March 1, 2005 at 8:51 AM

Well, Uni is getting under way. We had our first Chamber Music lesson today. Looks like it will be run much better than last year. I'm in a Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano ensemble. Apparently there's some good repertoir available. I'm also going to be forming a string quartet, so I was having a look at some repertoir for that today. I'm thinking Haydn Op 20, No 1. That one sounds nice and doesn't look too hard for any of the parts. I also like Op 20, No 2, but I'm not certain of the cellists ability.

IN our lunchtime concert today, we had Perth based chamber group "Guapo" perform. This is an interesting chamber group consisting of Zak Rowntree on violin (studied at Chethams School of music, University of York, Royal College of Music), Tom O'Halloran on piano (Bachelor of Jazz Performance from WA Conservatorium, and Bob Wylie Family Scholarship winner), Peter Jeavons on Bass (Bachelor of Jazz Performance from WA Conservatorium, Perth Jazz Society's Most Outstanding Jazz Artist in 2000), Paul Tanner on Vibraphone and Percussion (BMus with first class honours from the University of Western Australia, plus a Masters which included time in the US), and Catherine Cahill on Clarinet (BMus from UWA, and post graduate studies in London and New York).

This group formed so that they could play and perform the tangos of Astor Piazzolla. They have three fantastic composers amongst them (Tom O'Halloran and Pete Jeavons, who are two of Perth's finest jazz composers, and Paul Tanner, who has composed a number of pieces for Percussion ensembles), and not only perform Piazzola's works, but works by other composers in a range of styles.

This performance reminded me that Chamber music doesn't have to be about forming a quartet, or a piano trio, or the ensembles that we have gotten used to over time. There are plenty of new works out there, and the composers are taking the initiative to blend sounds that haven't been heard before.

Admittedly, some things don't work. If it ain't broke don't fix it (or perhaps, if it ain't Baroque, don't play it :> hehe). But this combination of some of the finest performers in their fields playing music they all enjoyed just worked.

That's the thing I think that matters. If you want to form a string quartet, good for you. Don't worry about making sure that you play the "essentials" - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. If you want to play something that you enjoy, then play it.

Performing isn't just about playing to please the public. Performing is about sharing with the public a piece that we enjoy playing, and if they see that we enjoy playing it, then it's more likely to have an effect on them.

From Hidi Lee
Posted on March 6, 2005 at 7:59 AM

just wondering if you went to the concert on the 5th, it was awesome :)

From Ben Clapton
Posted on March 7, 2005 at 10:49 AM

Nah I didn't get along to it. I don't earn much, and rather excessive bank fees took my bank account down to not much.

I also had a 21st birthday party that night, so I kind of had a prior commitment.

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