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A World Premiere From Omega Ensemble
August 19 @ 7:00 pm
Omega Ensemble presents Elevator Music, a captivating showcase of music for the clarinet featuring legendary British clarinettist, Michael Collins in his first Australian appearance in six years. The three-concert series in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra includes the world premiere of a new work by Australian composer Graeme Koehne.
Michael Collins first captured international attention at the age of 16, winning the woodwind prize at the first BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition in 1978. One of the world’s most recorded clarinettists, Collins holds the title of the most frequently invited wind soloist at the BBC Proms. In recent years, he has performed as a guest conductor with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
Joining Collins on stage is acclaimed Australian clarinettist, and Omega Ensemble’s Artistic Director, David Rowden. Renowned for his expressive artistry and technical brilliance, Rowden has enjoyed a career spanning over two decades, with performances across the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, the USA, and Australia.
Together, the duo will perform the world premiere of Graeme Koehne’s Double Clarinet Concerto. Koehne’s latest work is a tongue-in-cheek thriller filled with joyful contrasts, soul searching melodies, and heart-racing rhythms.
Also featured in the program are Grammy-nominated composer Anna Clyne’s Stride and Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto. Using fragments of Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata, Clyne’s Stride refracts the work’s adored lyricism, in a captivating exploration of tension and release.
Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto is a timeless masterwork that brilliantly showcases the clarinet’s expressive range. Opening with one of the composer’s most tender melodies, the work launches into an energetic cacophony of jazz rhythms and concludes with a thrilling clarinet ‘smear’.
The program: Anna Clyne Stride/ Aaron Copland Concerto for Clarinet, Strings, Harp and Piano/ Graeme Koehne Double Clarinet Concerto (World Premiere)
The performers: Michael Collins – Solo Clarinet/ David Rowden – Solo Clarinet/ Omega Ensemble
Concerts in Sydney/ Melbourne, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre on Saturday August 16th,
7:00pm/ and Newcastle, Newcastle City Hall, 290 King St, 7 pm.