Anam- The Up-bow Down-low

Episode 6, 2020: Dvořák’s Serenade for winds Wednesday 8 July 2020 Antonin Dvořák’s road to success was long and hard. But like many successful composers of his time, his perseverance enabled him to create masterpieces that endured time and space. In December 1877, he travelled to Vienna to meet Johannes Brahms, the first great composer to truly appreciate his work. It was on this trip that he was able to watch a performance of Mozart’s Gran Partita for twelve winds and double bass or contrabassoon. Inspired by what he heard, he began working on his own Serenade for winds the following month, completing it in two weeks. Of this composition, Brahms wrote to his friend, violinist Joseph Joachim, “Take a look at Dvořák's Serenade for wind instruments. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do... It would be difficult to discover a finer, more refreshing impression of really abundant and charming creative talent. Have it played to you; I feel sure the players will enjoy doing it!" ANAM oboist Noah Rudd can relat

Episode 5, 2020: Ibert’s Flute Concerto Wednesday 1 July 2020 ANAM Music Librarian, Phil Lambert thinks French composer Jacques Ibert’s most popular compositions sparkle like French champagne. First coming to public attention in the early 1920s, Ibert’s oeuvre is known for being polished and entertaining, never driven by any theory, agenda or the desire to gain attention through shock value. But lest you think that his range is limited, try tracking down Orson Welles’ 1948 film, Macbeth, which owes its ominous and oppressive atmosphere to Ibert’s excellent score. Ibert wrote his Flute Concerto between 1932 and 1934 for his contemporary flautist Marcel Moyse, who is probably considered the greatest flautist of his time. Knowing that he was writing for a virtuoso, Ibert did not spare this composition from any technical difficulty. This is the challenge ANAM alumna Cassandra Slater (flute 2019) had to overcome when mastering this piece for the Grand Final of the 2019 ANAM Concerto Competition . In this episo

Episode 4, 2020: Strauss’s Sonatina no. 1 Wednesday 24 June 2020 Writing Sonatina no. 1 during the height of World War II became Richard Strauss’s form of escape from a decade of Nazism that wrought horrors in his hometown in Munich, Germany. The then 80-year-old composer wrote this piece to keep his mind occupied after the premiere of his opera Capriccio. Strauss gave the sonatina the nickname, From an Invalid’s Workshop having composed almost half of it during a nasty bout of influenza- something that could be relatable to us during this current pandemic. In this episode of ANAM Radio, ANAM flautistRachel Lau chats with Phil Lambert (ANAM Music Librarian) about playing alongside a passionate group and the spirit of collaboration fostered among the ANAM Winds ensemble in preparing for the challenge of playing the entire 38 minutes of this masterpiece. The music in this episode is from the 2019 ANAM Soundbite concert that featured Nick Deutsch (oboe), David Thomas (clarinet) and ANAM Winds. To watch t

Episode 3, 2020: Mozart’s Oboe Quartet Wednesday 10 June 2020 While in the middle of completing the finishing touches for his first major opera, Idomeneo, for the Munich Court in 1781, Mozart found the time to write a chamber work for the Court Orchestra’s principal oboist, Friedrich Ramm. That work is the Quartet in F major for oboe and three strings (violin, viola and cello). In this composition, Mozart elevated the oboe as he took advantage of the recent improvements in the instrument’s mechanism at the time. It is easy to assume that the oboist would be the one to lead the performance but ANAM alumnus Edward Wang (oboe 2019), who performed this piece with fellow ANAM musicians last year, approached the composition as a quartet rather than an oboe concerto. Hear the lively chat between Edward and ANAM Music Librarian Phil Lambert as they share fascinating details about this Mozart composition and how listening to it compares to going through different moods in a single day. Edward was awarded the ANAM

Episode 2, 2020: Bartók’s Violin Concerto Wednesday 3 June 2020 The 1930s sees the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók at the height of his career as he produced succeeding masterpieces exhibiting strict counterpoints and new sounds. That is why the Violin Concerto he wrote for his close associate, violin virtuoso Zoltán Székely was seen as a step backwards by some as Bartók had to relent to Székely’s request to stick to a more traditional three-movement composition. ANAM Music Librarian Phil Lambert thinks otherwise and revisits this Bartók masterpiece performed by ANAM alumnus Johnny van Gend (violin 2019) at the 2019 ANAM Concerto Competition. Hear Phil and Johnny chat about the great Hungarian composer and the grand ending of the Violin Concerto which again showed Bartók accommodating Székely’s wishes to have the spotlight on the violinist at the end of the performance. Johnny was the winner of ANAM’s 2019 Concerto Competition that was held in Hobart with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. The music you w

