Issue 1, 2014: March
AE NEWS
newsletter of the Australia Ensemble @UNSW
Never Stand Still
Music Performance Unit
March Events
A French Connection
Fauré , Debussy and a girl named ‘Dolly’
Australia Ensemble @UNSW
Free lunch hour concert
Tuesday March 11, 2014
1.10 - 2.00pm
Leighton Hall, Scientia Building
CPE Bach : Flute sonata in A min
Fauré: Romance Op.28 &
Andante Op. 75 for violin & piano
Debussy: String Quartet
Free, all welcome
Australia Ensemble @UNSW
Free lunch hour workshop
Thursday March 13, 2014
1.10 - 2.00pm
Leighton Hall, Scientia Building
Assoc. Prof. Peter McCallum and
the Australia Ensemble explore
Beethoven: String Quartet in
B flat Op.130
Free, all welcome
Australia Ensemble @UNSW
Subscription Concert 1, 2014
Saturday March 15, 2014
8.00pm
Sir John Clancy Auditorium
CPE Bach: Quartet H537
Fauré: Dolly Suite arr. Ian Munro
Beethoven: String Quartet in B
flat Op.130
Bookings: 02 9385 4874
australia.ensemble@unsw.edu.au
T
he Australia Ensemble takes its audience to France this month with
music by Gabriel Faure (1845-1924) and Claude Debussy (18621918). The Lunchtime concert will feature Debussy’s innovative
String Quartet (1893) and works for violin and piano by Fauré. For the
Subscription concert the ensemble’s pianist Ian Munro has transcribed
Faure’s engaging piano duet the ‘Dolly’ Suite for flute, bass clarinet and
piano.
Despite Fauré being significantly
older he did not teach Debussy,
however, it is clear that the
composition ideals of Fauré inspired
Debussy’s own work. Furthermore,
they shared a common goal - the
promotion and support of a French
compositional movement. The story
behind the ‘Dolly’ Suite reveals a
different connection between Fauré
and Debussy.
The inspiration for the Dolly suite
was Hélène ‘Dolly’ Bardac (18921985), the daughter of Emma
Bardac (1862–1934) who was a
Claude Debussy with Emma Bardac
renowned singer much admired by
Fauré and Debussy. The legacy of each composer’s relationship with
Emma Bardac had a profound impact on both their professional and
personal lives. Like Fauré’s composition for the young Dolly, Debussy
wrote The Children’s Corner Suite for his daughter ‘Chouchou’. Other
Debussy works composed at the time included La Mer, Ibéria and the
Préludes for piano.
Dolly lived a long life, during which she served as a link and a
valuable resource to the music of Fauré and Debussy. Noted pianist
and musicologist Dr Roy Howat, Research Fellow at the Royal
Academy, London and leading authority on French music, writes in the
acknowledgements of his latest book The Art of French Piano Music
how he greatly appreciated meeting ‘Debussy’s stepdaughter Mme
Gaston de Tinan, the ‘Dolly’ of Faure’s duet suite.’ Howat continues
to say that he felt ‘lucky to spend many afternoons hearing Mme de
Tinan’s recollections of how her stepfather played his music, and indeed
of a whole epoch.’
Although Fauré was married, he spent a great deal of time apart from
his family with wealthy benefactors who created
opportunities for him to compose his music. Emma
Bardac became the muse for a number of his vocal
works such as La Bonne Chanson op.61 (189293) and Soir (1894). Emma, although married to a
banker, revelled in the attention paid to her by Fauré
and throughout their relationship would perform the
songs Fauré composed for her each evening that they
were together. This liaison with Emma Bardac was
said to be a ‘happy time’ in the life of the composer.
Dolly, although very young at the time, noticed the
influence her mother had on Fauré, and Orledge
writes that Dolly would hear her mother suggest
poetry for Fauré to set to music. In Orledge’s book on
Fauré he quotes the composer’s conversation with
Roger-Ducasse:
‘I never wrote anything more spontaneously than La
Bonne Chanson, and I was aided by the spontaneity of
the singer who remained its most moving interpretera spontaneity at least the equal of my own. I have
never known any pleasure to equal that which I felt
as I heard these pages coming to life, one after the
other, as I brought them to her.’
