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Milton breaks down the walls with 2017 CSO season

THE CANBERRA Symphony Orchestra chose a glorious late winter morning to welcome into being 2017’s subscription program at the Arboretum.

Hosting the occasion was CSO chair Sir Angus Houston, who praised chief conductor and artistic director Nicholas Milton, the government and private partnerships the orchestra has been able to summon up, as well as the German ambassador and DFAT for a “rich German exchange” in the process of being initiated.

Nicholas Milton in full flight
Nicholas Milton in full flight

It all sounded like good news, but as Sir Angus was quick to point out, “there is a bit of an issue with equity” when he explained that the orchestra’s funding was “nowhere near what other orchestras get…we need to do something about it, it’s a vital for this region to have an orchestra of the quality of the CSO.”

With this in mind, he said, they’d been looking at new and innovative ways of developing partnerships, so that the 2017 program was much more than just the ACTEWAGL Llewellyn Series and the proms. But that was nothing new, already the ‘Noteworthy” concerts had seen full symphonies played to 4500 primary students, one of many the first experiments.

And in the ‘Meet the Music’ program, schoolchildren from as far as Goulburn had listen to music and visited the NGA to find connections between music and art. As well, ensembles from the CSO have been going into special needs schools, painting with Parkinson’s group and other classes dealing with people with disabilities.

Artistic director Nicholas Milton thanked supporters present for the 97 per cent renewable subscription the orchestra had achieved, the best in Australia, he said.

As he talked of the collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia he told those present how he had been to the NGA with the young people and how “the stillness was incredible.” It brought to mind the fact that he had been a pupil at Lane Cove Public School when he first heard a symphony and how it had changed his life.

Reflecting on major partners like ActewAGL and MinterEllison lawyers, confirming the orchestra was looking into new and innovative ways of developing partnerships, not least in new collaboration between the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery.

And so to the 2017 Llewellyn series, named after the founding father of the ANU School of Music the violinist Ernest Llewellyn and the Llewellyn Hall, which as Milton said was, “the place for the big repertoire.”

Daniel de Borah
Daniel de Borah

In the coming year the program will be themed around solo instrumentalists.

The piano comes first, with former Canberran Daniel de Borah performing Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No 1 in c minor.

Milton, who lives in Germany these days, particularly enjoys the Crimson rosellas when he comes to Canberra and partly with those in mind, the first concert for 2017 will feature the Concerto for Birds and Orchestra, “Cantus Arcticus”, Op. 61, by the recently deceased Finnish Einojuhani Rautavaara, incorporating taped recording of birds. In an exciting piece of new, this concert will be conducted by Canberra-trained Jessica Cottis, who conducted ‘The Gallipoli Symphony” last year.

Next up in May is cellist Umberto Clerici, followed in August by horn player Hector McDonald, once of Canberra but now principal horn with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, playing Richard Strauss’s Concerto for Horn No. 1 in E flat major, Op 11. Finally, in November violinist Harry Bennetts, from the Australian National Academy of Music will perform Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, concluding the series.

The connections with Germany are profound, Milton explained and a young artist from the CSO will perform in Berlin   next year under a new exchange agreement.

Milton told those present that preparing a program, “it’s like preparing a meal.” The entrée for 2017 for instance, would be the Shell Prom Picnic Concert on February 18, featuring Tim Kain’s celebrated Guitar Trek and the orchestra. Then for the mains course there would be a huge CSO Opera Gala in July, featuring guest artists from the of the State Opera House in Saarbrücken, Germany, where Milton is general music director and chief conductor.

“Why is there this wall between the orchestra and the audience – I want to break it down” Milton asked.

Several ventures will go a way towards doing that.

2017 will see a new recital series where each soulless would perform concerts in the Larry Sitsky Room on the Sunday preceding each Llewellyn Hall concert.

HotelHotel’s Monster Salon will be the setting for a series of “Strings in the Salon” concerts.

Perhaps most unusual will be a new series dedicated to Australian music. “Other orchestras are scared to do Australian music,” Milton said, but not the CSO, or not any more. Australian composer and deputy head of the Sydney Conservatorium, Matthew Hindson was on hand to explain the Australian music series of three concerts, to be held in the Gordon Darling Room of the National Portrait Gallery. “What’s really important is that it demonstrates leadership…it’s incredible to do it in Canberra,” he said.

As for exactly what would be in those Australian concerts, mum was the word. As they say in showbiz, “you’ll just have to be there to find out.”

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra 2017 subscription season is now open for booking. All details of the 2017 program are available@cso.org.au

 

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