A Brahms Affair

The Clarinet - David RowdenStravinsky Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo

Brahms Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120, No. 2

Messager Solo de Concours

Anderson Miniatures [World Premiere]

Beethoven’s QuintetNielsen Wind Quintet, Op. 43

Hindemith Kleine Kammermusik for Wind Quintet, Op. 24, No. 2

Françaix Quartet for Winds

Beethoven Quintet in E flat major for Piano and Winds, Op. 16

Ravel ImpressionsMozart Trio in E flat major ‘Kegelstatt’, K. 498

Fauré Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120

Arensky Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32

Ravel String Quartet in F major

What’s On

Date and TimeWed 18 Oct, 12:30pm

VenueCity Recital Hall

Bookingscityrecitalhall.com02 8256 2222

Date and TimeSun 8 Oct, 2:30pm

VenueUtzon Room, Sydney Opera House

Bookingssydneyoperahouse.com02 9250 7777

Date and TimeThurs 16 Nov, 7:30pm

VenueCity Recital Hall

Bookingscityrecitalhall.com02 8256 2222

Lunch SeriesMaster Series Virtuoso Series

A Brahms AffairThursday 7 September, 7:30pmCity Recital Hall

SchumannFantasiestücke, Op. 7312 mins

BorodinString Quartet No. 1 in A major 35 mins

Interval (20 mins)

BrahmsClarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 11535 mins

This evening’s performance will be recorded by ABC Classic FM for future broadcast. Producer, Andre Shrimski

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The Ensemble

Omega Ensemble shines a light on outstanding musicians, giving every instrument its own voice.

Founded in 2005, Omega Ensemble initially performed in churches and fast became one of Australia’s finest and most lauded chamber groups. Its mission is to showcase outstanding artists who captivate and excite audiences through a revelatory program of chamber music. With a dedication to engaging the finest Australian musicians, as well as international guest artists, Omega presents outstanding musicians in an intimate and stimulating chamber setting.

Omega Ensemble is unique in that the combination of musicians varies for each concert. Ranging from full chamber orchestra to duos it constantly provides a fresh and invigorating musical experience, captivating audiences. Omega’s players pride themselves on performing a diverse range of repertoire; whether it is an iconic gem, a neglected beauty or a brand new work, their passion and commitment to the highest level of craft is still deployed. For audiences, a performance by Omega touches mind, heart and spirit.

To date, the Omega Ensemble has commissioned and performed over twenty new works that demonstrate a Who’s Who roster of Australian

composers, including Daniel Rojas (Hard Boiled Overture), Mark Isaacs (Chamber Symphony No. 2), Cyrus Meurant (Eventide Visions), George Palmer, Elena Kats-Chernin, Anne Boyd, Matthew Hindson, Christopher Gordon, John Peterson, Margery Smith, Stuart Greenbaum, Paul Stanhope, Ben Hoadley, and their latest world premiere, Contradance by acclaimed composer, author and music journalist Andrew Ford.

As well as performing a diverse range of well-known and loved repertoire, Omega Ensemble’s programming includes works that have been lost to time. Omega’s ability to find these pieces and bring them to life spells out a deep love and passion not only for well-known chamber music, but also for exploring gems that delight, entertain and enrich their audiences.

Omega’s innovative approach to concert repertoire and programming is further enhanced by Omega On Demand, in which audiences can relive the magic of a live performance. Beyond these videos, Omega Ensemble’s performances are now included as part of Qantas’s inflight entertainment.

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David RowdenCo-Artistic Director

Maria RaspopovaCo-Artistic Director

David Rowden was born in Sydney and studied clarinet from a young age. He was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music where he won the Geoffrey Hawkes Prize for clarinet performance. David also studied in Italy with Anthony Pay and in France with Paul Meyer.

Since returning to Sydney David has performed as a freelance orchestral musician with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and many others, as well as being Guest Principal Clarinet with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2011 he was a finalist in the ABC Young Performer of the Year Awards. From 2013-2014 David curated the House Music series at Government House.

In 2005 David founded the Omega Ensemble and has overseen the growth of the organisation since. In 2016 David was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music and he recently appeared on the 50th Anniversary DVD of Australia’s iconic children’s program, Play School. 2016 saw David record with Omega Ensemble alongside Dimitri Ashkenazy performing George Palmer’s Clarinet Concerto, It Takes Two, on Omega’s debut album.