Bardac eventually divorced her first husband and
met Debussy in 1903, as her son Raoul was studying
composition with Debussy at the time (as well as
with Fauré and Ravel). Debussy left his first wife
Lily for Bardac, and in 1904 they married. Bardac
gave birth to a daughter Claude-Emma ‘Chouchou’
in 1905 who was to be Debussy’s only child. Dolly
lived with Debussy and Bardac for six years before
she left home to be married, and in Roger Nichols’
book Debussy Remembered she was particularly
affectionate in her memories of Debussy. Dolly, later
known as Madam Gaston de Tinan, stated that:
For those who were not acquainted with Debussy,
he seemed at first very intimidating and cold; he
even frightened some people, by rather a ‘closed’
look which came from his natural timidity, and also
a certain indifference towards those who seemed to
have nothing that could interest him. Although this
concealed
painful
sensitivity and a
disposition
which
was on the contrary
full
of
warmth
towards those to
whom that had given
him friendship...
Sargeant’s portrait of Fauré
In
this
same
discussion, Dolly sets
the record straight
on how her mother
was introduced to
the composer. In
addition, Dolly makes
Claude Debussy with Dolly
of a point of describing her mother’s appearance and
personality:
She was small and pretty with auburn and
topaz-coloured eyes. What is more, she had an
incomparable charm, to which nobody could remain
insensible, even during the last years of her life.
The compelling aspect to this story is it gives evidence
that it is often outside, not musical, influences that can
inspire our composers to pursue their art. Needless
to say, both audiences and performers alike are
most fortunate to benefit from the wonderful works
both Fauré and Debussy wrote as a result of their
respective relationships with Emma Bardac and her
daughter ‘Dolly’.
Dr Howat has performed and edited many piano,
vocal and chamber works by the two composers
including Debussy’s Préludes and Fauré’s ‘Dolly’
Suite.
If you are interested to learn more, it is highly
recommended that you access
http://www.royhowat.com/
for information on how to access Dr Howat’s editions,
recordings and books about this fascinating era of
French music.
Hear the music
Debussy String Quartet
Dene Olding, Dimity Hall, violins;
Irina Morozova, viola; Julian Smiles, cello
Free lunch hour concert
Tuesday March 11, 1.10pm, Leighton Hall
Free, all welcome
Fauré Dolly suite arr. Munro
Geoffrey Collins, flute; Sue Newsome, bass
clarinet; Ian Munro, piano
Saturday March 15, 8pm, Clancy Auditorium
Subscription concert 1, 2014
p: +61 2 9385 4874
Happy Birthday Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach!
b. Weimar 8th March 1714 d. Hamburg 14th December 1788
The Australia Ensemble @UNSW
opens its season with two beautiful
works: the Sonata in A minor for
solo flute and the Quartet in A
minor H537 Wq- 93 for flute, viola
and piano, in both its Subscription
and Lunchtime concerts to
celebrate the 300th anniversary of
the birth of composer Carl Philip
Emmanuel Bach.
For those who are unfamiliar with
the music of CPE Bach, you may
ask why should we know of his
music and how does the music of
the younger Bach differ or stand
apart from his famous father?
Essentially Carl Philip’s works are
lighter in style to that of his father’s
and he endeavoured to engage
with the music of his neighbouring
cultures such as France and
Italy. There is a wonderful quote
by Carl Philip in his Essay on
the True Art of Playing Keyboard
Instruments (trans. Mitchell) where
he describes his compositional
approach
encompassing
the
ideals of French, Italian and
German composition.
‘I believe that the style of
performance is best, regardless
of the instrument, which artfully
combines the correctiveness of
French ornaments with the suavity
of Italian singing. Germans are in
a good position to effect such a
union so long as they remain free
of prejudices.’
