UKARIA Cultural Centre UKARIA 24

UKARIA 24 – CURATED BY LAWRENCE POWER

Friday 28–Sunday 30 October 2022

Internationally acclaimed British violist Lawrence Power curates our flagship weekend event in 2022, bringing with him Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang, Swedish cellist Torleif Thedéen, and Italian pianist Alessio Bax for five concerts over three days.

Join us for a conversation you can't hear anywhere else.

'It's always a great privilege being invited to share one's musical interests and passions – especially in such a creative and inspiring environment as UKARIA.

When I came here for the first time in 2018 I was taken by the desire to present music in a fresh and interesting way.

As a musician I am fascinated by the way in which old and new can coexist. One of the reasons I perform new music and work with composers so often is that it gives me a freedom when returning to the classical repertoire. When dealing with a new score for the first time one is forced to react honestly to the main building blocks of music – rhythm and harmony – without any influence of past traditions. Isn't this the greatest challenge to us when dealing with Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and all the great composers of the past, to react to their extraordinary scores as if for the first time?

The program for these few days takes us all on a journey from some of the greatest seventeenth-century musical innovators, such as Bieber and Westhoff, through to the current day with contemporary voices such as Luciano Berio, Olli Mustonen and Garth Knox. I will also present, on film, the Australian premiere of a work written for me by Thomas Adès, one of today's most important composers, generously co-commissioned by UKARIA.

I am honoured to be joined on this musical journey by some of my closest musical colleagues with whom I have collaborated all over the world. We are so looking forward to exploring this fascinating program with you.'

Lawrence Power
Curator

PACKAGES AVAILABLE

Full Package (Includes five concerts and three meals)
Saturday Package (Includes two concerts and two meals)
Sunday Package (Includes two concerts and a two-course lunch)

WEEKEND OVERVIEW

ONCE UPON A TIME
FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER 7.30PM

'In this program I'm excited to explore the potential of storytelling through music. Purcell and Locke give us the perfect overtures for each half with their Curtain Tunes, music expressly written to set the scenes of their respective dramas.

The Three Berceuses by Thomas Adès from his opera The Exterminating Angel form a filmed framework for three miniatures by Tárrega, Casals and Cage. Berio's Naturale invites us into an intense drama between viola, percussion and Sicilian folk songs recorded on the streets of Palermo.

Sergei Taneyev is one of the most curious figures in Russian music history. Often referred to as the Russian Bach, his refusal to continue in the tradition of Russian Romanticism led to criticisms of being purely academic and dry. I find his music utterly beguiling and his epic Piano Quintet is the perfect conclusion.'

– Lawrence Power

PROGRAM

Henry Purcell (1659–1695)
Timon of Athens, Z. 632

The Masque – Curtain Tune on a Ground

Vilde Frang | Violin
Sophie Rowell | Violin
Lawrence Power | Viola
Torleif Thedéen | Cello

Thomas Adès (b. 1971)
Three Berceuses from The Exterminating Angel*

I. Berceuse I

Lawrence Power | Viola
Thomas Adès | Piano

* This is a pre-recorded performance with the composer, presented on film.

Francisco Tarréga (1852–1909)
Recuerdos de la Alhambra

Vilde Frang | Violin

Thomas Adès (b. 1971)
Three Berceuses from The Exterminating Angel

I. Berceuse II

Lawrence Power | Viola
Thomas Adès | Piano

* This is a pre-recorded performance with the composer, presented on film.

Pablo Casals (1876–1973)
Song of the Birds

Torleif Thedéen | Cello

Thomas Adès (b. 1971)
Three Berceuses from The Exterminating Angel*

III. Berceuse III

Lawrence Power | Viola
Thomas Adès | Piano

* This is a pre-recorded performance with the composer, presented on film.

John Cage (1912–1992)
Living Room Music

II. Story

Vilde Frang | Narrator
Lawrence Power | Narrator
Torleif Thedéen | Narrator
Alessio Bax | Narrator

Lucian Berio (1925–2003)
Natural for Viola, Percussion and Recorded Voice

Lawrence Power | Viola
Amanda Grigg | Percussion

INTERVAL

Matthew Locke (1621–1677)
Curtain Tune from The Tempest

Vilde Frang | Violin
Sophie Rowell | Violin
Lawrence Power | Viola
Torleif Thedéen | Cello

Sergei Taneyev (1856–1915)
Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 30

I. Introduzione. Adagio mesto – Allegro patetico
II. Scherzo. Presto – Moderato teneramente
III. Largo
IV. Finale. Allegro vivace

Vilde Frang | Violin
Sophie Rowell | Violin
Lawrence Power | Viola
Torleif Thedéen | Cello
Alessio Bax | Piano

Duration | Approximately two hours, including a twenty-minute interval.
Note | This concert is included in the Full Package – a separate booking is not required.
Single tickets are also available for those who cannot attend the full weekend.
Dining Options | Cheese and charcuterie platters are available to pre-order to enjoy before the concert ($25).