Episode 1, 2020: Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante Wednesday 27 May 2020 After a disastrous premiere in 1938, Sergei Prokofiev put away his Sinfonia Concertante. It wasn’t until 1947 that it resurfaced, when a 20-year-old cello student, Mstislav Rostropovich, discovered it from the archives and performed it at the Moscow Conservatory. After that performance, Prokofiev worked with the young virtuoso to improve the composition – the rest is history. In this episode of ANAM Radio, cellist James Morley talks to Phil Lambert (our Music Librarian) about how he first discovered Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante and why he decided to perform it as part of ANAM’s 2019 Concerto Competition. James was one of three finalists to perform in the Grand Final of the 2019 Concerto Competition with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in Hobart. The music you will hear is from his Melbourne performance where he performed the piece with Leigh Harrold on piano. James received the Audience Choice Award for this performance. PROKOF

The great Hungarian violinist and conductor, Gábor Takács-Nagy describes the First Viennese School as the “golden time in classical music”. It is a thought that many around the world share, as audiences continue to be moved and inspired by the masterpieces that came from late-18th century Vienna. Hear Gábor, along with ANAM’s Artistic Director Nick Deutsch and ANAM musician Kate Worley, reflect on the works of Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn and Schubert, and why they remain crowd-favourites. Produced, written and edited by Madi Chwasta Music performed by ANAM musicians

Clara Schumann was one of the most successful concert performers of the 19th century, lauded across Europe as the ‘Queen of the piano’. She was also a skilled composer, but her music was forgotten for years in favour of her husband’s significant and celebrated output. However, in recent years, her music has been brought back into the classical music canon and audiences have delighted in discovering her long unheard compositions. To celebrate the bicentennial year since her birth, ANAM is presenting a program of her music. Hear music researcher Sarah Kirby, Resident Violin Faculty Robin Wilson, and ANAM violist Molly Collier-O’Boyle, talk about Clara’s virtuosity in performance and composition. Written, edited and produced by Madi Chwasta Music performed by ANAM musicians

Igor Stravinsky is considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century, in no small part indebted to his three groundbreaking ballets - The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. These pieces were made possible by Russian artistic visionary Sergei Diaghilev, and his ballet company known as the Ballet Russes. Hear leading arts commentator Lee Christofis, ANAM guest artist Eduardo Strausser and ANAM musician Eve McEwen discuss Russian folklore, a dance revolution, and Stravinsky with the Ballet Russes; a partnership which changed classical music forever. Featuring: Eduardo Strausser, ANAM guest artist Eve McEwen, ANAM musician Lee Christofis, arts commentator Written, edited and produced by Madi Chwasta

The ANAM experience is one like no other. Hear first-year violinist Mia Stanton, Head of Cello Howard Penny, and ANAM alumnus Jonathan Bekes share insights into what it’s like to be a musician at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM). Written and produced by Madi Chwasta. Music, all performed by ANAM musicians: Mozart - String Quintet No.4 in G minor Glinka - Overture Rusian and Lyudmila Beethoven - Wind Octet in E Flat Mendelssohn - Piano Trio No.2 in C minor Schumann - Symphony No. 3 in E flat major Martinu - Oboe concerto Grainger - Random round Wagner - Reitermarsch from Lohengrin Rachmaninoff - Cello sonata in G minor *ANAM international partnerships include the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy (Karajan Academy), Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy and Bavarian State Opera Academy (referred to by Howard as Munich Opera).

2019 marks 100 years since Czech composer Gideon Klein died in horrifying circumstances during World War II. However, his music - a distinctive mix of folk-infused melodies reminiscent of Leoš Janáček and the modernist sensibilities espoused by Arnold Schoenberg’s 12-tone school - lives on, and is only becoming more prolific with time. Hear ANAM Artistic Director Nick Deutsch, Royal Northern College of Music researcher Dr David Fligg, and ANAM pianist Maggie Pang talk about Gideon Klein’s life, music and legacy. Written and produced by Madi Chwasta. Music: Divertimento for Wind Octet - Gideon Klein, performed by ANAM musicians. Serenade in D minor - Antonín Dvořák, performed by ANAM musicians. Sonata for piano - Gideon Klein, performed by Maggie Pang.