This text/essay by Carl Philip
is an important pedagogical
resource and is still referenced
today alongside other important
pedagogical essays such as
Quantz’s treatise on flute playing
and Leopold Mozart’s ‘A Treatise
on the Fundamental Principles of
Violin Playing.’
Carl Philip was born in Weimar
on March 8, 1714. He was greatly
influenced by the music of his
father Johann Sebastian Bach,
his godfather Telemann and
Handel. Johann Sebastian Bach
took responsibility for his son’s
musical training and in turn Carl
Philip became copyist for some
of his father’s significant works.
Despite Carl Philip studying law
at University he gave it all up
to devote his life to a career in
music. Like all artists Carl Philip
experienced both acceptance and
rejection throughout his career.
After many attempts to obtain a
permanent position, Carl Philip
secured Telemann’s former post at
Hamburg as Music Director upon
Telemann’s death in 1767. Carl
Philip remained the Music Director
of Hamburg for the rest of his life.
Carl Philip’s first compositions date
from 1730 and throughout his life,
Carl Philip was prolific in his output
and experimented with a number
of contrasting genres. It is clear
from his commitment and energy
that this was a composer striving
to create his own unique musical
voice. Furthermore, he stands
as a link between the Baroque
and the Classical period, with
the emergence of the composers
from the new Classical era such
as Mozart and Haydn in the
later part of his life. Carl Philip’s
compositions encompassed the
changing cultural ideals in between
the Baroque and Classical eras
and the terms that have been used
to describe this period of musical
history include Sturm and Drang,
Rococo and Empfindsamer Stil.
The latter term may be translated
as the ‘sensitive style’ and implies
an improvised and more flexible
approach to composition in
comparison with the compositional
rigours of the Baroque era.
Geoffrey Collins, flute
Carl Philip wrote over one
thousand works for almost every
genre that included works for solo
keyboard, oratorios, symphonies
and chamber music. Composers
such as Schumann did not
consider Carl Philip’s keyboard
works to have the ‘gravitas’ of
Johann Sebastian’s works for the
same genre but it was Carl Philip’s
exploration of a more improvised
approach which had a major
impact on keyboard composition.
letters between the years 1809
and 1812. However, the efforts
of
people like Carl Friedrich
Zelter (1758-1832) and Felix
Mendelssohn encouraged those
around them to be interested in
the music of the past thus inspiring
a new generation of musicians to
research, perform and catalogue
old scores. Very recently, authentic
scores of Carl Philip’s works were
made available to the public
and can be found at http://www.
cpebach.org/
So let’s say Happy Birthday to
Carl Philip Emmanuel and with the
performances of his music we can
reflect on his contribution to music
history and use them to inspire us
to learn more about the man and
his music.
Although he was entrepreneurial in
the sense he published as many of
his works as possible, Carl Philip
often allowed family and friends
to have access to his music when
they required.
Carl Philip’s music suffered neglect
- as did his father’s music - in the
early 1800s. Despite Carl Philip’s
intent to preserve his own music,
there were issues in locating
sources. Indeed, Beethoven failed
to access Carl Philip’s music
through publishers Breitkopf &
Härtel, even after writing several
Hear the music
CPE Bach Solo flute sonata in A minor
Geoffrey Collins, flute
Free lunch hour concert
Tuesday March 11, 1.10pm
Leighton Hall, John Niland Scientia Building
Free, all welcome
CPE Bach Quartet H537
Geoffrey Collins, flute; Irina Morozova, viola; Ian Munro, piano
Saturday March 15, 8pm
Subscription concert 1, 2014
Sir John Clancy Auditorium UNSW
Bookings ph. 02 9385 4874
A fitting farewell
Roger Covell receives a gift from Sonia Maddock
and Prof. Iain Martin on behalf of UNSW
On December 4, 2013, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of
UNSW, Professor Iain Martin, hosted a special farewell event
for Emeritus Professor Roger Covell. After forty-seven years
of service to UNSW, Roger retired from the position of Artistic
Chair of the Australia Ensemble on February 1. The farewell
event was a small gathering of people from the breadth of
Roger’s career at UNSW, and included performances by the
Australia Ensemble @UNSW, the Burgundian Consort, and
a surprise performance by Sydney Brass of Roger’s own
composition Scientia Fanfare. It was a warm and tasteful
occasion, appropriate to the outstanding contribution Roger
has made to music at UNSW through his work with the Australia
Ensemble, Collegium Musicum Choir, UNSW Opera and the
undergraduate and postgraduate programs he founded.
