Prue. Maestro EOIN CAMERON & PRUE ASHURST PRESENT CLASSICAL FAVOURITES AND THE

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1 Prue AND THE Maestro EOIN CAMERON & PRUE ASHURST PRESENT CLASSICAL FAVOURITES

2 Over the years that Prue Ashurst has been presenting our classical music spot each Friday morning, the consistent feedback from our audience has been astonishing. Prue always manages to find the very touching and scintillating human story behind the famous composer or performer to share with us. It seems that each individual can find something different in the marvellous array of music on offer. It might be the first rays of sunlight to greet the new day accompanied by O fortuna. It would be a miserable spirit indeed that was not immediately lifted. Perhaps a farmer on his tractor all night to get in the new season s crop, carried to another place with the strains of Beethoven s Moonlight Sonata. Even sitting in a traffic jam on the way to work can take on a different perspective if you can accompany David Hobson and Teddy Tahu Rhodes as you belt out a bit of Bizet at the top of your lungs. Wherever this music takes you, we hope you enjoy the journey. Eoin Cameron Presenter, Breakfast 720 ABC Perth CD1 CARL ORFF O fortuna from Carmina burana 2 31 Sydney Philharmonia Symphonic Choir and Orchestra, Antony Walker conductor LIVE RECORDING In 1847, the German scholar Johann Andreas Schmeller published a collection of 13th-century poems that had been discovered some 45 years earlier in the monastery at Benediktbeuern and called them Carmina burana, that is, Songs of Beuern. These songs had been written by various minstrels, scholars and poets and deal with all kinds of aspects of human activity and behaviour. Pictured at the beginning of Schmeller s volume was a wheel of fortune, and this image impressed composer Carl Orff as much as the poems when he first came across it in Within two years he had completed his musical setting of a selection of the verses. In the opening chorus, O Fortuna, fate is likened to a waxing and waning moon as well as to a wheel: it is always changing. ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Largo (excerpt) from Symphony No. 9 From the New World 4 04 Sydney Symphony Orchestra, José Serebrier conductor Dvořák s last symphony was composed in New York in Titled From the New World, it is a blend of excitement at the sights and sounds of America, and sharp nostalgia for his native Czech countryside. The Largo slow movement was later given words by one of Dvořák s students, and as Going Home it became a favourite spiritual in the recitals of the African- American singer Paul Robeson. Dvořák was deeply fascinated by spirituals, and perhaps there are echoes of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot in the Largo s broad melody, but according to the composer, the music was inspired by a scene in Longfellow s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha. JOSEPH CANTELOUBE Baïlèro from Songs of the Auvergne, Book I No Sara Macliver soprano, The Queensland Orchestra, Brett Kelly conductor Joseph Canteloube grew up in the Auvergne region of France a beautiful and unique landscape, with rich and fertile valleys and bare-topped hills. As a boy the young Joseph roamed the country extensively with his father, soaking up the nuances of the region and 2 3

3 establishing in himself an indelible love for it, and for regionalism in general: the differences of the French landscape, its traditions, and especially its music, were to shape his creative life. His Songs of the Auvergne are settings of traditional Auvergnat melodies, shaped into orchestral songs of subtle beauty. In Baïlèrô, the gentle accompaniment of entwining woodwind forms a sensual backcloth to the shepherdess who beckons the shepherd to cross the river to make love to her. Baïlèrô lèrô lèrô is her seductive entreaty. JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, David Stanhope conductor Written during his time in Leipzig as director of the collegium musicum, and more commonly known as the Air on the G String, this piece is one of the most popular of all of Bach s works. The orchestral suites would have first been performed as part of the weekly concerts held at the collegium and all have a definite French influence. The writing combines a delicate pizzicato (plucked) accompaniment with a soaring melody, creating a sense of calmness. CLAUDE DEBUSSY Clair de lune from Suite bergamasque 5 22 David Stanhope piano Debussy evolved a highly innovative harmonic language that profoundly affected the composers of his time and after. Proud of his French heritage, he drew from his country s Baroque composers as well as looking to Orientalism to create music with a new emphasis on colour and timbre an aesthetic sometimes called Impressionism. Clair de lune is probably his best-known work. Debussy once described music as the space between the notes and, in the opening phrases, that space is crucial in evoking the stillness of a moonlit night. The central section contains more movement with its shimmering broken chords. FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No Roger Woodward piano The 19th-century piano nocturne was created by the Irishman John Field and raised to exquisite heights by Chopin. An 1821 music dictionary defined the nocturne as a graceful and sweet melody, tender and mysterious, simple phrases, harmony that is not elaborate, but full, mellow, and without triviality. Chopin expanded the genre greatly with his extraordinary pianistic finesse and poetic sensibility. This E-flat major Nocturne is one of a set of three composed between 1830 and 1832; a simple accompaniment underpins the most delicate, elaborately varied right-hand melody. ANTONIO VIVALDI Allegro (Third Movement) from La Primavera (Spring): Violin Concerto in E major, from The Four Seasons, Op. 8 No Elizabeth Wallfisch Baroque violin, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Paul Dyer director Vivaldi wrote some 500 concertos, for a range of solo instruments including cello, flute, recorder, oboe, piccolo and bassoon, but he was most prolific in writing for the violin. The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos, one representing each of the seasons of the year. For each concerto, Vivaldi provided an instructive sonnet to help the listener in matching up the musical moods with the sights and sounds of the passing year. The poem for the third movement of Spring runs: To the rustic bagpipes festive sound, nymphs and shepherds dance beneath the shining skies of spring. PIETRO MASCAGNI Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana 3 01 West Australian Symphony Orchestra, David Measham conductor Mascagni s one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana, composed when he was 26, was a success he never came near to repeating. The plot is set in Sicily, and tells of the vengeance taken by the young woman Santuzza on Turiddu, a young soldier and the father of the child Santuzza is carrying. He has forsaken her for Lola, who is the wife of the village teamster, Alfio. After appealing to Turiddu in vain, Santuzza tells Alfio of the affair in which his wife is engaged; Alfio challenges Turiddu to a duel and kills him. The Intermezzo is played between the two scenes of the opera, with the stage empty. At this point Santuzza has told Alfio that his wife has been unfaithful with Turiddu, and this has provoked a passionate outburst. The Intermezzo foreshadows the impending tragedy. 4 5

