Classic Melbourne
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Calendar
    • Terms and conditions
    • Apply to post your events
    • Post Your Event
  • Newsletter Signup
  • About
  • Contact
Classic Melbourne
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Calendar
    • Terms and conditions
    • Apply to post your events
    • Post Your Event
  • Newsletter Signup
  • About
  • Contact

Music for the Anzacs

by Suzanne Yanko 17th April, 2015
by Suzanne Yanko 17th April, 2015

As Anzac Day approaches, and with it the centenary of the anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli in 1915, there is great diversity in the musical commemorations and tributes to the Anzacs. Our review of the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Reflections on Gallipoli said the performance “set the bar high [with] an imaginative program that included compositions from ‘the other side’, the Turkish culture providing a wealth of music rarely heard.”

The ACO was not alone in this, and one of the highlights of many concerts is “new” music – whether rarely heard or specially commissioned – such as two works by Carl Vine presented by the ACO. The Australian Chamber Choir has already premiered its concert Soul Of Anzac, the title taken from a work by Brenton Broadstock.

As part of the Melbourne Musicians 40th anniversary season the program Folklore (Sunday April 26, 3pm, St Johns Southgate) includes in its imaginative program A Song for Gallipoli by George Dreyfus. It is Dreyfus in his serious vein, with the text by Charles Hamilton Sorley who died on the front in 1915, aged 20. “When you see millions of the mouthless dead”.
The fine young singer Rosemary (Rosie) Ball just happens to be George Dreyfus’s granddaughter!

And there are Anzac Day concerts from Diamond Creek to Deakin Edge at Federation Square, Melbourne. Close by, the Consort of Melbourne presents Lest we forget: Sacred Music for ANZAC Day, in St Paul’s Cathedral. It includes anthems by the Russian composer Pavel Chesnokov, composed in 1915; and the world premiere of a new work by leading young Australian composer Daniel Brinsmead for chamber choir and trumpet, setting texts including by Rudyard Kipling, whose poem “Recessional” is traditionally recited on ANZAC Day and includes the lines “Lest We Forget”.

Melbourne Bach Choir’s Easter Oratorio at All Saints, East St Kilda is a concert of festive and joyful choral music, comprising J.S.Bach’s brilliant oratorios for Easter and Ascension and the young Schubert’s early masterpiece – the popular Mass in G. The Melbourne Symphony is also looking to a big sound with its Anzac Tribute concert centring on Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 (“Choral”).

Victorian Opera’s concert Remembrance, based on songs from the World War One era,  premiered in Hobart on Saturday 18 April with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (and can be heard on ABC Classic FM on Thursday April 23 at 8pm). It’s a new work, with archival footage and photography. Victorian Opera’s Artistic Director and composer Richard Mills has specially arranged popular songs of the wartime era alongside the poetry and prose of Australian author and two-time winner of Miles Franklin Literary Award Rodney Hall to share a uniquely Victorian experience of war.

Using audio-visual materials sourced primarily from the National Library of Australia and the Australian War Memorial, Remembrance will be a journey through historic moments of the ANZAC legacy – from the Declaration of War, to enlistment and training, the Gallipoli and Somme campaigns and finally, the return home.Returning to Melbourne for a performance on Thursday 13 August, the new work will be performed with Orchestra Victoria at Hamer Hall before hitting the road and touring the State’s regional centres.

Away from the concert stage, there’s Black Diggers by Tom Wright at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne, compelling contemporary theatre revealing a new perspective on Australia’s Anzac narrative in the forgotten history of indigenous soldiers.

Directed By Wesley Enoch (Artistic Director, Queensland Theatre Company) and grand in scale and scope, this meticulously researched production draws from in-depth interviews with the families of black diggers who heard the call to arms from all over Australia. http://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/theatre-drama/black-diggers

Leading up to Anzac Day of this special Centenary year Arts Centre Melbourne launches Theatres of War: Wartime Entertainment and the Australian Experience, the major new exhibition curated by Arts Centre Melbourne. The exhibition will run from 18 April to 20 September and looks at the transformative power of performance in war time – from shows for the troops to the makeshift instruments smuggled into prisoner of war camps.

Classic Melbourne recommends every performance we have listed. But for sobering reflection on Anzac Day, we believe you can’t go past Scottish-Australian songwriters Eric Bogle’s classic, And the band played Waltzing Matilda (preferably sung by Bogle and with footage of the War that was meant to end all wars).

 

 

 

Material supplied to Classic Melbourne. Picture from Black Diggers.

Note: The information above covers only some of the Anzac-related performance in Melbourne. We suggest consulting local newspapers to find events in your area.