Photos: Michael Francis, Francis Fotography
Performances by the Burgundian Consort (left)
and Australia Ensemble @UNSW (below)
Below: Host of the evening Prof. Iain Martin;
Below right: Guest of honour Prof. Roger Covell
and his wife Dr Patricia Brown
Below: With the Australia Ensemble @UNSW (l to r)
Dene Olding, Geoffrey Collins, Irina Morozova, Prof. Roger
Covell, Julian Smiles, Dimity Hall, Catherine McCorkill, Ian Munro
Welcome our new Artistic Chair Dr Paul Stanhope
T
his year heralds a new era for the Australia Ensemble with the arrival of the ensemble’s new Artistic
Chair Dr Paul Stanhope. This is a senior appointment made by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
and it is exciting to have such a leading figure in the Australian music scene at the helm of our premier
chamber ensemble.
Dr Stanhope states:
“I am delighted to begin this partnership with the Australia Ensemble. I very much admire these wonderful
musicians who I have worked with on a number of occasions. I have always loved the diversity and quality
content of Australia Ensemble concerts and I look forward to working with the ensemble on seeking new and
exciting pathways into the future.”
Biography:
Composer Dr Paul Stanhope
(b1969) has had prominent
performances of his works in the
UK, Europe, Taiwan and Japan
as well as North and South
America. After studies with Peter
Sculthorpe, Paul was awarded the
Charles Mackerras Scholarship
which enabled him to study for
a time at the Guildhall School of
Music in London in 2000.
In May 2004 Paul was awarded
first place in the prestigious Toru
Takemitsu Composition Prize. In
2011 he was awarded two APRA/
Australian Music Centre Awards
for Instrumental Work of the Year
and Vocal/Choral Piece of the Year
and in 2012 was again a finalist
for Instrumental Work of the Year.
Paul is a recent recipient of the
Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship
for 2013-2014 – the first Australian
composer to be granted this
honour.
[photo: Jason Catlett]
by the BBC National Orchestra
of Wales, in the City of London
Festival and most recently by the
National Colombian Symphony
Orchestra in Bogota.
Recent works include a Piccolo
Concerto (2013), commissioned
by the Melbourne, Adelaide and
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras,
Qinoth (2011) written for the
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Paul Stanhope took up an
appointment as Musical Director
of Sydney Chamber Choir in 2006,
and has taken the Choir on an
exciting journey of music making.
Paul has initiated a series of
exciting artistic collaborations with
guest musicians including Match
Percussion,
harpist
Marshall
McGuire, University of Newcastle
Chamber Choir and guitar virtuoso
Slava Grigoryan.
“It is Paul’s thematic choices which so often elevate his musical
choices: the result is a deeply personal response to the world which he
communicates profoundly.”
Sidney Myer Fund
In 2010 Paul was Musica Viva’s
featured composer: his String
Quartet no. 2 received nation-wide
performances by the Pavel Haas
Quartet, and his Agnus Dei - After
the Fire by the stellar duo Alina
Ibragimova (violin) and Cédric
Tiberghien (piano). Other choral
and chamber works have featured
in national tours by the Choir of
Trinity College, Cambridge and the
Atos Piano Trio from Berlin. Paul’s
music has also been presented
at the Vale of Glamorgan Festival
and Exile Lamentations (20072011) a cantata written for soloists,
choir and the virtuosic talents of
oud master Joseph Tawadros.
Forthcoming works include a large
choral-orchestral cantata about
the life of Western Australian
indigenous hero Jandamarra,
which is being created in
collaboration with the Bunuba
community from the Kimberley
in Western Australia and librettist
Steve Hawke.
