The St James' Lunchtime Concert on Wednesday the 23rd of October at 1:15pm is 'L'oiseau Immortel' presented by 'Quatorze', a baroque ensemble group consisting of flautists Ruth Crosby and Philip Murray. Tickets are $10.

Programme:

Prelude from Premier recueil de pièces (1744) - Michel Blavet (1700-1768)

L’hirondelle (‘the swallow’) from Quatrième suite in D, Suites op. 2 (1711) - Louis-Antoine Dornel (1680-1757)

Selections from Six concerts a deux flûtes traversières (1724-25) - Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667-1737)

Les ramages (‘birdsongs’)

Passacaille

Menuet ‘le papillon’ (‘the butterfly’)

Passepied ‘le moucheron’ (‘the gnat’)

Lentement and Fugue from Troisième suite, Suites op. 1 (1717) - Pierre Danican Philidor (1681-1731)

Premiere sonate in G minor, from Petites sonates a deux flûtes traversières op. 13 (1726) - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755)

Allemande

Courante

Lentement

Gigue

Selections from Airs et brunettes, tirez des meilleurs autheurs (1721) - Jacques-Martin Hotteterre (1673-1763)

Air: ‘Pourquoy doux rossignol’ with double by Blavet

Brunette: ‘Ou estes vous allez’

Air: ‘L’autre jour ma Cloris’ with double by Blavet

Air: ‘Pourquoy n’avoir pas le coeur’

Variations on ‘La Furstenburg’ from Premier recueil de pièces (1744) - Michel Blavet

Quatorze is an ensemble named in honour of the musicians who served the Sun King, Louis XIV, celebrating the musicians who populated and entertained his court. Embodying a fascination with this era of musical innovation and historical intrigue, the ensemble is a flexible gathering of likeminded musicians who simply love to play French baroque music on period instruments.

Ruth Crosby is a baroque flautist and early music specialist, and has performed with Australian Haydn Ensemble, Bach Akademie Australia and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Following her Bachelor of Music at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Ruth worked as a piano accompanist and an accredited music therapist before she turned her focus to the modern flute. Baroque music, history and her grandfather’s turned wooden objects have always fascinated Ruth, leading her to embracing the traverso (wooden baroque flute) that more eloquently expresses the nuances intended by the composers of baroque music. A member of baroque ensemble Quatorze, Ruth also plays with the Sydney Cantata Project, and enjoys a variety of different performance styles on flute and recorder. She delights in the elegance of French Baroque chamber music, and enjoys creating intimate concerts with like-minded musicians. On most days of the year, when not performing or sharing her passion for music through teaching, Ruth may be found walking on one of the beautiful beaches of Newcastle or plunging into the waves for an ocean dip.

Born in Western Australia, Philip Murray studied the modern flute at the WA Academy of Performing Arts, completed doctoral studies at UWA, and pursued further study with flute teachers in the UK and Germany. He has enjoyed a diverse freelance career and performed with many professional ensembles, including the WA Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist with the Juniper Chamber Orchestra and St George’s Sinfonia, and has presented solo recitals for the Blackwood River Chamber Festival and the Magellan chamber music series. Philip is also a singer and performed for many years with the WA Opera Chorus and St George’s Cathedral Choir. He currently sings with the Choir of St. James’, as well as other ensembles including Castalia Vocal Consort and the Australian Brandenburg Choir. In recent years, Philip has particularly enjoyed exploring performance on historical flutes. He plays baroque flute with Sydney Cantata Project, and has performed in several concerts for the Glebe Music Festival as a member of the ensemble Quatorze. Philip also maintains a busy teaching schedule at several Sydney schools.