NEW PATHS – PART ONE
SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 4.00PM

'In 1853 Robert Schumann published his famous article 'Neue Bahnen' (New Paths) in which he proclaimed the twenty-year-old Brahms to the world. In this two-part concert we will explore the idea of new paths and the extraordinary world of Brahms.

As one of our greatest ever musical historians, his obsessions with old music were legendary as was his close relationship with Robert and particularly Clara Schumann, who became an important muse for him: he secretly quoted her name in works such as the G minor Piano Quartet that we hear this evening.'

– Lawrence Power

PROGRAM

François Couperin (1668–1733)
Les Barricades Mystérieuses

Alessio Bax | Piano

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Six Canonic Études, Op. 56

I. Pas trop vite
II. Avec beaucoup d'expression
III. Andantino – Un peu plus animé
IV. Espressivo – Un peu plus mouvementé
IV. Pas trop vite
V. Adagio

Vilde Frang | Violin
Torleif Thedéen | Cello
Alessio Bax | Piano

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114 (arr. for Viola, Cello and Piano)

I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Andantino grazioso
IV. Allegro

Lawrence Power | Viola
Torleif Thedéen | Cello
Alessio Bax | Piano

Duration | Approximately one hour without interval.
Note | This concert is included in the Full Package and Saturday Package options.
If you have booked one of these packages, a separate booking is not required.
Single tickets are also available for those who cannot attend the full day or weekend.
Dining Options | A light supper (Intermezzo) will follow. This is included in the Full Package and Saturday Package options. A separate booking is required for single ticket holders.

INTERMEZZO
SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 5.15PM

Enjoy a light supper in our beautiful Garden Terrace in between the Saturday concerts.

Note | This meal is included in the Full Package and Saturday Package options. If you are a single ticket holder, a separate booking is required.

NEW PATHS – PART TWO
SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 6.30PM

'In many ways the early Baroque composer Heinrich Biber represents a new path in history as one of the greatest musical innovators: Battalia à 10 is one of the first pieces of program music ever written. This creative maverick paved the way for future composers, most notably Bach, whose solo instrumental works stand firmly on Biber's shoulders.

Tchaikovsky's death in 1893 marked somewhat of a turning point in Russian music – Arensky's neglected masterpiece is dedicated to his close friend's memory, and touchingly quotes the fifth of Tchaikovsky's Sixteen Songs for Children, Op. 54.'

– Lawrence Power

PROGRAM

Heinrich Biber (1644–1704)
Battalia à 10

Vilde Frang | Violin
Lawrence Power | Viola
Torleif Thedéen | Cello
Sharon Grigoryan | Cello

Anton Arensky (1861–1906)
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 35 (for violin, viola, and two cellos)

I. Moderato
II. Variations on a theme of Tchaikovsky
III. Finale

Vilde Frang | Violin
Lawrence Power | Viola
Torleif Thedéen | Cello
Sharon Grigoryan | Cello

INTERVAL

Clara Schumann (1819–1896)
Romance in A minor, WoO 28

Alessio Bax | Piano

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25

I. Allegro
II. Intermezzo: Allegro ma non troppo – Trio: Animato
III. Andante con moto
IV. Rondo alla Zingarese: Presto

Vilde Frang | Violin
Lawrence Power | Viola
Torleif Thedéen | Cello
Alessio Bax | Piano

Duration | Approximately two hours, including a twenty-minute interval.
Note | This concert is included in the Full Package and Saturday Package options.
If you have booked one of these packages, a separate booking is not required.
Single tickets are also available for those who cannot attend the full day or weekend.
Dining Options | A light dinner (Coda) will follow. This is included in the Full Package and Saturday Package options.
A separate booking is required for single ticket holders.

CODA
SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 8.30PM

Finish the day with a delicious light dinner in our beautiful Garden Terrace.

