Music 4 Medicine
September 7, 2024, Wollongong Town Hall, NSW
It is a well-documented fact that music, whether performed or actively listened to, acts as a powerful medicine, contributing to an individual’s wellbeing. So it was a completely appropriate congruence that brought together two outstanding young artists, already well on the path towards professional careers, with a seasoned virtuoso to present a concert to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
By way of an extended prelude, we heard an ensemble of eleven student flautists under the direction of their teacher Suzanne Cowan, head of winds and brass at Wollongong Conservatorium of Music. The ensemble, recently returned from Texas as invited performers at the Flauta Mundi: Global Voices of the Flute, demonstrated the value of thorough preparation in three items: Waltzing the Boiling Billy by John Spence, Steel City by Gareth McLearnon and Bamburia by Wil Offermans. Notable in all works was the careful attention to tuning and taut rhythmic control yielding an interesting play of tonal colours and structural patterns. Although the performances might have profited from greater dynamic shading, there was nevertheless a palpable sense of these young musicians sharing the joy of music-making together.
The principal flautist of that ensemble, Annabel Wouters, then took the spotlight, offering some dazzling playing, beginning with the acrobatic Fantaisie Brillante on themes from Bizet’s Carmen by François Borne, then exploring extended techniques in two works by Ian Clarke, including the duet Maya performed with her teacher, Suzanne Cowan. In Coffee Nerves by Gary Schocker, Ms Wouters captured the jittery animation and humour of the score, while in Matthew Hindson’s Nursery Games Room, playful figurations and rhythmic hijinks were achieved with aplomb, a quality far from child’s play. Secure support came from the pianist Vivian Choi Milton whose attentive accompaniment ensured that no nuance was lost in this challenging duo repertoire.
The virtuosic artistry of the pianist was further evident in the massive opus that is Liszt’s St Francis of Paolo walking on the waves. Here the turbulent waters could not drown, let alone drench, the noble chorale theme that initiates the work and recurs throughout. Ms Milton’s playing achieved a mighty strength but never at the expense of richly glowing tone.
It was exactly that control of tone that made her the ideal accompanist for the brilliant young harpist, Paul Nicolaou. His performances shed light on the subtle timbral possibilities of his instrument, climaxing in his finale, Ravel’s iridescent Introduction et Allegro. Earlier had come Debussy’s Danse Profane, and a delicate prelude, Quietude by Salzedo. Very impressive also was the premiere of Nicolaou’s own composition, Between Darkness and Light, commissioned by Dr Adele Stewart and dedicated to the Royal Flying Doctors Service. Here the harmonic interstices between major / minor, and modal / diatonic realms were scrutinised with a fascinated, and fascinating, attention.
In a concert that was generously filled with such musical delights, it was a win-win situation for the audience and for the charity it aided. What better path to wellbeing than that?
Guest Reviewer | David Vance
Since his retirement from the University of Wollongong in 2012, as Associate Professor and Sub Dean of the Faculty of Creative Arts, David Vance has maintained a busy schedule as an accompanist and chamber musician. He occasionally performs keyboard / continuo parts for Steel City Strings for whom he writes program annotations. David is currently the accompanist for the Illawarra Choral Society, con voci, and the Wollongong Conservatorium Chamber Choir. He recently joined Conservatorium colleagues Suzanne Cowan Cecilia Bersée to form Zefiro, a trio for flute, violin and piano.