In addition to his work with the
Sydney Chamber Choir, Paul has
been invited to guest conduct
Cantillation, the Sydney Children’s
Choir, Gondwana Voices, Kammer
Ensemble, Australia Ensemble @
UNSW, and Sonic Art Ensemble,
and in 2005 collaborated both as
composer and conductor with the
Danish National Girls Choir.
Paul is a Senior Lecturer at the
Sydney Conservatorium of Music,
University of Sydney.
Alexander Vasilievich Ivashkin, cellist and musicologist
born: 17 August 1948, Blagoveshchensk, Soviet Union; married: 1969, Natalia Pavlutskaya;
died: 31 January 2014, London
A Personal Story:
A few weeks ago I was very sad to hear of the
passing of this truly great and inspiring musician.
Prof. Alexander Ivashkin was a cellist, musicologist
and a true champion for contemporary music. He
was an authority on composer Alfred Schnittke, wrote
numerous books and left a legacy of cello students
who are performing and teaching throughout the
world. I first heard Ivashkin perform at the Australian
Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville in 1993
which was the same year members of the Australia
Ensemble were resident at the festival. This was a
superb ten days of music making and as a student
I benefitted from the many wonderful performances,
masterclasses and workshops presented by the
participating artists.
In 1997 I moved to Christchurch New Zealand due
to my husband accepting a position at the University
of Canterbury. We had just spent time in the USA
where I had completed postgraduate study and
was a little reticent about moving to a place that
seemed quite far removed from the interesting and
amazing experiences that I had recently enjoyed.
However, I had remembered from my Townsville
sojourn that Ivashkin was teaching at the University
and thought that if he was there then there must
be some music making happening in the town. It
proved to an important and most valuable time in
my musical life. I met Alexander ‘Sasha’ Ivashkin- I
think I always called him Dr Ivashkin as I always felt
a little intimidated- at a reception for the University
of Canterbury Music department where I had
performed in a string quartet (as a violinist). He had
heard through the grapevine that I could play viola
and asked if I would be interested in performing with
his ensemble the University of Canterbury Chamber
Orchestra as there were no viola students enrolled in
the music department at the time. I said ‘I would be
happy to play viola if I can conduct rehearsals when
you are away’. I cannot believe my response at the
time - especially as Ivashkin had studied conducting
with some of the great Russian pedagogues- yet
Ivashkin was generous in spirit and agreed to the
terms. In the chamber orchestra we played both
traditional and innovative 20th century repertoire and
I added to this experience by performing on viola for
a number of chamber groups Ivashkin coached with
his wife Natalia, who was in her own right a wonderful
teacher and an excellent cellist.
The following year I asked – with some trepidation
this time - if I could conduct a work on the Chamber
Orchestra concert program and again he agreed.
The work was Alfred Schnittke’s ‘Concerto for
Three’ with Ivashkin and other eminent musicians as
soloists. Although I knew I had thrown myself in at the
proverbial ‘deep end’, it proved to be one of the most
amazing musical experiences I have had to date. To
study, rehearse and perform a work with an expert in
the music who understood the composer’s intention
was an honour and a privilege. This performance
was the Australasian premiere of the concerto.
Whilst in Christchurch, Ivashkin initiated a Chamber
Music Festival and the Adam Cello Festival and
Competition which attracted fine musicians from all
over the world including members of the Australia
Ensemble.
Unfortunately Alexander Ivashkin left New Zealand in
1999 for a position at the University of London but I
saw him on a couple of occasions whenever he came
back to New Zealand. He would always ask what I
was up to and never talked about his own successes.
He was the first string player I knew personally
who demonstrated combining both a performance
and an academic career which I know provided the
inspiration for me to pursue study for a PhD.
So thank you Dr Ivashkin for opening my eyes to
a world of writing, thinking and exploring the inner
workings of music. May you rest in peace. Your
legacy will live on and my deepest sympathy to your
wife Natalia.