4 JOHANN PACHELBEL Canon in D 4 29 Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, David Stanhope conductor Pachelbel is a composer famous today for only one piece this Canon in D but during his lifetime, he was revered far beyond his native Germany. The Canon was written around 1680 (five years before the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach). The harmony is extremely simple: a mere two bars of a very straightforward sequence of chords which is then repeated over and over until the very end of the piece. Floating over the top of this, however, three melody lines weave an increasingly elaborate tracery of counterpoint in a strict canon, all three parts playing exactly the same tune, but beginning one after the other. The piece was thrust into the spotlight in the 1980 movie Ordinary People, and has remained a popular favourite ever since. ROMAN HOFFSTETTER Serenade from String Quartet in F major 3 33 West Australian Symphony Orchestra, David Measham conductor Imitation is, they say, the sincerest form of flattery. The composer and Benedictine monk Roman Hoffstetter was a great admirer of the music of Haydn, to that point where, he said, everything that flows from Haydn s pen seems to me so beautiful and remains so deeply imprinted on my memory that I cannot prevent myself now and again from imitating something as well as I can. He did such a good job that some of his string quartets were until very recently thought to be by Haydn himself! The famous Serenade is one of these; it comes from a set of six quartets written by Hoffstetter in TRADITIONAL ENGLISH arr. Michael Neaum! The Water of Tyne 2 57 Gondwana Voices, Marshall McGuire harp, Mark O Leary conductor Michael Neaum is the regular accompanist of well-known English girls choir Cantamus conducted by Pamela Cook, and this arrangement is dedicated to Cook and the choir. Working within a conventional harmonic idiom, Neaum lets the beauty of the folksong melody speak for itself as he explores a range of textures and colours in both the vocal and accompaniment parts. Although originally written for piano, this accompaniment works well for harp which is used in this recording. MAURICE RAVEL Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) 6 15 Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, David Stanhope conductor Based on the piano work of the same name, the orchestral piece Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) was supposedly given its title simply because Ravel liked the assonance created by the words. It is a reinterpretation of a Renaissance dance form, maintaining its delicate gravity, but blending it with the elegance of fin-de-siècle French culture. ROSS EDWARDS b Dawn Mantras 7 14 Sydney Children s Choir, Cantillation, Jane Sheldon soprano, Matthew Doyle didjeridu, Jim Franklin shakuhachi, Rixon Thomas cor anglais, Ian Cleworth and Brian Nixon percussion, Lyn Williams conductor Ross Edwards wrote his Dawn Mantras for a performance on the sails of the Sydney Opera House that took place in the first light of the first day of the year 2000, celebrated around the world as the beginning of the new millennium. Incorporating diverse musical elements didjeridu, shakuhachi, children s and men s voices, percussion and the Western woodwind instrument, the cor anglais the piece draws the multi-faceted aspects of Australian society and culture into a combined spiritual expression. BENEDETTO MARCELLO $ Adagio from Concerto in D minor for oboe, strings and continuo 3 33 Diana Doherty oboe, Sinfonia Australis The Venetian nobleman Benedetto Marcello was too busy with his civic duties as councillor, diplomat and judge to become a professional musician, but like other aristocrats he took the time to meet weekly with his peers to debate matters of science, philosophy and the arts. Key among the values promoted in these academies were simplicity and refined good taste both eloquently displayed in Marcello s D minor oboe concerto, with its exquisite slow movement. 6 7

