Music of November 2025
We have quite a few things planned for this visit. I shall add them as they occur.
As an aside, the first event highlighted the need to allow added time for travel. We let a tram go as it had an 'a' on the number suggesting it was going somewhere unusual. The next was a normal 16 but when we got to ANZAC the drive advised that it was diverting due to a Police incident near Flinders St. He was still going to Melbourne Uni - our destination - however. As he came along La Trobe St he announced that he was stopping "as the trams were running on Swanston St again". So we piled out and caught another tram at Central. Probably only added 10 minutes.
Cendrillon
It is a version in French of Cinderella. The performance was on the 8th and a production of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music of the University of Melbourne. Here is the Director's Notes, cast and list of other workers. It was described as a graduation show, with the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music as the organising body. The cost was $10 each.
As usual photography was not allowed during the performance but these two snaps give an idea of the layout and ambience of the Union Theatre. This is within the Student Union facility in Parkville, just off Swanston St
The opening was by the Fairy Godmother sneaking out from behind the curtain and sashaying across the stage waving her wand, to much applause, That was pretty much the tone of the evening. The Director describes it as a fairy story meeting the Kardashians, but I thought it much better than anything to do with the Kardashians! My own rating was more a reminder of pantomimes, especially with Prince Charming played by a female.
In the way of cultural references, "Maskerade" by Terry Pratchett - itself a parody of "Phantom of the Opera" - sprang to my mind with one of the cast reminding me very much of Agnes Nitt, the chubby soprano witch with notably good hair, However the singer here did have some singing for herself rather than just covering for the female lead (who didn't need covering).
Overall it was extremely good. I wasn't familiar with Massenet before this (I was I realised conflating him with Messiaen) but his tunes were very good. The singers were all very capable or better and the acting was what was required (including overacting as needed for the Ugly Sisters - see references above to Kardashians). This is hardly surprising as on looking at the cast list nearly all the performers were Masters students. I also give particular praise to the lighting people who really created good settings out of a very minimalist set.
Mozart Requiem
We have been wanting to go to a musical event at Christ Church (in the NE corner of Fawkner Park) ever since we moved here. This event was part of a Festival of Chamber Music, and we were in town so toddled along.
It also kindled memories of the Summer of Requiems at St Barts on Park Avenue when we were in New York in 2006, which included Faure's Requiem on 9 September (reprising the service held on the Sunday after 9/11). As an aside, my estimate of the congregation was 1,800 people and judging by the number in tears at various times I'd say quite a few had lost people 5 years earlier. I wondered how they were going to get people able to move: "Also spake Zarathrustra" (played with huge gong, timpani and organ on steroids) took care of that.
We avoided the tram, taking about 10 minutes to walk diagonally across the Park and the Church was pretty full. Here is a view of the choir etc.
We found a pew with enough space available but surprisingly the existing occupant only did a minimalist move so I was jammed against the end of the row. I moved to the back of the audience and had a better seat on a padded chair. Perhaps congregation is a better collective noun as it turned out this was a service rather than a performance!
The first sign of this was a procession of robed religious, led by an incense-swinging acolyte and everyone standing up.
From where I was sitting the sound of the quite large group of instruments largely overcame, or at least muddled, the voices. Frances, sitting much closer, found she hardly heard the instruments She did find she got a heavy incense dose when the vicar and crew came halfway down the aisle for some business mid-way through the performance.
After about an hour the vicar did the communion thing and punters started queuing for a quick slurp of wine. We didn't queue but bolted. It was not a good event. As we walked back across the Park Frances mentioned that this had cost us $75 each!
I think it unlikely we will be going back to Christ Church.
Madrigals at Mentone
Frances came across a listing for a performance of Palestrina Madrigals and Motets by Chorus Ecclesiae at St Patricks Church in Mentone. A 30 minute drive to a church built in 1959 under the reign of George Pell as Archbishop. Here are a few snaps of the building (I'll get to the music eventually). There is quite a lot of information about aspects of the church in this article. I intend to revisit the church and pay some attention to design features with the benefit of the pilgrim's guide which couldn't be found in the church on the day we visited.
As a footnote, in researching that last paragraph it seems that the Convent (Couvent Sainte-Marie- de-la-Tourette) was actually a monastery!
The Sound of Silence
The last time I was in the vicinity of an ACDC concert (Canberra 2001) France and I took chairs ad a bottle of red to the Mitchell Community Garden. At 1.5kms from EPIC the sound level was about right (although others have said being in the concert was better). I didn't do anything about the concert at the G on the evening of the 14th but as that registered on a seismograph (and the Age reported people in suburbs nearby could hear the concern) I decided I should go in on the 16th,
So I took a tram to Flinders Street and Fed Square,
but could hear nothing from my position (at 'Me" in the following map). I was 1km away.
The lit-up buildings in the CBD were interesting.
Comments
Post a Comment