As with his previous superb film, “In Search of Mozart”, Phil Grabsky assembles a fantastic collection of performances and performers’ commentaries on the great man. We also hear narrated letters of contemporary accounts of Beethoven who from his mid 30s endured self imposed social isolation due to his deafness. An unimaginable affliction for a musician.
By comparison with the Mozart film, the narrative drags at times but the sublime music always speaks for itself and helps dig the story out of any holes.
These marvellous films are important vehicles for humanising these great composers who, it is shown, produced tremendous amounts of work not because “it seemed like a nice artistic thing to do”, but in order to survive.
Screenings in Perth at Cinema Paradiso commence Thursday October 29th and will continue for 4 weeks.
The SA Liberal leader Isobel Redmond has offered to be “tasered” to prove the worth of these devices to the South Australian public.
During the interview she mentioned “police confronting people with mental illness” as if mental illness was something to be feared, and worse, justified the use of these excrutiatingly painful devices to “subdue them”.
Her rationale was that it’s better than using a normal gun, but surely if police know it (probably) won’t kill them, then they’re more likely to use it for more frivolous reasons. Granted, police can be charged with assault for using such a device without good reason, but as in most situations like this, it’s the word of the offender against the word of the police.
The recent death of a Queensland man who was tasered 3 times during his arrest earlier this year by Police should be a reminder of the dangers of use of any such device. Its use should surely be as much of a last resort as a conventional firearm.
This would have to be the most fun I’ve ever had getting to and from work. The under seat storage is fantastic and the performance of this relatively compact scooter is brilliant.
Classical Chamber Music at the Ellington Jazz Club
Monday 28th September 2009
How refreshing to hear a work like Schubert’s great C major quintet played in a cabaret setting! A full house at Perth’s Ellington jazz club were treated to a fabulous variety of music and styles for string quartet. Schubert was the pick of the bunch, but maybe I’m a little biased here. I love Schubert!
Philip Everall – Bass Clarinet
Phil performed
King Friday – Mike Lowenstern
Onomatopoeia – Nigel Westlake
Sha – Mike Lowenstern
NEUS/NOSE (2005) for bass clarinet and wine glass – Roderik de Man
How brilliant to hear a solo bass clarinet live in a jazz club and how brilliantly Phil performed these works. Gotta love the Ellington!
Here’s a clip of Phil doing something similar called “Ladder of Escape” by Australian composer Michael Smetanin which makes much use of a great percussive effect called “slap tongue”.
Walker Trio
Jess Gethin (née Walker)- Violin
Ray Walker – Guitar
Sophie Walker – Cello
This fabulously talented family performed selections by the Beatles, a profoundly moving original work by Ray Walker and some stunning Irish folk arrangements. More please!
For a full review by William Yeoman in the West Australian from September 30 click here
Marc-André Hamelin – Piano recital
University of Western Australia
Octagon Theatre
Sunday 27th September 2009
In Perth for his performances of Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Marc-André Hamelin completed his Australian tour with a recital at the University of Western Australia’s Octagon Theatre. Perhaps due to the long weekend and another similarly-timed concert, a disappointingly small audience were treated to a remarkable display of “extreme virtuosity” and sublime musicianship by the French-Canadian pianist, now a resident of Boston.
Berg’s Sonata Op.1 evidenced a succinctness and clarity of line and phrasing, a brilliant foil for Liszt’s richly virtuosic Sonata in B minor. Dazzling virtuosity in the latter was always a servant to the music, never its master.
The second half opened with a selection from Debussy’s Preludes book 2 followed by recently completed works penned by the soloist himself. “La puerta del vino”, “les fées son d’exquises danseuses”, “les tierces alternées” and “feux d’artifice” are flights of fancy and delicacy and were a sheer delight in the hands of such mastery. The ensuing works by Marc-André Hamelin’s own hand were from his twelve etudes in all the minor keys. Commenced some 20 years prior, the last of these (number 11) was actually completed during his stay in Perth. No. 8 ‘Erlkönig’, No 2. ‘Coma Berenices’, No 7. ‘After Tchaikowsky’, and no. 12. ‘Prelude and Fugue’ drew on on Mr Hamelin’s formidable breadth of understanding of the solo piano tradition, whilst paying homage to the aforementioned influences. The most recently-completed etude was not performed at this concert but Mr Hamelin promised an airing on a subsequent visit.
