The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra begins its 2022 Concert Season with a sublime program that speaks to music lovers through masterpieces of the Romantic string repertoire.
The Northern Serenades tour will take the orchestra from Kenthurst, NSW (20 March) via Newcastle (22 March) and Sydney (23 March) to Brisbane (26 March) and, finally, Melbourne (29 March).
For connoisseurs and lovers of string music, “Northern Serenades” is a dream come true. In the late-19th century, the serenade was the vehicle for exquisite writing by some of the biggest names of the era, including Edward Elgar and Hugo Wolf. These relatively brief pieces, among them some very well-known works, are filled with tuneful music that highlights the expressive way that string players were performing at the time.
The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s co-artistic director Rachael Beesley (pictured above right), who will direct this program from the violin, is looking forward to reinvigorating the full expressive potential of this late-19th and early-20th century repertoire.
This tour is also about rekindling that all-important connection with the audience, and between the orchestra’s musicians:
“We have heard so many stories, recently, about people’s desperate longing to hear live music, says Rachael Beesley. “It seems clear that that screen-based experience just does not create those lasting, living memories that we all need and treasure. We’re thrilled to be able to meet our audience back in the concert hall again, and we want to assure everyone that Covid-safety measures are in place in all our venues.”
In addition to Elgar’s much loved Serenade for Strings in E minor and Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade, the Northern Serenades audience will be treated to Gustav Holst’s energetic St Paul’s Suite as well as a rarely heard gem by Victor Herbert – a man far better known as a giant of the American musical. A touch of the new will be added to this program through a new Australian string arrangement – by Shauna Beesley – of Robert Schumann’s imaginative Fantasiestücke (Fantasy Pieces).
In between the tour dates, the musicians of the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra offer two events as part of the Voyage of Musical Discovery education program, originally devised by the orchestra’s founder, conductor and music educator, the late, legendary Richard Gill AO. For music students, teachers and audience members keen to widen their horizons, these events juxtapose works by Holst and Elgar with new Australian music performed by guest artists and ensembles. In the first Voyage event of 2022, ‘Design & Innovation’, we will hear pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska and composer-pianist Elena Kats-Chernin in Sydney on 21 March and the Brisbane-based new music ensemble Nonsemble in Brisbane on 25 March.
Sunday 20 March – The Hills Grammar School, Kenthurst
Tuesday 22 March – Newcastle City Hall
Wednesday 23 March – City Recital Hall, Sydney
Saturday 26 March – Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, Brisbane
Tuesday 29 March – Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne
To find out more and book tickets, visit: https://www.arco.org.au/northern-serenades