 

0
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Suzanne Yanko

previous post
Diversions of a Diva
next post
MSO: Great Classics

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Events Calendar

Loading view.
  • July 2022

Calendar of Events

M Mon

T Tue

W Wed

T Thu

F Fri

S Sat

S Sun

1 event, 27

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Affinity Quartet – Through the Looking Glass

June 27 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Affinity Quartet – Through the Looking Glass

The next generation of Australia’s chamber music stars. Program Caroline Shaw Entr’acte Joseph Haydn String Quartet Op.76/4 ‘Sunrise’ Béla Bartók String…

$40 – $50

1 event, 28

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Great Performers Series: Diana Doherty & Bernadette Harvey

June 28 @ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Great Performers Series: Diana Doherty & Bernadette Harvey

A commanding, trailblazing oboist at the top of her musical game. In this concert, Diana Doherty unites with pianist Bernadette Harvey…

$49 – $115

0 events, 29

1 event, 30

7:30 pm - 9:45 pm Recurring

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ninth

June 30 @ 7:30 pm - 9:45 pm Recurring

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ninth

Xian Zhang, the first female conductor to hold a titled role with a BBC Orchestra, joins forces with the MSO and…

$64 – $119

1 event, 1

7:30 pm - 9:45 pm Recurring

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ninth

July 1 @ 7:30 pm - 9:45 pm Recurring

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ninth

Xian Zhang, the first female conductor to hold a titled role with a BBC Orchestra, joins forces with the MSO and…

$64 – $119

1 event, 2

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Melbourne Bach Choir: A Concert for Peace

July 2 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Melbourne Bach Choir: A Concert for Peace

lMelbourne Bach Chamber Choir & Orchestra, organ and soloists, conducted by Rick Prakhoff A programme of works on the theme of…

$25 – $40

0 events, 3

1 event, 4

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Duo Eclettico – From the Forest and Seas

July 4 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Duo Eclettico – From the Forest and Seas

About Duo Eclettico Award-winning Duo Eclettico explore the wealth of repertoire available for their unique combination of instruments – saxophone and…

$40 – $50

1 event, 5

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

The Evolution of the Piano

July 5 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

The Evolution of the Piano

Tracing the piano’s metamorphosis through time. About the artists Stephanie McCallum has become renowned for a pianistic practice based on refined…

$40 – $50

1 event, 6

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Arcadia Winds – Destiny

July 6 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Arcadia Winds – Destiny

Unrivaled energy and spontaneity inspired by the notion of destiny. About Arcadia Winds Arcadia Winds are trailblazers for Australian wind music,…

$30 – $37

1 event, 7

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Kristian Chong & Friends – The Brahms’ Sonatas with Timo Veikko Valve

July 7 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Kristian Chong & Friends – The Brahms’ Sonatas with Timo Veikko Valve

From brooding to vibrant with Brahms’s sonatas for cello and piano. About Kristian Chong & Friends Kristian Chong and Friends is…

$40 – $50

0 events, 8

0 events, 9

0 events, 10

0 events, 11

1 event, 12

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

The Parlour – Women’s Voices

July 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

The Parlour – Women’s Voices

A uniquely moving experience in celebration of women. About the artists The Parlour focuses on the sung storytelling of Art Song…

$30 – $37

0 events, 13

0 events, 14

0 events, 15

0 events, 16

0 events, 17

0 events, 18

0 events, 19

0 events, 20

0 events, 21

0 events, 22

0 events, 23

0 events, 24

0 events, 25

0 events, 26

0 events, 27

0 events, 28

0 events, 29

0 events, 30

0 events, 31

June 27
June 27 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Affinity Quartet – Through the Looking Glass

June 28
June 28 @ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Great Performers Series: Diana Doherty & Bernadette Harvey

  • There are no events on this day.
June 30
June 30 @ 7:30 pm - 9:45 pm Recurring

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ninth

July 1
July 1 @ 7:30 pm - 9:45 pm Recurring

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ninth

July 2
July 2 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Melbourne Bach Choir: A Concert for Peace

  • There are no events on this day.
July 4
July 4 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Duo Eclettico – From the Forest and Seas

July 5
July 5 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

The Evolution of the Piano

July 6
July 6 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Arcadia Winds – Destiny

July 7
July 7 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Kristian Chong & Friends – The Brahms’ Sonatas with Timo Veikko Valve

July 12
July 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

The Parlour – Women’s Voices

July 7
July 7 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Kristian Chong & Friends – The Brahms’ Sonatas with Timo Veikko Valve

  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
July 12
July 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

The Parlour – Women’s Voices

  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
  • There are no events on this day.
View Calendar

Classic Melbourne’s reviews policy

audio
Our point of differenceby Editor Suzanne Yanko

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Follow us on Facebook

Classic Melbourne

Melbourne Arts Centre

Melbourne Arts Centre

Melbourne Recital Centre

Melbourne Recital Centre

Introducing Classic Melbourne

audio
Speech at launch by Conductor Andrew Wailes

Your browser does not support the audio element.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

@2019 - All Right Reserved.

Read alsox

Houston Ballet: Romeo and Juliet

4th July, 2016

MICMC winners: Where are they now?

22nd July, 2015

Jayson Gillham on tour

7th September, 2016