The lifeblood of memory, music is the empowering tool through which composers pass on stories and honour the continuous flow of time. FRANZ SCHUBERT’s stirring Death and the Maiden has long captured the imagination of audiences and mirrors the composer’s own inner turmoil with its thrilling climaxes, tortured freneticism, and darkly romantic source materials.
With the fragility of life at their centres, ARVO PÄRT’s plaintive Mozart-Adagio and GRAHAM KOEHNE’s Time is a River, both dedicated to loved ones passed, represent hopefulness and reinforce an inspiring message of life’s raw beauty and the innate power of music to heal. This reflective program also includes the world premiere of a moving work by ARIA award-winning composer and proud Yuin composer BRENDA GIFFORD.
Program
ARVO PÄRT Mozart-Adagio
FRANZ SCHUBERT String Quartet No. 14, ‘Death and the Maiden’
BRENDA GIFFORD World Premiere
GRAEME KOEHNE Time is a River
Brenda Gifford is commissioned by Omega Ensemble and the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre with the generous support of Richard Cobden.
Graeme Koehne’s Time is a River is presented in a new arrangement for Omega Ensemble with kind permission of the composer.
Omega Ensemble is one of Australia’s leading professional chamber music ensembles. With their high-energy performances they have earned a reputation as first-rate musicians who present ground-breaking commissions for leading Australian and international composers.
Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres is a venue supporter for Omega Ensemble in 2023.
