Not many of us have had the chance to hear a live performance of one of the great nineteenth century works for symphony orchestra in these days of Covid, but thanks to the Inventi Ensemble we will get that chance at the next Visiting Artists concert for 2021 at 2:30 pm on Saturday May 8.
During the winter of 1887, Rimsky-Korsakov decided to compose an orchestral piece based on pictures from One Thousand and One Nights as well as separate and unconnected episodes - the work that was to become perhaps his most famous tone-poem Scheherazade. The work does not reference particular stories as Rimsky-Korsakov only wanted it to be 'beyond a doubt an Oriental narrative of some numerous and varied fairy-tale wonders and not merely four pieces played one after the other and composed on the basis of themes common to all the four movements.' Nonetheless, Scheherazade is there to introduce each story-movement - taking the form of a solo violin.
Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the piece for a huge orchestra, but on Saturday we will hear it played in a brilliant arrangement commissioned by Inventi and featuring five musicians: Melissa Doecke: Flute, Benjamin Opie: Oboe, Kyla Matsuura-Miller: Violin, Henry Justo: Viola, & Stephanie Stamopoulos: Cello. Also on the program are works by young Australian composers Melody Eötvös and Caerwen Martin.
More information about the concert is here: https://www.montaguechoristers.org/next-concert
Tickets are available for $23 at Mitre 10, Narooma (they have a temporary shop in the arcade behind Little Joe's Pizza), Nested on Wallaga, Bermagui and for $25 at the door or through Trybooking here https://www.trybooking.com/BQOMX
