BY CUTCOMMON
The Melbourne Recital Centre scheduled some ripper gigs in its July program: popular guitar brothers Ziggy & Miles had commissioned a new piece about their own sibling rivalry (with a satirical edge, of course). And if you’re a fan of jazz or baroque — or adventurous enough to hear them combined — you might’ve checked out Michelle Nicolle Quartet’s Bach Project. Michelle told CutCommon those two styles of music are “pretty much built on the same rules”, though when she brought them together, it was to create something fresh and original.
This August, Bach and guitar are back in town via entirely different forms of live performance. We had a chat with the Melbourne Recital Centre team to find out which other events may pique your interest over the next month, and here’s what their arts leaders picked out for you — including some of Australia’s brightest chamber players.
Petra Poláčková
You might love the guitar. But do you love the Concert Master Double Top guitar? Do you love the 8-string romantic guitar? Have you even heard the 9-string romantic guitar?
You’ll be able to call yourself true guitar lover when you hear Petra’s performance; this classical virtuoso (above) has a long history of performing on a range of instruments beyond the standard (albeit lovable) 6-string guitar. One of her most impressive instruments was crafted by Spanish luthier Domingo Esteso, who did his work around the turn of the 20th Century. (We’ll pop in a video for you to check that one out — it sounds pretty special.)
Which guitars will you hear in this performance? You’ll need to head along to see the what this soloist has in store, but we’re able to reveal a taste of what’s on her program: Romantic-era music from Schubert that’s been reinterpreted for guitar; fantasies from Johann Kaspar Mertz and John Dowland; and a very, very old piece of music by Spanish composer Luis de Narváez.
Calvin Bowman – A Contrapuntal Cornucopia: Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘The Well-Tempered Klavier’ (Book One)
If you think that’s a jam-packed concert title, imagine how jam-packed the program will be! This Baroque classic is bursting at the seams with preludes and fugues — take one look at the list and you’ll fully appreciate the level of satisfaction that Bach lovers are likely to experience at this concert.
Calvin Bowman will play through all the sets of major- and minor-key music from the first book of this historically significant collection, which was published in the 18th Century and has influenced the course of Western music beyond your wildest imagination.
Inventi Ensemble – Art of Fugue
If Calvin leaves you in the mood for Bach, the Melbourne Recital Centre is also presenting a concert of the Baroque composer’s unfinished work The Art of Fugue. But in a modern twist, the music has been completed thanks to Geelong composer Kym Dillon.
Expect Bach transposed and turned upside down at this concert, which reimagines The Art of Fugue for chamber ensemble including strings and winds. (It’s also one of the most popular chamber ensembles around, featuring Melissa Doecke (flute), Ben Opie (oboe), Phoebe Masel (violin), Lucas Levin (viola), and Gemma Kneale (cello).) The instrumentalists will be having fun with the new arrangement and Kym’s newly commissioned work, all while paying respect to the music at their source.
This Primrose Potter Salon concert features in the series Season Three: Haven. But Inventi has previously performed in the Melbourne Recital Centre Local Heroes series — and here’s a recording of them you can check out before you head alone.
Rubiks Collective – Towards Home
This special concert features Australian music from composer Alice Chance. She spoke to 15 women from around the world, and their voices and stories informed her composition Heirloom, which embraces the emotions and memories that bind women to their families throughout the generations.
Alice told CutCommon: “I wanted to create space for a listener to reflect on the women in their own family, whether that family is biological or chosen, and the ways in which objects can be imbued with meaning and love.”
It’ll be realised by Rubiks Collective — one of Naarm/Melbourne’s leading champions of contemporary music. These players “are wonderful people who care deeply about what they do”, reckons Alice, and they’ll be presenting the work in the Primrose Potter Salon.
The program also features Five Love Songs — a work written especially for these players by Greek composer Maria Kaoutzani. It also delves into the concepts of relationships, love, and identity.
Visit the Melbourne Recital Centre calendar for more information and to see the full range of live music happening throughout August.
Rubiks Collective captured by Cameron Jamieson.
