MSO Chamber: Old ideas, new stories (Relaxed Performance)

In our current culture, artistic lines between different voices are increasingly blurred. We draw inspiration from one another across nations and time, but this may be a double-edged sword. New stories are difficult to tell when like begets like.

Composers today walk a fine line between old and new ideas. Innovation through rethinking old ideas creates new stories to be told. Our global interconnectivity and enmeshment of artistic ideas creates a shared consciousness of sorts; sounds that evoke certain memories, textures and soundscapes that provoke certain emotions. Tweaking just the right idea creates a new branch on the tree.

Using old tunes, The National's Bryce Dessner breathes new life into colonial songs of bloody murder. Strange and dark, we hear from the likes of Omie Wise and Sister Polly and how they met their unfortunate ends in the Murder Ballades.

A string quartet is one of the most fundamental musical forms throughout history. Genre-defying composer Joe Chindamo synthesises his musical essence into his first quartet. “Tempesta is a musical autobiography of sorts because it takes stock of all that came before and points assuredly to what is in store.”

Aaron Copland’s Short Symphony has been called one of the “most cancelled major works of [the 20th] century.” His frustrations with the difficulty of the work led him to arrange the piece for Sextet in the hopes of procuring more performances. Now considered one of his finest compositions, Copland remarked “one learns to have patience.”

Holly Harrison takes the humorous text from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and transports us down the rabbit hole straight into the Mad-Hatters Tea Party. Frivolous and delightfully strange, please join us for a cup of tea!

Program

Bryce Dessner Murder Ballades

Joe Chindamo^ String Quartet No.1 Tempesta

Copland Sextet

Holly Harrison The Mad-Hatter's Tea Party

^MSO Composer in Residence

Featuring

Tiffany Cheng violin / curator

Anna Skálová violin

Jenny Khafagi viola

Caleb Wong cello

Wendy Clarke flute

David Thomas clarinet

John Arcaro percussion

Louisa Breen piano

Nick Kuiper narrator

Relaxed Performance: Saturday 25 July

Relaxed performances are designed to be a safe space for audiences of all ages. This performance is tailored to those for whom the traditional concert hall experience may be inaccessible.

As a concertgoer, you can expect:

A downloadable visual story emailed to ticket holders ahead of the concert

A relaxed attitude to noise and movement during the concert

Lights to stay on during the concert

Open doors and chill-out break areas

General admission seating with space for freedom of movement

Friendly, trained staff