MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE -- 2016 Local Heroes Concert Series

Wednesday, 15 June 2016, 6:00pm

 

Flames Within

Melbourne Recital Centre Salon

Directed by Steven Hodgson

 

Works by Monteverdi, Gesualdo, Orlande de Lassus and more

 

The image of fire as an allegory for human passion appears throughout literary history, giving birth to a vast and diverse repertoire of fiery vocal music. Flames Within is an exploration of this repertoire, centred around the explosive madrigals of Monteverdi, Gesualdo and Orlande de Lassus, and reaching back as far as the chants of Hildegard von Bingen and forward as far as Australian composers Nigel Butterley and Peter Sculthorpe.

 

My heart burns and the fire is so sweet

That it lives in the blaze,

And thus dies joyfully.

 

- Anonymous poet, featured in Gesualdo’s Ardo il mio cor.

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Wednesday, 9 November 2016, 6pm

 

Voices o'er the Waves

Melbourne Recital Centre Salon

Directed by Steven Hodgson

 

An homage to a long and varied tradition of water songs

 

One of the prerequisites for any successful community is easy access to water and, often, the sites where our largest cities have sprung up have been in close proximity to large bodies of it, such as rivers, lakes and seas. It is no surprise that musical cultures around the world have entire genres devoted to our relationship with water - from British sea shanties to songs of the Venetian gondoliers. In Voices o’er the Waves The Consort of Melbourne pays homage to a long and varied tradition of water songs, from ancient Gregorian chant to Jonathan Willcocks’ light-hearted arrangement of Drunken sailor.

 

For suddenly over the factories
I saw a moon in the cloudy seas -
A wisp of beauty all alone
In a world as hard and gray as stone

 

- Sara Teasdale (1884-1933), featured in Esenvalds’ The New Moon

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The Consort of Melbourne is a professional vocal ensemble that champions both historic and contemporary chamber vocal repertoire. It comprises a core membership of eight singers, which expands or shrinks as the repertoire demands.

The Consort has presented a regular concert series in the Melbourne Recital Centre for many years, and has also been invited to collaborate with groups such as the Rolling Stones, Kronos Quartet, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, the Song Company and La Compania.