Eleanor Lyons will sing with friends in this “embracing and relaxed” venue

BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE

Eleanor Lyons likes to think of chamber music with the same warmth as a “handwritten letter or a home-baked cake”.

Unlike the larger-scale events that see her performing as a soloist with an orchestra, or on the stage of an opera, the Australian soprano delights in the opportunities for connection that come with intimately sized performances.

“Looking into your colleague’s eyes, or sharing a smile with an audience member, adds to the meaning of the music for us all,” she says.

The award-winning artist will present music in this fashion this November, singing alongside Ensemble Liaison in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall.

“I’m so happy for the chance to perform such a chamber concert in Australia,” Eleanor says.

The concert is part of the series Ensemble Liaison & Friends. It’s a heartfelt initiative from the Australian group featuring pianist Timothy Young with a husband-and-wife team — clarinettist David Griffiths and cellist Svetlana Bogosavljevic (pictured below).

In this event, they’ll also be joined by Australian violinist Elizabeth Sellars.

“The best music always happens between friends – and these guys have been friends for a long time!” Eleanor shares. Eleanor, who co-founded Live at Yours, presented more than 50 salon concerts in people’s homes during the pandemic, and Ensemble Liaison was one of the groups to feature.

“Their combination of clarinet, cello, and piano opens up so many repertoire vistas that we just had to do a concert together,” Eleanor says.

“Playing with friends is the best.”

As she prepares for her upcoming Melbourne Recital Centre concert, Eleanor finds herself reflecting on her music experiences in Europe, drawing comparisons between this Australian venue and her favourite concert hall — the Musikverein in Vienna.

She says “they both share the ‘shoebox’ form, which is ideal for classical music”.

“The acoustic for a musician or singer is like the fabric for a couturier: without the right material, they cannot achieve the result.”

The warmth of the wooden interior also reminds her of a family home, “embracing and relaxed”.

Eleanor will sing chamber works from Beethoven, Schubert, Korngold, and Strauss. As a soprano who has sung on the Opera Australia mainstage, taking on roles the likes of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Eleanor will now sing as herself – something she can perform “personally and completely truthfully without going through the filter of a character”.

But she doesn’t consider the experiences to be too far apart: “The music that I sing is always with my own emotions and my voice. So even if the character and I don’t have that much in common, I’m always putting my stamp on the character.”

“This challenge and joy of singing is to open one’s soul and be completely vulnerable.”

It’s an environment that could invite concertgoers to feel equally at ease and connected to the emotions of the music. Eleanor says “it won’t be a stuffy recital where you feel scared to breathe!”.

“We will be relaxed and chatting about the music in between pieces.”