Thursday 21 November 2024 6pm
Odeon Theatre, Nipaluna / Hobart
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Curated and performed by Satu
Vänskä, featuring Jim Moginie
(Midnight Oil) and Brian Ritchie
(Violent Femmes).
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra acknowledges the traditional owners and continuing custodians of Lutruwita / Tasmania. We pay respect to the Aboriginal community today, and to its Elders past and present. We recognise a history of truth, which acknowledges the impacts of colonisation upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and stand for a future that profoundly respects their stories, culture, language and history.
About the concert
Works
Sibelius Rakastava (The Lover), Op. 14 (11 mins)
Drake (arr. Tognetti) Way to Blue (5 mins)
Drake (arr. Tognetti) River Man (5 mins)
Saariaho …de la Terre (7 mins)
Tognetti Heston (3 mins)
Tognetti Transfiguration (6 mins)
Tognetti Flying (3 mins)
Sibelius Kuolema, Op. 44, Scene VI (2 mins)
Sibelius Canzonetta, Op. 62a (4 mins)
Kaija Saariaho.
Uncover the stories behind the works.
The Oxford Dictionary defines transfiguration as a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state. Creative Director June Tyzack, along with Curator Satu Vänskä have created an hour of sound, light and pure escapism.
A note from Satu.
Twilight existing on both sides of the day, I welcome you to blur the means of the beginning and the end. Which is which? From Saariaho’s mysterious wandering in the nocturnal to Sibelius’s hazy sepia of the midsummer; Nick Drake’s clarity on the melancholy to the dark tales of the mundane. I invite my long-time collaborators Jim Moginie and Brian Ritchie on stage together with the TSO to engage away from the afternoon light that glares down on the rest of the world.
A note from June.
With two Finnish composers represented in the program, namely Jean Sibelius and Kaija Saariaho, and Satu Vänskä having Finnish parents, I was keen to reference the skies of the Arctic Circle - the Polar twilight blue and the Midnight Sun; to explore light and darkness - the clarity of the sky and the contrasting murkiness of loneliness; (loneliness experienced by Satu in her childhood and Nick Drake throughout his short life); and to create the illusion of the line between sky and horizon, between earth and heaven.
Rakastava (The Lover), Op. 14
Composed by Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957)
11 minutes
A beautifully delicate work, Finnish composer Jean Sibelius wrote Rakastava (Finnish for the lover) in 1893. It was originally written for a male choir but was later arranged for a small string orchestra with added timpani and triangle.
The music is based on three short movements inspired by a traditional Finnish folk poem about love and longing and echo the sentiment of the original texts. In his diary he wrote: “There is something of dark soil in this work. Soil and Finland.”
First movement The Lover: He looks for his beloved. If he should find her, everything would be different. The music has a floating ethereal quality with delicate timpani rolls of anticipation. You can feel the affection.
Second movement The Path of His Beloved: He finds where she has walked, and everything there is blossoming and brighter. The strings restrain their joy with a hushed melody, but the music is alive with excitement. The rhythm and melody create a feeling of movement, as if the lover is walking toward their beloved.
Third movement Good Evening... Farewell!: They meet. They dance. They embrace. They kiss. They part. The third movement recalls the atmosphere of the first, but with an underlying sense of longing. the solo violin, in dialogue with the solo cello, mourns the inevitable parting.
Way to Blue
Composed by Nick Drake (1948 – 1974)
(arr. Tognetti)5 minutes
The haunting and introspective Way to Blue appears on Nick Drake’s 1969 debut album Five Leaves Left. Drake was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist who died of an overdose in 1974 aged 26. There’s a sadness in the lyrics made more unsettling by alternating major and minor keys, and Satu’s understated vocals further capture the melancholy mood. Resolving in the major adds support and assurance that it’s okay to share troubling thoughts with a friend. Way to Blue was one of several songs on this album to be recorded with a string accompaniment.
River Man
Composed by Nick Drake (1948-1974)
(arr. Tognetti)5 minutes
River Man, also from Drake’s debut album, was originally orchestrated for strings. It has a flowing, hypnotic melody that feels almost like the current of a river. Written in 5/4 time and recorded with Drake on acoustic guitar, River Man takes us on a stroll along a river in the English countryside with lyrics inspired by Wordsworth and other English romantic poets. This enigmatic work is again enhanced with the soothing and alluring voice of Satu.