In 2017 David joined the teaching staff at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, University of Newcastle

Maria Raspopova is an acclaimed and virtuosic chamber musician and recitalist. She is the Co-Artistic Director of Omega Ensemble, and has performed with a number of revered musicians.

Maria began learning the piano at a young age in Russia. At seventeen she moved to Australia with her family and soon commenced studies at Sydney Conservatorium of Music where her teachers were Gerard Willems and Philip Shovk. She was then awarded a scholarship to study with Philip Kawin (Professor of Piano at the Manhattan School of Music). Since returning to Australia, Maria has recorded and performed recitals in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. During the past few years she performed at both the Art Gallery of New South Wales and in the Government House Music series with acclaimed soprano Emma Matthews. With Omega Ensemble she has also performed in a number of newly commissioned Australian works.

Maria has received wide acclaim for her performances with Omega Ensemble. “…the piano sparkled with a shimmering clarity. Raspopova played with confidence and zest. She shone like gold…here is a pianist who could play anything”. Cut Common Magazine.

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Musicians

Alexandra OsborneViolin

Veronique SerretViolin

Maria RaspopovaPiano

Neil ThompsonViola

David RowdenClarinet

Paul StenderCello

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Meet the MusicianPaul Stender, cello

When did you first start playing the cello and what drew you to it?

I started cello aged about 10, having initially learnt violin, then piano. We had a cellist friend of the family staying with us who evidently left an impression on me so I asked to learn. I think I took to it quite quickly and it was a natural fit for me.

What do you love most about performing chamber music?

Apart from the incredible repertoire, the thing I love about chamber music is the collaboration with others. Every combination is different and each performance unique. The small scale also allows for greater self expression and performing with friends is always a pleasure.

How would you describe the cello’s role in chamber music and what do you view your musical role in this setting?

The cello plays multiple roles, from the harmonic foundation of a bass line to the most lyrical solo lines and everything in between.

What have been some of your most memorable musical experiences and why?

Performing in concert halls like Carnegie Hall in New York, Vienna’s Musikverein and Suntory Hall in Tokyo are special moments. Also hearing Rostropovich, the Vienna Philharmonic or the Alban Berg Quartet live are among my musical highlights. Playing great repertoire leaves a lasting impression as well, whether chamber, orchestral or solo.

Encore.The concert hall is never silent with Omega On Demand. Relive hours of beautiful music and inspiring

performances in the comfort of your home or on your mobile device.

omegaensemble.com.au/ondemand

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Robert Schumann (1810–1856)

Fantasiestücke (Fantasy Pieces) for Clarinet & PianoOp.73 (1849)

I. Zart und mit Ausdruck (Sweet, and with expression)II. Lebhaft, leicht (Lively, light)III. Rasch und mit Feue (Quickly, and with fire)

Schumann composed the three Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 swiftly over just two days (February 12 and 13) of 1849 - which according to Schumann himself was the most fruitful year in terms of composing. Five days later Schumann jotted down in his household diary (Haushaltbuch): “Early rehearsal of clarinet pieces with Kotte,” (the solo clarinettist of the Royal Orchestra in Dresden). It is most likely that the first performance of the three Fantasiestücke took place on 14 January 1850, as part of an “evening entertainment” in conjunction with the Leipzig Musicians’ Association.

“Fantasy Pieces,” were a style that Schumann had adopted for many works throughout his life. Afterall, he was a wholehearted Romantic and a firm believer that the composer’s unrestricted imagination was the prerequisite for ideal expression. What better form than the fantasy—a form whose every detail was left to the fancy of the composer? The constant shifts of mood are reminiscent of Schumann’s imaginary figures - Florestan (the embodiment of Schumann’s passionate, voluble side) and Eusebius (his dreamy, introspective side) - which

he would use when writing about music in the Die Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (“New Journal for Music”).

The work contains three unified sections, the first beginning with an air of melancholy in the key of A minor. This movement is full of rich, chromatic explorations that heighten the drama and excitement displaying Schumann’s unbridled musical imagination. The final chords of the first movement arrive at A major - the bright, sunny contrast to the melancholy mood of A minor. The second movement begins in A major, with a more exuberant mood and eventually shifts to F Major (which emphasises the ‘fantasy”) before returning to the elegant A Major.