For further information on the recordings and writings
of Professor Alexander Ivashkin please see the
following website: http://alexanderivashkin.com/
Dr Joanna Drimatis
Publications Specialist
Australia Ensemble @UNSW
New words for a new year
Alongside our new Artistic Chair is another new member of the
Music Performance Unit, Dr Joanna Drimatis, who joins us in the
role of Publications Specialist. Joanna will contribute most of the
components of the AE News, and the program notes for lunch hour
concerts and concerts of the subscription series. We welcome
Joanna to the role and look forward to her insights into the music
performed by the Australia Ensemble.
In addition to her new role as Publications Specialist with the
Australia Ensemble @UNSW, Dr Joanna Drimatis is currently a Part-time Lecturer in Musicology and
Honorary Research Affilliate at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. After initial studies in Australia in Music
Education and Violin Performance, Joanna completed a Masters in Music from the University of Texas at
Austin in both violin and orchestral conducting. In 2009, Joanna graduated with her Doctor of Philosophy in
Musicology from the Elder Conservatorium of Music. She was awarded the University of Adelaide’s Inaugural
Doctoral Research Medal for her PhD thesis titled, A Hidden Treasure: Symphony No.1 by Robert Hughes.
Joanna has been engaged as a Guest Conductor in the USA, New Zealand and Australia. In the positions
as Music Director of the University Orchestra – UTexas at Austin, Music Director of the Christchurch Youth
Orchestra and Conductor for the Adelaide Youth Orchestra association, Joanna initiated collaborations,
commissions and premieres, and selected performances have been broadcast on NZ Concert FM and ABC
Classic FM.
As a violinist/violist Joanna has played professionally as an orchestral musician both in Australia and overseas
and has performed solo and chamber music recitals in the USA, Germany, New Zealand and Australia.
Restoring the Master’s vision
B
eethoven’s late string quartets, written during the final stage of his life in which the composer was
profoundly deaf and becoming increasingly isolated, are no less than colossi among chamber works.
Passionate, profound, intricately wrought and fiercely original, the late quartets were very much ahead
of their time and have remained vital cornerstones of the chamber music repertoire.
In particular, the String Quartet in B flat opus 130 stands as a masterwork of musical
invention, not least because of its unconventional structure. Presented in six movements
(as opposed to the usual four) with an additional dance movement and an additional slow
movement, the quartet conjointly features a dazzling finale, the prodigious Great Fugue,
in which Beethoven exhaustively indulges his love for the art of fugal counterpoint.
Peter McCallum
Originally removed from the work at the behest of his publisher on the grounds of its
being too long and too serious, the Australia Ensemble @UNSW is pleased to restore
Beethoven’s vision at its March 15 subscription concert, as it presents the op. 130 string
quartet with the Great Fugue as the finale.
For its March 13 workshop, taking place at 1.10pm in
Leighton Hall of the John Niland Scientia Building, the
Ensemble is delighted to welcome Associate Professor
Peter McCallum, world renowned musicologist and
acknowledged authority on Beethoven. Peter, who is
at present preparing Beethoven’s final sketchbook for
publication, will take audiences deeper into the world
of the remarkable op. 130 quartet, with the Ensemble’s
string players on hand to illustrate examples in realtime. Music lovers are advised not to miss this rare
opportunity to experience Beethoven up-close.
Luke Iredale
Music Performance Unit
UNSW Sydney NSW 2052
AUSTRALIA
Hear the music
Beethoven String Quartet Op.130
Free lunch hour workshop
with Assoc. Prof. Peter McCallum
Dene Olding, Dimity Hall, violins;
Irina Morozova, viola; Julian Smiles, cello
Thursday March 13, 1.10pm, Leighton Hall
Free, all welcome
Subscription concert 1, 2014
Saturday March 15, 8pm, Clancy Auditorium
p: +61 2 9385 4874
p: +61 2 9385 4874
f: +61 2 9313 7326
e: australia.ensemble@unsw.edu.au
Publications Specialist:
Dr Joanna Drimatis