Concert Series

Philip Glass Piano Etudes

Etude No. 5
Etude No. 4
Etude No. 7
Etude No. 9
Etude No. 12
Etude No. 16
Etude No. 20
 

I’ve been playing the music of Philip Glass for more than forty years. During that time his music has moved from the fringes to the mainstream of contemporary classical music. After playing a concert in Elder Hall around 1979, a distinguished professor of musicology angrily told me: “You have infected Adelaide with the virus of minimalism!” That accusation has a curious resonance in these pandemic-afflicted times – was I a superspreader of a dangerous new kind of music? Things have changed: Glass’s operas, instrumental music and film scores have secured his reputation as a major figure in the contemporary musical world and an icon of popular culture as well.

In the 1980s The Philip Glass Ensemble toured Australia for the first time. Since orchestras and professional ensembles were mostly unwilling to play his music, Glass put together his own group of very fine musicians to perform it. I wrote the program notes for the tour, in which I advised listeners to put aside their usual expectations – the first inflammatory sentence was “Forget Beethoven!” The point, expressed with the stridency of youth, was that this music offers a different listening experience, a ‘slow burn’ that accumulates over time through patterns of repetition, and slowly evolving textures, rhythms and harmonies. The repetitive aspect of the music was problematic for some people, and perhaps still is if your only reference point is the classical tradition; but some of the most profound experiences of human beings – such as ritual actions of culture and religion, and personal acts of meditation and spiritual practice – are founded on repetition.

The irony is that Philip Glass had the most orthodox musical education. He isn’t the product of New York’s ‘downtown’ bohemian counterculture – he graduated from that ‘uptown’ bastion of classical music, the Juilliard School, with a master’s degree in composition, and followed that with years of study at the ‘finishing school’ of the formidable pedagogue Nadia Boulanger in Paris, like Aaron Copland and many other composers before him. During the tour I asked Glass what he thought was his particular contribution to music and he said: “It’s the way harmony and rhythm are combined.” Glass has a very personal harmonic language which is built on the solid foundation of those years spent with Nadia Boulanger doing tedious exercises in harmony and voice leading. Added to that is a concept of rhythm which was inspired initially by classical Indian music and in particular by Ravi Shankar, whom Glass got to know in Paris. The transcultural aspect of his music is very much a product of the modern era.

The twenty Piano Etudes that Philip Glass were composed between 1991 and 2013. He began writing them as exercises to improve his own piano playing, but eventually they expanded to become a very substantial group of Etudes that takes several hours to perform in its entirety. I’ve chosen seven of them for this concert, lasting about one hour. The selection and the order in which I have placed them make a cycle describing an overall emotional trajectory that is varied and powerful. The music is sometimes sombre, anxious, energetic, tranquil - ending on a tone that is both luminous and resigned.

Stephen Whittington, 2020

The remainder of this year's concerts will be online only. Refunds will be offered to subscribers and ticket holders. We hope to see you in person again in 2021.

Friday 24 July

Australian String Quartet

Beethoven Quartet for Strings in G major, Op.18 No. 2
Ravel Quartet for Strings in F major

The online lunchtime concerts return for another season, beginning with a performance by the Australian String Quartet. Beethoven's early String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18, is perfectly paired with Ravel's String Quartet in F major for an exciting, vital start to the season.

Friday 31 July

'Brought to Light'

Elizabeth Layton violin
Michael Ierace piano

Bach Sonata No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1014
Bach Sonata No. 2 in A major, BWV 1015
Bach Sonata No. 3 in E major, BWV 1016

Alexander Siloti was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer who studied under Tchaikovsky and Liszt. His artful transcriptions of these Bach sonatas were only recently discovered. Let our Head of Classical Performance, Elizabeth Layton and celebrated pianist Michael Ierace draw you in with these exquisite works.

Friday 7 August

'Through Glass, Darkly'

Stephen Whittington piano

Philip Glass Etudes for Piano (selections)

A collection of pieces two decades in the making from one of the world’s greatest living composers. Glass’ exquisite etudes are full of the composer’s unique harmonic language. Performed by Stephen Whittington, pianist and Head of Sonic Arts at the Elder Conservatorium.

Friday 14 August

'Duo Concertante'

Joshua Oates oboe
Michael Ierace piano

Dorati Duo Concertante
Dargaville In the Spirit House

Let newly appointed principle oboe of the ASO Joshua Oates and pianist Michael Ierace take you on a musical journey across two continents. They begin in the Hindu temples of India with a meditative work by Australian composer Tim Dargaville and move on to a thrilling Hungarian rhapsody written for Heinz Holliger by the celebrated Hungarian conductor and composer Antal Doráti.

Friday 21 August

'Encore'

Slava Grigoryan guitar
Sharon Grigoryan cello

Slava and Sharon Grigoryan return for an encore performance of duets for guitar and cello. Featuring music from their acclaimed CD, Our Place, released on the ABC Classics label.

Friday 28 August

Honours Jazz Ensemble

Join one of the premier student ensembles at the Elder Conservatorium,  the talented Honours Jazz Ensemble, for an hour of memorable jazz favourites.

Friday 4 September

'Re-imaginings'

Joe Chindamo piano
Zoe Black violin

The boundaries between classical and jazz are broken down in an innovative and thrilling program from virtuoso violinist Zoë Black and one of Australia’s greatest jazz pianists, Joe Chindamo. Featuring original compositions by Joe Chindamo.

Friday 11 September

'Faust: A Mortal’s Tale'

Ashley Hribar piano

A selection of works inspired by the 1926 silent film Faust, reflecting the story of the alchemist Dr Faust, his struggle with mortality, his encounter with the demon Mephistopheles and his journey into the unknown. With music by Debussy, Rachmaninov, Liszt and more, and arrangements by Ashley Hribar, this program is certain to delight and surprise.

 

Additional concerts from 18 September - 30 October will be announced in the coming weeks. Please note that the program may be subject to change.