The final movement is full of frenzy and passion as the music almost spirals out of control in heated passion before a moment of ‘calm’ appears. The brightness of A major finally returns pushing the work to its exuberant conclusion with the tempo (speed) getting faster as the piano ascends to its high register with fast musical figurations. A marvellously optimistic conclusion to one of Schumann’s most engaging chamber works.

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Alexander Borodin (1833–1887)

String Quartet No.1 in A Major (1877)

I. Moderato - Allegro II. Andante con motoIII. Scherzo. Prestissimo - Trio. Moderato IV. Andante - Allegro risoluto

When Alexander Borodin (the illegitimate son of a Prince) completed his first string quartet in 1877, it was met with much acclaim, prompting one critic to pronounce that Borodin had produced “Russia’s first great piece of chamber music.” Borodin had little spare time for composition during the course of his career as he was a full time chemist and scientist, as well as a Woman’s Rights advocate and viewed music as a break from his more ‘serious’ work. He is most noted in the scientific community for the creation of the “Borodin reaction,” a chemical reaction that has had important implications for further scientific research, however the works that he did compose are deeply moving and melodically rich.

As a member of “The Mighty Handful,” (The Five) whose aim was to create a distinctly Russian national art music independent of dominant western European models (under the leadership of Balakirev), it is interesting that Borodin, in their company, was keenly interested in chamber music. Furthermore he subtitled his first String Quartet “On a Theme of Beethoven.” Borodin uses a

variation of the theme from Beethoven’s String Quartet Op.130 in the first movement. The three-note musical motif in the first movement also bears some resemblances to Beethoven’s late quartets.

Borodin infuses the inner two movements with distinct Russian flavours with the second movement beginning with a 2-part fugue based on a Russian folk melody. This is followed by a Scherzo in 3 / 8 time, with a gentle trio section contrasting the dance-like rhythmic drive of the Scherzo.

The final movement begins with an Andante, again utilising a three-note theme reminiscent of the first movement. Here, Borodin uses harmonics and mutes to create distinct musical colours. Coupled with his interesting harmonies (that would later inspire Ravel and Debussy), Borodin launches into a lively section based on a repeating musical theme. Interspersed throughout are introspective, tender moments that offer moments of reflection before launching into the lively material that drives the quartet to its conclusion.

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Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Quintet in B Minor for Clarinet and StringsOp. 115 (1891)

I. AllegroII. AdagioIII. Andantino; Presto non assai, ma con sentimentoIV. Con moto

In 1890, at the age of 57, Brahms announced his retirement. It would seem that he was going to quit while he was ahead and leave whatever legacy he had crafted intact. He remarked, “I have worked enough; now let the young folks take over.” However, the retirement didn’t last long as he heard the clarinet playing of Richard Mühlfeld early in 1891, and was so inspired that he wrote four final works featuring the clarinet: a trio, a quintet and two sonatas.

The Quintet for Clarinet and Strings was first performed at a private gathering on 24 November 1891, and later received its premiere in Berlin on 12 December 1891, and was “accompanied by the violinist Joseph Joachim and his celebrated string quartet – an exception to the quartet’s longstanding tradition of performing only music for string instruments at its recitals”. The critics and the composer’s friends all praised the work. Clara Schumann heard the work she proclaimed: “It is a really marvelous work, the wailing clarinet takes hold of one; it is most moving. And what interesting music, deep and full of meaning!”

The second movement, Adagio, is

based on a lamenting and brooding theme as though Brahms is reflecting the very nature of his life as the ethos of the Romantic artist is slowly coming to a close: a somewhat autobiographical statement. The idea of the autobiographical statement is also featured in the third movement, which begins with a Bach-like musical theme and featuring the cycle of 5ths, before launching into a Hungarian Dance (and who could forget Brahms’ Hungarian Dances composed in 1869). The final movement is a set of variations and the final theme returns to the very material we heard in the opening measures of the first movement with the work drawing to a close. The whole piece gives the listener the impression that the composer is looking back over poignant moments in his life, rendered with musical figures that represent the best of Brahms.

The work ends with “a single, sobering chord: just beyond the Indian summer he feels the dead chill of winter.”

