the contours of traditional horn instruments. An omni-directional profile ensures impressive 360-degree sound, meanwhile integrated access to Spotify, Deezer QPlay and TuneIn provides seamless integration. The result is a portable speaker at the cutting edge of sound and design. Proudly sponsored by See omegaensemble.com.au for full terms and conditions. 5 Neil Thompson, viola Eternal Quartets Messiaen and Schubert ... some of Australia’s finest string and wind players. Sydney Arts Guide Virtuoso Series Wednesday 11 April 2018 City Recital Hall Pre-concert talk 6:45pm Performance 7:30pm Duration 110 mins (incl. interval) Program Samuel Barber David Rowden, Alexandra Osborne, Maria Raspopova, Paul Stender. Paul Raspopova, Osborne, Maria Alexandra Rowden, David Adagio for Strings, Op.11 Olivier Messiaen Three quartets of time, mortality and Quatuor pour la fin du temps eternity. (Quartet for the End of Time) Franz Schubert Death and music have always available in the camp. String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, made an unlikely couple. But Schubert’s Death and the D.810 “Death and the Maiden” perhaps no two composers Maiden was one of his last have directly reflected on works, written as he suffered their own mortality more than from a long illness. Both pieces Schubert and Messiaen. are not just reflections of Written and premiered in mortality, but an affirmation the dead of winter whilst of life. Messiaen was a prisoner of Also included is a rare war at a Nazi Stalag Camp, presentation of Samuel Quartet for the End of Time Barber’s Adagio for Strings not only presents Messiaen’s rendered in the original string spiritual resilience, but also the quartet version. A staple unlikely combination of piano, piece with orchestras since its clarinet, violin and cello. This premiere, this work becomes unusual instrumentation was personal in its original a reflection of the resources chamber form. 7 Love Weber and Franck ... a smorgasbord of chamber music... played by first-rate musicians. The Daily Telegraph Virtuoso Series Wednesday 18th July 2018 City Recital Hall Pre-concert talk 6:45pm Performance 7:30pm Duration 120 mins (incl. interval) Special Guest Lloyd Van't Hoff, clarinet Hoff, Van't Lloyd Lloyd Van't Hoff, clarinet Winner of the Young Performer of the Year Awards (2015) Music inspired by romance, created with love, and presented with passion. Program Where words have failed, the program is young-blood Edward Elgar music has been the language clarinettist (and winner of Romance for Bassoon and Strings of friends, lovers and admirers the Young Performer of the in D minor, Op. 62 from afar. In a program of Year Awards in 2015) Lloyd dedications, declarations and Van’t Hoff joining Co-Artistic Carl Maria von Weber a wedding or two, these are Director David Rowden in a Quintet for Clarinet and works created out of great love. performance of Australian Strings in B flat Major, Op. 34 composer Gerard Brophy’s We From Franck's endearing Gerard Brophy Two Boys Together. Violin and Piano Sonata, We Two Boys Together (2017) composed and performed at This is an evening filled with a friend’s wedding to Elgar’s passion and tenderness and César Franck lyrical Romance for Bassoon musical friendships. Sonata for Violin and Piano and Strings. Also featured in in A Major 8 Alexandra Osborne, violin Veronique Serret, violin Joy Farrenc and Beethoven ... [Veronique] Serret’s playing is flawless. Time Out Sydney Virtuoso Series Tuesday 25 September 2018 City Recital Hall Pre-concert talk 6:45pm Performance 7:30pm Duration 110 mins (incl. interval) Featured Artist Veronique Serret, violin David Rowden, clarinet Rowden, David Program Works of new beginnings. Franz Schubert Notturno in E flat major, Op. 148 Acclaimed violinist Veronique for other female composers Ludwig van Beethoven Serret and Co-Artistic Director to come. Also included in the Violin Sonata No.5 in F major, Op. Maria Raspopova join forces program is Schubert’s Notturno, 24, “Spring” for a powerful presentation of which is a gift of melody in all Beethoven’s Spring Sonata. its glory. Louise Farrenc This work for violin and piano The evening concludes with Nonet in E flat Major, Op. 38 celebrates new directions in one of Australia’s favourite music bridging the Classical Elena Kats-Chernin composers, Elena Kats-Chernin and Romantic periods. Russian Rag and one of her most treasured (Nonet arrangement by the A turning point in her career, works, Russian Rag, mixing composer for Omega Ensemble) the premiere of Louise Farrenc’s the popular rag style with exuberant Nonet allowed her Russian flavours in a special to receive pay equal to her arrangement for Omega male counterparts. A trailblazer Ensemble. 11 Momentum Schubert and Mendelssohn ...an impeccable sense of balance. Limelight Magazine Virtuoso Series Tuesday 13 November 2018 City Recital Hall Pre-concert talk 6:45pm Performance 7:30pm Duration 110 mins (incl. interval) Special Guest Howard Penny, cello Howard Penny, cello. Photo: Lucia Possas Lucia Photo: cello. Penny, Howard Appearing courtesy of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) Three revolutionary quintets. Program Guest cellist Howard Penny With some of his most sober, David Bruce joins Omega Ensemble in a tragic writing, like Schubert, "Gumboots" for Clarinet performance of Schubert’s Mendelssohn’s quintet displays and String Quartet (2008) ultimate String Quintet in a continually evolving style at [Australian Premiere] C major. the end of the composer's life, Franz Schubert freeing himself from classical Scored unusually for two String Quintet in C major, embellishments and pursuing violins, viola and two cellos, D. 956, “Cello Quintet” dramatic expression. and completed during the final weeks of Schubert's life, the This performance also includes Felix Mendelssohn ‘Cello Quintet’ ranks among the Australian premiere of String Quintet No. 2 in the composer’s greatest British composer David Bruce’s B flat major, Op. 87 accomplishments. Even at the Gumboots, for clarinet and end of his career Schubert string quartet - a tender and revolutionised the art of writing delightful piece celebrating the for strings in a small ensemble. rejuvenating power of dance. 12 Paul Stender, cello Sally Walker, flute Summer Winds From Beethoven to Ravel ... eloquence and mastery... the tapestry of Australia’s concert life. Sydney Arts Guide Master Series Sunday 25 February 2018 Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House Performance 2:30pm Duration 105 mins (incl. interval) Program Claude Debussy Michael Dixon, horn Michael Dixon, “Syrinx”, for Solo Flute Paul Taffanel A musical voyage for winds with Wind Quintet in G minor panoramic summer views of Ludwig van Beethoven Duo for Bassoon and Clarinet Sydney Harbour. Maurice Ravel Set sail in a discovery of the which draw out the deeply Le Tombeau de Couperin mystical and mythical with personal and reflective music a celebration of all things dedicated to friends Ravel Malcolm Arnold woodwind. had lost during World War I. Three Shanties for Wind Also included is Paul Taffanel’s Quintet, Op. 4 Get to know the flute up revealing Wind Quintet which close and personal through highlights all of the wind Debussy’s famous solo flute instruments. At the centre- piece, Syrinx with its haunting piece of this nautically-themed melodies that explore the full concert is Malcolm Arnold’s range of the instrument.