Note | This meal is included in the Full Package and Saturday Package options. If you are a single ticket holder, a separate booking is required for each person.

EROICO
SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER 11.30AM

'Written for me in 2020, Eroico by Olli Mustonen is a short but frenzied Bach-inspired miniature, and the perfect prelude to this program. Alan Ridout's heroic take on Ferdinand the Bull leads us to Beethoven's first String Trio – an extraordinary work that points towards many of his later masterpieces such as the Eroica Symphony, written in the same key.'

– Lawrence Power

PROGRAM

Olli Mustonen (b. 1967)
Eroico

Lawrence Power | Viola

Alan Ridout (1934–1996)
Ferdinand the Bull

Vilde Frang | Violin
Lawrence Power | Narrator

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
String Trio in E flat, Op. 3

I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante
III. Menuetto: Allegretto
IV. Adagio
V. Menuetto: Moderato
VI. Finale: Allegro

Vilde Frang | Violin
Lawrence Power | Viola
Torleif Thedéen | Cello

Duration | Approximately one hour without interval.
Note | This concert is included in the Full Package and Sunday Package options.
If you have booked one of these packages, a separate booking is not required.
Single tickets are available for those who cannot attend the full day or weekend.
Dining Options | A two-course lunch will follow at 12.15pm. This is included in the Full Package and Sunday Package Options. If you are a single ticket holder, a separate booking is required for each person.

LUNCH – TWO COURSES
SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER 12.15PM

Meet the artists and converse with fellow music lovers over a two-course lunch showcasing local produce from the Adelaide Hills – the perfect way to bid farewell to the weekend.

Note | This meal is included in the Full Package and Sunday Package options. If you are a single ticket holder, a separate booking is required for each person.

FINALE
SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER 2.30PM

'Written for me in 2020, Quartet for Oneby Garth Knox is a creative gem. It tells the story of a violist performing with his quartet colleagues only to realise that it is sadly only him on stage!

The neglected Norwegian composer Bjarne Brustad is a fascinating figure in twentieth-century music. His European travels in the 1920s led to him developing a unique voice as a composer, which these duets for violin and viola show perfectly.

We finish this weekend of concerts with Fauré's glorious Piano Quartet. Comparatively little is known about its history: it was probably composed some time during the years 1885–86, just after Fauré had been awarded the Prix Chartier by the Academy of Fine Arts for his chamber music. The Second Quartet is undoubtedly one of the pinnacles of his chamber music output and it is difficult to understand why this superbly crafted and melodically generous work has never managed to achieve the popularity of the first. The slow movement was apparently inspired by a memory of the evening bells of the village of Cadirac, which Fauré frequently heard as a child. Westhoff's visionary 'Imitatione delle campane' (Imitation of Bells) recreates the sounds of church bells on a solo string instrument – a wonderful musical magic trick.'

– Lawrence Power

PROGRAM

Garth Knox (b. 1956)
Quartet for One

Lawrence Power | Viola

Bjarne Brustad (1895–1978)
Capricci for Violin and Viola

Vilde Frang | Violin
Lawrence Power | Viola

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 40

I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegro
III. Largo
IV. Allegro

Torleif Thedéen | Cello
Alessio Bax | Piano

INTERVAL

Johann Paul von Westhoff (1656–1705)
Sonata No. 3 in D minor

III. Imitatione delle campane

Lawrence Power | Viola

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)
Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45

I. Allegro molto moderato
II. Allegro molto
III. Adagio non troppo
IV. Finale – Allegro molto

Vilde Frang | Violin
Lawrence Power | Viola
Torleif Thedéen | Cello
Alessio Bax | Piano

Duration | Approximately two hours, including a twenty-minute interval.
Note | Complimentary afternoon tea will be served during the interval. This concert is included in the Full Package and Sunday Package options.
If you have booked one of these packages, a separate booking is not required.
Single tickets are available for those who cannot attend the full day or weekend.

Photo Credits:

Lawrence Power: Jack Liebeck
Vilde Frang: Marco Borggreve
Torleif Thedéen: Nikolaj Lund
Alessio Bax: Marco Borggreve

If on the day of a concert the CFS gives the Mt Lofty Ranges a catastrophic fire danger rating the concert will be cancelled. In this event a cancellation notice will be placed on our website from 10am on the morning of the concert.

For more information please contact
Administration | Phone 08 8227 1277 | Email info@ukaria.com

Music Program | UKARIA 24