August Music

Music Matinee

I found that one of our usual musical events, the Music Matinee at Scots Church on Russel St was happening on the 6th with a piano trio.  So we took ourselves of there.  It was very disappointing as the trio element was limited to the final work, with the 5 other items being performed by the pianist who while technically competent had a number of very annoying behaviours.  Also the second work, by Carl Vine made me adapt our metaphor for bebop (Hunt and Squawk) to the piano with "Hunt and Plonk".  A great pity as it put both of us in a depressed state.

Trombone concerti

Our next performance was a trip to Hanson Dyer Hall, in the Ian Potter Southbank Centre to hear a session of Trombone Concerti.  The trip in was interesting as the tram was packed at 1845hrs.  Turns out that the Storm were playing at AAMI and the G featured Hawthorn (💩) vs Collingwood (💩💩) so a crowded tram was understandable.  We found our way to the Hall, beyond nosebleed level, oxygen masks desirable, and got good seats.  10 minutes before kickoff seats were widely available.

By the time of the welcome to country was offered (a recording, which mentioned 3,000 generations, possible if mortality was such that a generation was 15 years) the place was full.  More on this at the end of this entry.

The upper levels.  I notice the video camera in position for the official record, but obeyed the rule of not taking a snap during the performance.

The performers were Aidan Boase on piano and the main man Jono Ramsay on trombone.  Jono is the Berlin Philharmonic Principal Trombonist and rarely gives recitals in Australia.  He gave 3 works by 20th century composers:

• Launy Grøndahl Concerto for Trombone
• Henri Tomasi Concerto for Trombone
• Nino Rota Concerto for Trombone

All were good, with the second and third particularly so.  It was notable that everyone else was familiar with the works as shown by them not clapping at the end of a movement, but recognising the end of each work.  I was interested that the performers did not speak: walked on the stage and into it. They walked off after the Rota work and everyone stood up and walked out.  

Frances said "This is interval, it doesn't end until 2150." which is what it said in the program.  After a few minutes we were the only people left in the auditorium apart from some staff, who put a cover on the piano.  Que?  I asked a staffer walking the rows - presumably checking for lost property - and she confirmed that the show was over.  It was thus surprising when we got into the foyer that most of the rest of the audience were still there.  I asked a couple of other folk why everyone was hanging around?  His response was that they all know one another so are chatting and hoping that Jono comes out to talk.  (We thus assume most of the audience was the Faculty of Music of Melbourne Uni, and all the players in various orchestras around Melbourne who didn't have a gig that evening.)  We decided to head for home after a very enjoyable performance.

Guitar Festival

The title of a session in this event was "The Blues and the Abstract Truth" so I had some expectation that it would be blues related.  In fact, it was some form of jazz and not a variety which appealed.  By about the third (of eight) works I had concluded that this was a musical version of Godwins Law; perhaps it reads "As a jazz guitar tune grows longer, the probability of it sounding exactly like the previous tune approaches one."

Possibly I was distracted by the two women sitting next to me who (a) had brought a baby - perhaps 6 months old - with them; and (b) at least one of them had a nasty cough.  I dealt with 'b' by putting on a mask and the older of the women took the baby out after about the the 4th item, but the damage was done.  The blokes did talk a little about the music but didn't use microphones so I could barely hear what they said.  

In summary, boring.  

Émigré Cabaret Recital

This was at the Melba Hall in Parkville.  Life got a bit interesting when the tram driver announced that he had been told to stop "because of an accident" and kicked us off the tram about 700m short of where we expected.  So a sprint up the road ensued.  This got a little hairy as the entrance to the Hall is far from obvious on a rainy night, but we got there in the end.  

The event was a public lecture, as part of a symposium, by Norbert Meyn tenor (Royal College of Music, London) and Kevin Tamanini, piano (Melbourne).  It was sponsored in some way by the Austrian Embassy.  Here is a view of the stage and the performers.

Here is a view of the back of the Hall.

We had come along due to a couple of memories from our time in New York:

• We attended several concerts at the Austrian Consulate showcasing various bits f Austrian musical culture; and
• As part if a festival in Museum Mile we saw a youngish guy performing Kurt Weil (ish) cabaret works in the street outside a museum.

The young guy's shtick was very reminiscent of Joel Grey in Cabaret - I recall at one point he suggested parents blocked the ears of a couple of children.

This was a little different but presented the works of a range of composers who had to leave Austria or Germany to escape the Nazis, ending up as emigrants in the UK or Australia.  The first composer talked about was Eric Sanders who had written hundreds of songs which had not been 'collected' until Norbert Meyn did so on Sanders death (at 100).

Some of the emigres were interned leading to them composing while in the camp.  Three songs by Hans Gal from an Isle of Man camp musical "What a life" were played and several comments about a similar show "Sergeant Snow White" put on in Melbourne in 1943  by some of the Dunera Boys.  I would  certainly pay money to see that.

Both the singer and the pianist were very skilled and most amusing.  The talking between songs  was extremely interesting.  A very good evening (despite the efforts of Yarra Trams to muck it up).

Beauty and the Beast

Granddaughter 1 was in the cast of her High School production of Beauty and the Beast so we trotted along to view a performance.  When asked where it was to be held she had said "the Clocktower" which I too to be the (conveniently located) Carlton Clocktower.   Subsequent conversation revealed it to be the (less conveniently located) Clocktower Centre in Moonee Ponds!

It turned out the actual venue was serviced by the 59 tram and I was able to work out a route that avoided the Sunday chaos due to the anti-Netanyahu protest of Swanston St. Yarra Trams could not allow such efficiency and has two tram stops called Queen Victoria Market - on opposite sides of the market, so we had some unexpected exercise getting from the 58 to the 59.  Fortunately my cunning plan had allowed enough time for this and we made it before curtain up.  

The building is quite attractive.

Not only were we on time, we assumed our seats while most other punters were still nattering in the foyer.  I'd rate the architecture as 'functional' rather than 'exciting' but this is the home turf of Dame Edna and it looked to do the job.

The actual production was rather good: certainly a lot better than we had feared.  At the curtain call I counted 50 members of the cast who could all act, sing and dance as required.  (IMO the Beast was the best singer but Belle and Gaston were certainly OK.  The other major characters (in terms of time on stage) were humans who had been changed into a teapot and cup, a clock and a lamp.  They were suitably comic.  The orchestra played the music well.  The scenery was very well painted and the way it zoomed on and off as required was most impressive, especially for a High School performance in a civic hall.

Overall rated highly.  

The tram ride home featured less exercise that the ride out, although it was intriguing that we had a forced and unexpected change of tram at the Haymarket stop.  Well done, for keeping up with tradition, Yarra Trams!  One other transport was amusement was an exchange, on the way out, with a couple wearing West Coast Eagles gear.  I asked where the game was, as we neared the (first) QVM stop and they replied "Marvel" and when I suggested they were not heading in the right direction they explained they were going to the QVM first!  Presumably to buy some rotten fruit to throw at their team who lost to the Doggies,  35:120.