....de la Terre
Composed by Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023)
7 minutes
Saariaho’s otherworldly ... de la Terre (of the earth) is the third movement of the ballet Maa, which in the Finnish language translates as ‘earth’, ‘land’ or‘country’. …de la Terre is based on fragments of text from Jacques Roubaud's Échanges de la lumière - a discourse on light. More evolving atmosphere than traditional song, it combines recorded whisperings and sounds of birds and wind with the solo violin in the foreground. It was published separately as a concert piece for violin and electronics and premiered in 1992.
Heston
Composed by Richard Tognetti (1965-)
3 minutes
Richard Tognetti violinist, Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and composer- arranger of all the vocal works in this Obscura program, is quoted as saying that he loves cooking and could have been a chef in another life. Amongst the most discerning of his dinner guests is celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. This work, Heston, an original composition by Tognetti, refers to the genius of Heston and is loosely inspired by the 'Garden of Earthly Delights' by Hieronymus Bosch. It has been described as a ‘screaming critique of celebrity chefism’. Heston appears on the soundtrack for the ACO’s 2012 multimedia project The Reef.
Transfiguration
Composed by Richard Tognetti (1965-)
6 minutes
In conversation, Tognetti uses the words ‘acceptance’, and ‘forgiveness’, and ‘finding light where there might be darkness’ when talking about Transfiguration. The piece has a slow, meditative build that might feel calming at first but gradually intensifies. The minimal lyrics in his composition are vague and non-committal, dreamily alternating between “I/we don’t mind” and “We won’t hide’. Transfiguration is scored for voice, acoustic and bass guitars, vibraphone and strings.
Flying
Composed by Richard Tognetti (1965-)
3 minutes
As the title suggests, Tognetti uses music to convey this sense of flight, with rapid, light, and sweeping passages that mimic the sensation of gliding, dipping, and rising.
Flying was included in Tognetti’s composite score for the 2017 ACO cinematic adventure, Mountain, that melded together music and nature. Tognetti worked with filmmaker Jennifer Peedom to assemble soundscapes and footage to show both the serenity and majesty of wild, mountainous landscapes alongside the terror of these jaw-dropping vistas. ‘I saw that you went’, ‘the feel’, ‘the pain’, ‘I watched…’ are some of the lyrics in Flying.
Kuolema, Op. 44, Scene VI
Canzonetta, Op. 62a
Composed by Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957)
6 minutes
Sibelius wrote incidental music for the play Kuolema (Death) which was first performed in the Helsinki National theatre in 1903. Considered both a dream play and a fairy tale, Sibelius created six musical numbers to align with the story - a plot that includes a dying mother dancing, Death knocking at her door, a witch, a ring with magical qualities, cranes carrying an infant, and a house fire which claims the mother’s son.
The music for this scene (scene 6) has harp-like arpeggio figurations in the strings with pizzicato double basses, and a distant church bell is heard after the burning house collapses and the air clears.
The short and charming Canzonetta for string orchestra, (originally named Rondino der Liebenden - Lover’s Rondo), was inserted into a new production of the play in 1911. According to Sibelius, the premiere was a fiasco, as the music was almost inaudible. It was critiqued unfavourably, but nonetheless Sibelius thought his Canzonetta ‘lovely’ and even later in life enjoyed conducting it.
Musicians
Satu Vänskä
Violinist
Born to a Finnish family in Japan, violinist Satu Vänskä has developed an international profile through her role as Principal Violin with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. In addition to this role, Satu is quickly gaining a reputation as violin soloist, play director and curator of various diverse projects.
The development of such is reflective of Satu’s desire to continually evolve as a musician and to courageously embrace new musical challenges. She has a passion for dynamic programming that explores the link between old and new music, alongside presenting boundary-blurring cross-genre collaborations, that resonate with today’s classical music audiences. Highlights of the 2024 sesaon, include her debut with the Melbourne Symphony performing the Beethoven Violin Concert under the baton of Umberto Clerici, recitals at the Melbourne Recital and Ukaria Cultural Centres with Konstantin Shamray, Chamber Landscapes at Adelaide Festival and she looks forward to returning to the Tasmania Symphony as part of their Obscura series.
