Sirius Chamber Ensemble – lovely playing from all

Sirius Chamber Ensemble | St Stephens Friday Music

September 2, 2022

Melissa Coleman – flute
Ian Sykes – clarinet
Claire Howard Race – piano

It is great to see audiences returning to city lunchtime classical music concerts and those who attended the Friday Recital given by the Sirius Chamber Ensemble were well rewarded with a beautifully prepared concert. Melissa Coleman and Claire Race Howard played the ever so well known Romances op.94 by Robert Schumann with charm and I found myself humming the melody all the way home. A most suitable concert opener.

The English composer Gerald Finzi lived through two world wars and maybe this influenced him to write music that was sweet and comforting and never confronting. Ian Sykes and Claire Howard Race performed his Five Bagatelles op. 23 with, when required, either elegance or with dazzling technique. The last movement was such fun as it flew along at breakneck speed.

As a trio Sirius Ensemble played USA based composer Kristofer Spike’s gently rolling Promenade. The music is quite repetitious and gently unfolds allowing the musicians to tell dreamlike stories and the audience was quite charmed. Here, and throughout the recital, lovely playing from all.

Sirius Chamber Ensemble is an important part of Sydney’s music scene and they support many Australian composers in their various concert activities. They, like Friday Music directed by Mark Quarmby, deserve our support too!