Ten Thousand Birds by John Luther Adams is an immersive piece of music deeply connected to nature and place. Hear triple Grammy-award-winning flautist and ANAM Guest Artist Tim Munro, Grammy award and Pulitzer prize winning composer John Luther Adams, and ANAM cellist David Moran talk about their love of birdsong, breaking down performance conventions, and the upcoming performance of Ten Thousand Birds at the Australian National Academy of Music on the 4th of June 2019. Written, edited and produced by Madi Chwasta. Orchestral music from ANAM Opening Concert 1. Flute music was Liminal Highway by Christopher Cerrone. Bird sounds from xeno-canto.org. For more information on ANAM's performance of Ten Thousand Birds and to book tickets, visit anam.com.au/birds

Recorded live at ANAM for the concert "Cage and Zappa" on August 12 2017, this very special episode of the Up-Bow Down-Low sees hosts Luke and Kenny joined by Melbourne mezzo and choral director Jeannie Marsh, ANAM Head of Percussion Peter Neville, and Tasmanian piano virtuoso Michael Kieran Harvey for a panel discussion on John Cage and Frank Zappa. They discuss their maverickism, how they came to be some of the most incisive musical pioneers of the 20th century, and how their legacies are felt and honoured today. The Zappa quotes and aphorisms fly thick and fast!

What does it mean to be female in classical music? Hosts Kenny and Luke dive headfirst into the many-layered topic of equality in classical music, accompanied by ANAM viola alumnus and all-round great lady Katie Yap. They talk composers, the dark of history of women in classical music, discrimination and oppression, and what might come next, with help from interview guests Claire Edwardes (percussionist and Artistic Director of Ensemble Offspring), Gemma Tomlinson (ANAM cello Fellow), and Rachel Grimwood (ANAM violist). ANAM cello student Vicky Zhang joins the party with some light theremin playing to keep you entertained.

Hosts Kenny and Luke reflect on finishing up at ANAM with the help of high-flying alumni Phoebe Russell, Cameron Jamieson, Ashley Smith, Dean Newcomb, and Kaylie Melville. They convince first-year violinist Laura Barton to reluctantly play the theremin, and find out that Gore, New Zealand, is indeed a real place.

Supernova conductor Simone Young is back in the building this week, generously sharing her seemingly boundless knowledge with the ANAM orchestra through a week of workshops on works by Faure, Berg, and other masters of the theme and variations. We talk about the musicology of the orchestra, what it means to lead an orchestra, and what to do when things go wrong. Over a series of post-performance interviews, we get a better idea about why this Australian legend keeps on coming back to grace the corridors of the Academy.

ANAM flute alumna Tamara Kohler and internationally renowned conductor Douglas Boyd (former oboist and founding member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe) join us this week to talk about their chosen paths down the road less travelled. We talk about the linear direction that a career in music can usually take, and about the courage and risk inherent in veering off the beaten path. Tamara gets super excited talking about her recent Darmstadt adventure and the manifesto of the New Discipline (see the link below), and Dougie tells us about how the Chamber Orchestra of Europe came to exist, and why he does what he does. http://www.internationales-musikinstitut.de/en/news/blog2016-en/2497-blog-whatareyoudoinghere-newdiscipline.html

This week we talk about the Eureka moment, the great 'a-ha!’ which can give you direction and purpose. We're joined by Maestro Simone Young who tells us her story and shares her 'a-ha’s' with us. ANAM percussionist James Townsend drops in to talk about his feelings and to play the snare drum, and we talk about the upcoming gigs at ANAM, but not very well

The meaty topic of auditions is on the menu this week, and somehow Rhapsody in Blue pops us twice in 32 minutes. ANAM Artistic Director Nick Deutsch joins us to share his experiences and stories of tears and triumph and how they do it in Europe, and we’re joined by ANAM horn player Alex Morton who makes what’s probably a copyright infringement during our Minute of Mimicry. We share a few collected stories from our friends and fellow auditionees who’ve experienced varying degrees of misfortune and therefore hilarity during the gruelling audition process. Why cry when you can laugh?

We jump into the way-too-big topic of tradition this week, and if it can cause more problems than it solves. We talk about audiences and the classical music industry, the tropes of the orchestra and the stuff we Australians left behind in Europe. We’re joined by the Scottish musicological giant Roy Howat whose virtuosic pianism is matched only by his passion for the study and revival of the French piano music of Debussy and Gabriel Faure. He gives us his take on tradition and what has gone wrong. Closer to home, ANAM’s very non-traditional flute student Eliza Shephard drops in to show us what a glissando headjoint sounds like in a slightly elongated Minute of Mimicry. Hilarity ensues.