“Lost Love of a Wayfarer” - Medtner Chamber Orchestra
About the program
The Medtner Chamber Orchestra presents their 2nd large scale concert - led by pianist Ching Pong (Dono) Ng, this program consists of a chamber arrangement to Chopin's endearing E minor concerto, Mahler's “Songs of the Wayfarer” and the finale of Beethoven's string quartet in B-flat, op. 130.
The late string quartets of Beethoven inspired generations of musicians and audiences - amongst them were the young Nikolai Medtner. These magnificent quartets crowned in grandeur and intimacy, often described as a culmination of the whole human experience. Such magnificence were later found in all Symphonies by Mahler, who took his vision to realms beyond - as deep within, as far without. “A Symphony must be like the world - it must contain everything.”
As an aspiring young conductor and composer, Mahler surmised his uneventful love affair in the Songs of a Wayfarer. This set of lieder, with both his original text and music, was in many way a blueprint of his titanic 1st Symphony. They shared musical materials - by extention their literary implications. The burning sensation of a lost love, the bittersweetness of brief morning warmth, the acceptance of a heart break - all became the fuel of the cosmos he went on to create.
The notoriety of Chopin's orchestrations has been a bother to both soloists and their unfortunate collaborators. This condensed version of the score (arranged for strings ensemble by R. Hofmann) proves a deeper vision and consideration within this “piano-centric” concerto than we were led to believe. Within the small but no less impactful ensemble, there are much to be discovered.
Concert details
Date/Time: Friday 12th June, 7pm
Venue: Pitt Street Uniting Church, Sydney
(264 Pitt Street, NSW 2000)
Full Program:
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Songs of a Wayfarer (1883-1885)
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor, op. 11 (arr. for piano and strings by R. Hofmann)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Finale (Allegro) from String Quartet no. 13 in B-flat, op. 130 (arr. for strings ensemble by Dono Ng)
Performers
Galatea Kneath, Soprano
Ching Pong (Dono) Ng, piano & conductor
Strings ensemble of Medtner Chamber Orchestra
Program length: 70 minutes
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