Satu is the founder, curator, front-woman, violinist and vocalist of Satu In The Beyond with Richard Tognetti and producer Paul Beard. This is a band that has evolved from ACO Underground over the years with the aim to present audiences with originally written music.
Satu performs on the 1728/29 Stradivarius violin on loan from the ACO Instrument Fund.
Jim Moginie
Guitarist
Jim Moginie was raised in Sydney's northern suburbs and attended high school in the city, where he befriended future Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst. Together with another friend, Andrew James, they formed the band Farm, before recruiting singer Peter Garrett and changing their name to Midnight Oil.
Jim is best known as a songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player for the Oils, but his career has also spanned dozens of less well known creative adventures, from playing traditional Irish music with Shameless Seamus & the Tullamore Dews and creating soundscapes for eight guitars under the banner of Jim Moginie's Electric Guitar Orchestra, to playing with punk-edged cerebral rock band the Family Dog and surf instrumentalists The Break. Jim has also collaborated with prominent artists such as Silverchair, Sarah Blasko, the Warumpi Band, the Living End, Kasey Chambers, Neil Finn and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Brian Ritchie
Bass Guitarist
Brian is founder and bassist of Milwaukee's Violent Femmes which has been touring the globe since 1981. He also has performed and recorded with innumerable artists including Rodriguez, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Pierre Henry, Lou Reed, ad infinitum. He is also a licensed teacher and performer of shakuhachi, the Japanese bamboo flute. He currently resides between Canberra and Tasmania.
June Tyzack
Creative Director
Known for decades as the chorus master of the TSO Chorus, delivering unique cutting-edge choral theatre for festivals at MONA, and creating bespoke opportunities for chorus’ performances in varied environments, June has also been directing the Obscura series since 2021. Adding to the visual and acoustic treatment of the repertoire, June has introduced olfactory elements to some performances, and she promises to expand the sensory stimulation into the future.
Bob Gardam
Audio Engineer
Bob is an experienced Audio Technician who has been involved in the Tasmanian production industry for the past two decades. He has worked as a Senior Audio Engineer, Technical Lead, and Head of Audio at multiple production companies in the state, and has been heavily involved with design, planning and operation of many Festivals including Mona Foma, Dark Mofo, A Festival Called Panama and SummerSalt. His commercial shows with the TSO include Birds of Tokyo, Megan Washington, The Wolfe Brothers and Darren Hanlon.
Mark Hayes
Lighting Designer
Mark is a lighting designer and operator with almost four decades of experience. He has toured extensively across Australia, the USA and through Asia for acts including Little River Band, Icehouse, Pete Murray, Jimmy Barnes, Violent Femmes, Charlie Pride, and Leo Sayer. At home, his work has been seen at Mona Foma, Dark Mofo events, and in commercial shows with the TSO.
Artists
Satu Vänskä Violin, director and vocals
Jim Moginie Guitar
Brian Ritchie Bass Guitar
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
CREATIVE TEAM
June Tyzack Creative Director
Mark Hayes Lighting Designer
Bob Gardam Audio Engineer
STAGE
Emily Becker Stage Manager
Kayne Johnson Production Manager
Nick van den Enden Production Coordinator
Gavin Wolfe Production & Venue Assistant
Violin
Emma McGrath Concertmaster
Ji Won Kim Associate Concertmaster
Jennifer Owen Principal Second
Miranda Carson Principal First
Yue-Hong Cha
Tobias Chisnall
Michael Johnston
Elinor Lea
Christopher Nicholas
Rohana O’Malley
Hayato Simpson
Viola
Caleb Wright Principal
Anna Larsen Roach
Susanna Low
William Newbery
Cello
Jonathan Békés Principal
Ivan James
Nicholas McManus
Martin Penicka
Double Bass
Stuart Thomson Principal
Aurora Henrich
Timpani
Matthew Goddard Principal
Percussion
Gary Wain Principal
*Correct at time of publishing
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