Glebe Music Festival

Concert 4:
Friday 15 November at 7pm
Margaretta Cottage, 6 Leichhardt Street, Glebe
(disabled access at 18A Cook Street, Glebe)

Austral Harmony in “Baroque Amity”
Performers:
Alicia Crossley - recorder
Jane Downer - baroque oboe
Anita Gluyas - baroque ‘cello
Joanna Tondys - harpsichord

Baroque Amity features differing styles of popular instrumental genres represented by three of the most famous composers of the early 18th century. Handel assimilated elements of form and style from Corelli when both were colleagues in Rome, while Telemann and Handel’s friendship extended to exchanging letters concerning their mutual love of gardens.

Programme:

G P TELEMANN	Trio Sonata in E minor for recorder, oboe & bc
G F HANDEL	Hoboy Solo in G minor opus 1 no. 6 Larghetto - Allegro - Adagio - Allegro
A CORELLI	Follia for recorder & cello
INTERVAL
G P TELEMANN	Trio Sonata in C minor for recorder, oboe & bc
G F HANDEL	Preludio ed Allegro in G minor HWV 574 for harpsichord solo
G F HANDEL	Pastoral for recorder, oboe & bc - Hush Ye Pretty Warbling Choir - Cease to Beauty to be Suing

Programme Notes

Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681 - 1767)
Playing chamber music in the home was a popular leisure activity during the Baroque period, and Telemann wrote prolifically and specifically to befit such occasions. The trio sonata for two melody instruments and continuo represented the central instrumental genre of the era. Displaying elements of the galant style, this light-hearted E-minor Sonata is a da chiesa type, comprising four movements of contrasting tempi and a variety of expression - tender, earnest, and dance-like. Similarly, his Trio Sonata in C minor traverses a range of emotions and displays a sonorous blend of recorder, oboe, cello and harpsichord - all instruments which Telemann played proficiently.

Arcangelo CORELLI (1663 - 1713)
Corelli was one of the most highly esteemed violinists and composers of the Italian Baroque, spending most of his life in Rome. The first edition of his opus 5 set of twelve sonatas for violin and violone or harpsichord appeared in 1700, soon followed by at least fifty reprints all over Europe. The concluding piece entitled Follia comprises a repeated chord progression and a melodic theme with the characteristic rhythm of a Sarabande. With origins in a type of frenzied dance, it became a popular framework for sets of imaginative and constrasting variations. In Corelli’s version the bass frequently takes on an animated role, in even balance with the recorder.

George Frideric HANDEL (1685 - 1759)
Telemann had a keen interest in botany and was particularly fond of hyacinths, tulips and anenomes. From England in 1750, Handel sent him ‘a crate of flowers..... very choice and of admirable variety’. Handel’s opus 1 was first published in Amsterdam in 1722 and contains twelve solo sonatas for various instruments (violin, flute, recorder). An edition by John Walsh has the inscription ‘Hoboy Solo’ for the 6th sonata. It follows the typical church sonata slow-fast-slow-fast pattern as established by Corelli. Written in 1718 in England, the masque or pastoral Acis and Galatea is celebrated for containing some of Handel’s most beautiful melodies. Based on Greek mythology and taking place in a blissfully Arcadian setting, the nymph Galatea is in love with Acis, a shepherd. In the Aria Hush Ye Pretty Warbling
Choir, Galatea reproaches the birds whose thrilling strains are awaking her passionate desire for Acis. Predictably, a recorder is used to depict birdsong. For the Aria Cease to Beauty to be Suing, the ‘cello represents the monster Polyphemus, rival in love to Acis.

Austral Harmony
promoting historical instruments
Austral Harmony promote historical instruments throughout Australian states with Grand Musical Circuits of Concerts, Lectures, Bach-Akademies and an annual REMEMBER BACHfest. They have appeared by invitation at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Brunswick Beethoven Festival, Melba Hall, Baroque Hall North Adelaide, Glebe Music Festival, for Australasian Double Reed Society National Conferences, Early Music Society Queensland, Australian Bach Society, and Chamber Music Adelaide.

Alicia Crossley - recorder
Alicia Crossley is an ARIA nominated recorder player who performs a wide variety of repertoire from renaissance dance tunes to contemporary electro-acoustic works. An experienced recorder player, Alicia regularly performs throughout Australia and has toured in the USA and New Zealand. She has presented works at a number of festivals and conferences including Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival, Vivid Festival, Electronic Music Midwest (USA), and SEAMUS (USA), and has performed with Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Pinchgut Opera, Bach Akademie Australia, and Salut! Baroque. Alicia is also a founding member of the unique and vibrant ensemble Duo Blockstix. As passionate supporter of Australian Art Music, Alicia has collaborated with some of Australia’s leading composers and presented the world premiere of more than 30 new works for recorder. In 2011, Alicia released her debut solo CD Addicted to Bass, followed by her second solo CD Alchemy in 2015, which was nominated for Best Classical Album by AIR. In 2018 Alicia released her third CD Muse with the acclaimed Acacia Quartet which was nominated for Best Classical Album by ARIA. Recently Alicia released her fourth CD Bass Instincts, featuring compositions that showcase the instinctual musicality, versatility and virtuosity of the bass recorder.

Jane Downer - baroque oboe
Jane has performed on historical oboes with the Oslo Barokkorkester, Concerto Köln, Academy of Ancient Music, English Baroque Soloists, Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, Pinchgut Opera, Adelaide Cantata Band, Canberra Bach Ensemble and Queensland Baroque. She has appeared at the Innsbruck Early Music Festival, Valletta Baroque Festival (Malta), Canberra International Music Festival, Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields, and the Leipzig Bachfest. Jane is the programme-note writer for the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, and contributes regular articles and reviews to music forums.

Anita Gluyas - baroque ‘cello
Anita has been playing the cello for well over half of her life. She completed her formal studies on steel strings at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music before pursuing her love of the gut-string sound in Holland. Anita studied and worked in The Netherlands for almost 9 years where she had the pleasure of working under conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Marc Minkowski and Christophe Rousset. After coming back to Australia to be with friends and family (and the great weather!) she has been busy teaching and performing with groups such as Bach Akademie Australia, Australian Haydn Ensemble, Pinchgut and the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra. She is passionate about rebelling against what she sees as the homogenization of Historically Informed Performance that places perfection over the enjoyment of both audience member and performer.

Joanna Tondys - harpsichord
Joanna studied piano in her native Poland where she graduated with a Diploma of Music from the Music High School at Zdunska Wola. After moving to Australia she commenced her harpsichord studies with Monika Kornel and continued with Neal Peres da Costa at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 2007 she received a scholarship from the University of Sydney to study at the Royal College of Music in London with harpsichordist Terence Charlston. She has taken the opportunity to learn from such renowned musicians as Nicholas Parle, Rachel Brown, Jane Gower, Peter Holman, Ashley Solomon, Elisabeth Wallfisch and Jan Willem de Vriend. She has performed on both harpsichord and chamber organ with Sydney Conservatorium Early Music Ensemble, New Cologne Philharmonia, RCM Baroque Orchestra, Tall Poppeas, Sounds Baroque, Sydney Consort, St James’ King St, Sydney Chamber Choir, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Gondwana Choirs, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and West Australia Symphony Orchestra. Currently Joanna is enjoying teaching harpsichord at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, playing music with other people and working in an orchestral library.

Tickets: $20 includes drinks