Concert 2 – David Pereira with
The Colour City Chamber Orchestra
Saturday 16th April at 7.45
The RAG Holmes Tribute Concert.
David Pereira Presents The Dr RAG Holmes Tribute Concert.
The Yass Music Club’s second concert in its 2016 subscription series was presented in the Memorial Hall on 16th April with a program organised by the eminent cellist, David Pereira, with the theme of “Autumn Colours”. David had the support of the Colour Orange Chamber Orchestra led by Andrew Baker with piano played by Katherine Edwards and augmented by the superb harp of Meriel Owen.
The concert began with a very fine rendition of Vaughan Williams’ rhapsodic “The Lark Ascending”, where the orchestra was brilliantly led by Andrew who played superbly with the wonderful support of the orchestra, particularly from the lower strings, and combined to tease out all the passion of the George Meredith poem which had originally inspired Vaughan Williams.
Not so successful was the group’s presentation of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings”, where they lost their way on several occasions and did not really do full justice to this beautiful piece.
The next piece featured the piano played by Katherine accompanying David on the cello and giving a splendid rendition of Elena Kats-Chernin’s “Blue Silence”, a beautiful and tranquil study by the eminent Australian composer. In a radio feature on Blue Silence, Kats-Chernin talks about how her style of composition had changed since her son Alex’s diagnosis of schizophrenia and how, through music, she had tried to create the silence she imagined her son had craved. The music provides a moving insight of this through the dialogue of piano and cello.
With interval came a most enjoyable supper provided by the Berinba P&C and a particular welcome was given by Ann Holmes to members of the Holmes family, Malcolm, Nic and Kate who do so much to support the Yass Music Club and to honour the memory of RAG. A special welcome was given to Carol Foulger, President of the Federated Music Clubs of Australia, who was also present.
The usual raffle was drawn and it resulted in Sister Aileen winning the First Prize of ‘Dining out with David’ and the Second Prize of a David Pereira CD being gratefully won by an anonymous ticket holder.
The second half of the program began with “Cantilena Pacifica” by Richard Meale with David on the cello with the Orchestra. Meale was a self-taught Australian composer and was largely responsible for introducing the international avant-garde movement to Australia. This piece is characterised by its soaring beauty and yearning lyricism and its evocation of the sea.
The next piece was the fifth movement from “Quartet for the End of Time” written by Messiaen when he was a prisoner of war in a Nazi concentration camp and Katherine and David again were in duet giving a sensitive and commanding performance which captured the longing of this profoundly haunting music.
The orchestra then gave a very pleasing performance of the “Adagietto from the Fifth Symphony” of Gustav Mahler and captured its radiant beauty with some competence and the total effect was much enhanced by the lyrical harp playing of Merial Owen.
The concert concluded with the always popular “Air from the Holberg Suite” of Edvard Grieg. The Holberg Suite was originally composed for the piano, but a year later was adapted by Grieg himself for string orchestra and the Orange Orchestra seemed to revel in its catchy and exuberant manner.
A very appreciative audience gave David, Andrew and the other members of the orchestra a much deserved recognition by its generous applause for yet another very enjoyable and successful Yass Music Club concert.
The audience was reminded of our next concert at 2.00pm on Sunday, 5th June with a celebration of the wonderful Menuhin family in Philip Bailey’s “Yehudiana”.
- A large heavy duty winter jacket was left in the Hall and may be retrieved by ringing Brian on 562263514,
David will present AUTUMN COLOURS in a beautiful program which will include Vaughan-Williams’ The Lark Ascending, Elana Kats-Chernin’s Blue Silence, Samuel Barber’s Adagio and the Adagietto from the Mahler Fifth Symphony . Truly a concert full of fabulous musical harmonies.
The Colour City Chamber Orchestra
Launched in April 2015, Colour City Chamber Orchestra is an exciting and innovative orchestra comprised of advanced amateur and professional string players. Its current membership base is around 30 players who live and work in Central West NSW. CCCO’s performers include school music teachers, professional string teachers & performers, doctors, lawyers and university students – people from all walks of life.
The repertoire is centred around standard concert string orchestra and orchestral repertoire from baroque and classical periods through to ronantic, contemporary and minimalist. CCCO also extend their performances to jazz, pop and genres. CCCO collaborates with other music groups Conservatoriums for orchestral, choral and other community concerts.
CCCO perform around 4 programs per year in Orange and surrounding regions, in venues easily accessible to all community members. The orchestra’s inaugural concerts in 2015 were received with great excitement, generating audiences of around 200 patrons.
2016 concerts include a collaboration with acclaimed Australian Cellist David Pereira, Vivaldi’s 4 seasons at Canowindra Baroque Music Festival, and the launch of ‘Virtuoso’, an annual concert series presenting internationally recognised, high calibre soloists.
For more on David Pereira go to his website.
For more on The Colour City Chamber Orchestra go to their website
Yass Music Club 