One of Australia’s most exciting chamber ensembles, pianist Timothy Young and clarinettist David Griffiths (known together as Ensemble Liaison), arrive at Fish Creek Memorial Hall at 2.30pm on Sunday 15 November, fresh from a sold-out performance at the Canberra International Music Festival.
Atmospheric, virtuosic and full of rhythmic energy, the program is a journey from moonlight and mythology to ragtime, jazz and the blues. The first half, Atmospheres and Visions, begins inside the sound of the piano itself with Henry Cowell’s extraordinary "The Tides of Manaunaun" and "Aeolian Harp". Debussy’s "Clair de Lune" and "Beau Soir" follow, then Gershwin’s "Three Preludes" bring jazz-age America into the concert hall and Stravinsky’s "Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo" show the instrument at its most intimate. The half ends with Liszt’s monumental "Dante Sonata", a thunderous vision of darkness, passion and transcendence.
After the interval, the mood changes completely. Rags and Blues opens with Scott Joplin’s
"The Entertainer", "Pleasant Moments" and "Elite Syncopations", and races on through Elena Kats-Chernin’s exuberant "Grand Rag", the early jazz of "Clarinet Marmalade" and Clarence Woods’ "Graveyard Blues". Then comes John Novacek’s dazzling "Four Rags for Two Jons", a showcase of stunning virtuosity from both performers, before Michele Mangani’s "Blues" brings the afternoon to a spirited finish.
Reviewing their Canberra performance in May, Limelight’s Michael Wilson wrote: “Just when you think you’ve seen everything, Griffiths and Young take you to the next level – and do it with a sense of surreptitious fun and subversive mischief.”
For Timothy Young, it’s a return to familiar ground. He gave the inaugural recital on the hall’s grand piano, brought to Fish Creek by the Grand Hall Grand Piano project, and returned earlier this year with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. This time he’s joined by clarinettist David Griffiths, whose playing has taken Ensemble Liaison to the International ClarinetFest in Texas as a global featured artist, and who moves between classical and jazz with rare ease.
Audiences can expect world-class musicianship, heard up close in one of Gippsland’s finest small venues. Seats are limited, and this is a concert worth booking early. Presented by Prom Recitals. Tickets: $60, book at https://www.trybooking.com/DQMYH
