This festive opening concert to the 2019 ANAM Season begins with not one but two fanfares: Richard Strauss’, created for the inaugural Vienna Philharmonic Ball in 1924, and the equally spectacular one from Wagner’s opera Lohengrin. The festivities then move from multiple brass to multiple pianos for British composer Graham Fitkin’s funky Flak, which has a neat trick up its sleeve – it only uses the pianos’ white notes. But there’s definitely something dark (and spooky) about the transcription of Saint-Saëns’ Danse macabre for four pianists, created by the composers’ friend Ernest Guiraud. Grainger described his Random round as “an experiment in concerted partial improvisation,” and it’s full of rich humour and outdoor spirit. The concert grows in size as it nears its conclusion, firstly for the double wind quintet by the man Yehudi Menuhin described as the greatest musician he’d ever met, George Enescu; then for Ernest Bloch’s shining tribute to the spirit of the Baroque, and finally for the joyous overture to Glinka’s fairy-tale opera.
R STRAUSS Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare
WAGNER Reitermärsch from Lohengrin
FITKIN Flak
SAINT-SAËNS Danse macabre
GRAINGER Random round
FITKIN Hook
ENESCU Dixtuor à vent
BLOCH Concerto Grosso no. 1
GLINKA Overture Ruslan and Lyudmila
ANAM Faculty
ANAM Musicians
ANAM Orchestra
Duration: approx. 1.5 hours (including interval)
Save with an ANAM Membership! MORE INFO
LEARN MORE
READ about "Falling in love" with composer Graham Fitkin in the recent article for ANAM's Music Makers newspaper
READ about the "widly varied program" of ANAM's Opening Concert as told to CutCommon by Howard Penny, ANAM Head of Strings
This performance is generously supported by Sofitel Melbourne on Collins
Photo by Pia Johnson
*Please provide proof of concession if purchasing concession tickets (full time student card or pension card) or proof of eligibility if purchasing Under 30s tickets (includes those aged 30 or younger).