- Melbourne
Music can be a powerful advocate, a voice heard more loudly than the spoken word.
Join us as we celebrate composers who made the world better through music and amplified overlooked voices — whether it was Vivaldi’s work in music education, Mahler’s reappraisal of the work of Beethoven, or Florence Price’s tireless advocacy for women of colour.
Claire Edwardes is Australia’s most recognisable percussionist, a trailblazing icon, a passionate advocate for her instruments, a champion of new music, and a bold, memorable performer.
Claire is the soloist with MCO for Natalie Williams’ percussion concerto Steeling Fire. The work pays homage to the women who fought for the right to work at the Port Kembla Steelworks in Wollongong in 1980, and features an arsenal of metallic sounds, some of which were sourced from the Steelworks. An effervescent Vivaldi concerto, written originally for the young recorder players at the orphanage in Venice where he taught, will be revealed anew on the vibraphone.
Single tickets and subscription packages are now on sale.
30 May - 2 Jun 24
THE PLAYERS
SOPHIE ROWELL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CLAIRE EDWARDES PERCUSSION
MELBOURNE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
THE MUSIC
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FLORENCE PRICE Folksongs in Counterpoint (selections)
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NATALIE WILLIAMS Steeling Fire for percussion and strings
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ANTONIO VIVALDI Concerto in C major RV443
(arr vibraphone) -
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Quartet No 11 in F minor Op 95
(arr string orchestra Gustav Mahler)
Why You’ll Love this Concert
Passionate Percussion
Claire Edwardes is Australia’s most recognisable percussionist, a trailblazing icon, a passionate advocate for her instruments, a champion of new music, and a bold, memorable performer. Along with soloing for a contemporary Australian work, Claire will be performing an effervescent Vivaldi concerto, written originally for the young recorder players at the orphanage in Venice where he taught, that will be revealed anew on the vibraphone.
Steelworks meets the Concert Hall
Claire will be the soloist for Australian composer Natalie Williams’ percussion concerto Steeling Fire. The work pays homage to the women who fought for the right to work at the Port Kembla Steelworks in Wollongong in 1980, and features an arsenal of metallic sounds, some of which were sourced from the Steelworks.
Beethoven via Mahler
Mahler caused great outrage and controversy in Vienna in the 1900s when, as part of the modernist Sezession group, he began arranging some of Beethoven’s work. Mahler saw himself as merely extending Beethoven’s experimental process and so arranged Beethoven’s short and serious string quartet no 11 for string orchestra. You’ll experience something very special in this rare performance of this work and this arrangement.
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"PURSUED GREATNESS WITH DETERMINATION + CONFIDENCE"
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