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Supporters

Omega Ensemble is honoured to be supported by our generous patrons. All donations go towards enabling Omega Ensemble to continue to produce and perform outstanding chamber music.

Chairman’s Council

Mr Robert Titterton (Chairman)

Ms Karen O’Flynn

Dr Neville Rowden

Mr Shane Simpson AM

Mrs Mary Anne Terry

Principal Chair Sponsors

ViolinMs Amanda Armstrong

ViolaMrs W.G.Keighley – In memory of Keighley Quist

The Hon. George Palmer AM QC

Drs Jane & Neville Rowden

CelloMr & Mrs Richard and Alison Morgan

Ms Sandra Hutcheson

Dr Anthony White AM and Mrs Doffy White

The Hon. Mary Finn

FluteMr Geoffrey White OAM & Mrs Sally White

BassoonDrs Jane & Neville Rowden

ClarinetMr & Mrs Chris and Ingrid Latham

Mr & Mrs David and Virginia Creer

Drs Jane & Neville Rowden

PianoDrs Jane & Neville Rowden

Ms Janne Ryan

Artistic Director’s Circle

Mrs Kyril Agnew

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Mr Michael Crouch AC

Mrs Kerry Jones

The Hon. Jane Mathews AO

Dr Jane Rowden

Mrs W.G.Keighley – In memory of Keighley Quist

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Annual Giving Program

Maestoso $10,000+Mrs W.G.Keighley – In memory of Keighley Quist

The Hon. Jane Mathews AO

Anonymous (1)

Maestri $5,000 +Mrs Kyril Agnew

Mr Mark Wakely & Mr Steven Alward

Mr & Mrs Bruce and Mary Anne Terry

Mr Bernard Coles QC

Virtuosi $1,000 +Mr Andrew Andersons AO

Mr Paul Blacket SC & Mrs Cristl Blacket

Mr Bernard Coles SC

Mr & Mrs David and Virginia Creer

Mr David Emanuel

Mr Stuart Glenn

Mr & Mrs Chris and Ingrid Latham

Mr & Mrs John & Jo-Ann Negrine

Ms Karen O’Flynn

The Hon. George Palmer AM QC

In Memory of Katherine Robertson

Ms Petrina Slaytor

Professor John Snowdon AM and Mrs Libby Snowdon

Professor Gillian Straker & Ms Nellie Robertson

Dr Jenepher Thomas

Mr Peter Weiss AO

Mr Geoffrey White OAM

Dr Anthony White AM and Mrs Doffy White

Dr Nicholas Wilcken & Ms Susan Want

Mr Cameron Williams

Anonymous (1)

Encore $500 +Emeritus Professor Christine Alexander and the late Professor Peter Alexander

Mr & Mrs Ian and Adrienne Bailey

Mr Stephen Burley

Mr & Mrs Roberto and Ofelia Brozky

Mr John Sydney Smith and Ms Nola Charles

Mr & Mrs Alan and Phillippa Clark

Mr Shane Simpson AM

Mr Philip Stern

Mr & Mrs Tom and Dalia Stanley

Dr Geoff & Mrs Renee Symonds

Emeritus Professor David Wilcken and Professor Bridget Wilcken AM

Anonymous (1)

Da Capo $250 +Ms Anita Austin

Mr & Mrs Gary and Joanna

Barnes

Mrs Catherine Corver

Mr & Mrs Robin and Wendy Cumming

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The Hon. Mary Finn

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Mr Andrew Fox-Smith

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Mr & Mrs Robert and Tessa Phillips

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Anonymous (2)

Soirée Supporter

Mr Ermes De Zan

The Hon. Jane Mathews AO

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Details published in this publication, including dates, prices, artist and venue information are correct at the time of publishing. Omega Ensemble reserves the right to vary, substitute or withdraw advertised programs, artists and venues. For up to date performance and artist details, please visit omegaensemble.com.au. The publisher does not take responsibility for any changes to fees, booking details or other changes made by ticketing agents or performance venues after the time of publication.

Our VisionTo enrich life through a deeper understanding of music.

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Acknowledgments

BoardRobert Titterton, Chairman

Bruce Terry, Treasurer

David Rowden

Stuart Glenn

TeamMarketing Manager David Boyce

Administrator Stephen Bydder

Content Manager Samuel Cottell

Researcher Rhiannon Cook

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