How does it feel to play an instrument that has captivated audiences across centuries, knowing that you’re simply ‘keeping it warm’ for its next custodian?
For our Concertmaster Emma McGrath it’s a privilege to be the custodian of a 181-year-old violin by one of the most renowned luthiers in history - Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.
The 1845 Vuillaume is on loan from two of our generous patrons.
It is described by Emma as a ‘race car’ with an ego as big as that of its maker (Vuillaume was famous for throwing dinner parties to celebrate his own achievements).
‘I’m very lucky to be keeping it warm. It’s not mine but I think of it as mine – we have a lovely relationship and it’s an incredible instrument.’
On 7 May you can see this race car in action as Emma plays The Red Violin, John Corigliano’s Oscar-winning film score that follows the epic, tragic tale of a 300-year-old violin.
The concert in Hobart's Federation Concert Hall will be livestreamed to Launceston's University of Tasmania Inveresk Campus and The Makers hub in Burnie.
‘It’s a modern masterpiece,’ Emma says of Corigliano’s work.
‘The movie score underpins an incredible story of a magnificent but haunted violin over three centuries,' she says.
‘In this piece, it is our intention to consistently build tension and tell a very tragic story that travels through space and time.
‘Because of the constant repetition throughout, it feels quite different to a standard concerto, which often has three movements with different tempi and moods.
‘There are energetic moments, nostalgic moments, passionate moments and to be honest, scary moments.
‘So much happens in such a short space of time.
'The audience can expect to be thrilled, moved, and perhaps even shocked. This piece is rarely programmed, so this is daring and not to be missed.' – Emma McGrath, TSO Concertmaster
In this concert, which is part of our 6pm Series, Emma reunites with Australian conductor Nathan Aspinall, who joins us from the US.
The pair last worked together in 2019 at the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida.
In the second half of the concert, Nathan, who is Resident Conductor of the famed Nashville Symphony, will lead the TSO for Shostakovich’s Symphony No 1 – an astonishing piece written when the composer was just 19.
Get 2-for-1 tickets to this concert
This concert is part of our 6pm Series – the perfect one-hour music fix, for when your daytime soul needs a bit of evening song. Book tickets here.
This concert is also being livestreamed to Launceston and Burnie as part of our collaboration with the University of Tasmania.
Tickets to these on-screen events are $10 for adults, with group discounts available.
%207RV00272.avif)
.jpg)