5 GEORGES BIZET % Au fond du temple saint (In the Depths of the Holy Temple) from The Pearl Fishers 5 41 David Hobson tenor, Teddy Tahu Rhodes baritone, Sinfonia Australis, Thomas Woods conductor Bizet is best known for his stunningly colourful opera Carmen, but in recent years this magnificent duet from his first major opera Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers) has become deservedly popular. The melody is a simple one, the harmonies and orchestral colouring not as sophisticated as the later Bizet (this was composed in 1863), but there is a passionate artistry that makes the duet an inevitable contender for any Hundred Best Tunes competition. The rest of the opera is uneven in quality, but this showcase for male voices stands happily with the great opera duets of all time. Total Playing Time CD2 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Adagio sostenuto from Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 Moonlight 6 25 David Stanhope piano In late 1801, Beethoven wrote to a friend: You can scarcely believe what an empty, sad life I have had for the last two years. My poor hearing haunted me everywhere like a ghost; and I avoided all human society. I was forced to seem a misanthrope, and yet I am far from being one. This change has been brought about by a dear charming girl who loves me and whom I love and for the first time I feel that marriage might bring me happiness. This dear charming girl was the countess Giulietta Guicciardi, just shy of 17 years of age, and undoubtedly flattered by the famous composer s attentions, but certainly not prepared to take his suit seriously. Beethoven dedicated the so-called Moonlight Sonata to her: an amazing study in piano sound, the simplest of melodies over a haunting tread of rising broken chords. The Moonlight nickname came after Beethoven s death, when the poet and music critic Ludwig Rellstab compared the music of the first movement to moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS arr. Ralph Greaves 2 Fantasia on Greensleeves 5 07 Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, David Stanhope conductor In 1912 Vaughan Williams was asked to provide incidental music for a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor being mounted in Stratford that summer. Inspired by Act V Scene 5, where the food-obsessed Falstaff prays, Let the sky rain potatoes; let it thunder to the tune of Green Sleeves, Vaughan Williams introduces a fantasia on that famous tune. The central section is based on a second folksong, the Norfolk melody Lovely Joan the composer omitted this episode in the shortened version he included in his full-length opera Sir John in Love, but it was restored by Ralph Greaves who created the familiar concert version of the Fantasia in Attr. GIULIO CACCINI arr. Dan Walker 3 Ave Maria 3 21 Gondwana Voices, Alexandre Oguey oboe, Helena Rathbone, Aiko Goto violins, Nicole Forsyth viola, Daniel Yeadon cello, Maxime Bibeau double bass, Paul Stanhope chamber organ, Lyn Williams conductor Giulio Caccini was a singer and composer in the Medici court. His compositions included secular songs and madrigals but hardly any sacred works. And the Ave Maria (in English, Hail Mary ) popularly attributed to him is a strange composition: while the prayer has been set to music hundreds of times over the centuries, very rarely have these settings used just the first two words. It also bears very little resemblance to his usual style, so it comes as little surprise to learn that it is probably not by Caccini at all: the composer is now thought to be Vladimir Vavilov ( ), a Russian guitarist, lutenist and composer who composed it as a fake, on the model of Fritz Kreisler s similarly good-natured frauds. Vavilov died in poverty, never to know just how famous this illegitimate creation would soon become. GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Lascia ch io pianga from Rinaldo 4 19 Yvonne Kenny soprano, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Kamirski conductor Handel completed the music for the opera Rinaldo in a mere fortnight, over Christmas and New Year of 1710/1711. The story is set in the 11th century, during the First Crusade. The knight Rinaldo is the champion of the Christian forces who are attacking the city of Jerusalem; in an 8 9

6 effort to lure him away, the besieged Saracens have enlisted the help of a sorceress, who abducts Rinaldo s fiancée Almirena. Trapped in an enchanted palace, Almirena finds herself receiving unwelcome attentions from the Saracen king Argante, who claims to be able to break the spell; in one of the most touching arias Handel ever wrote, Lascia ch io pianga, Almirena pleads to be left alone with her grief. JOAQUÍN RODRIGO Adagio from Concierto de Aranjuez Slava Grigoryan guitar, The Queensland Orchestra, Brett Kelly conductor Rodrigo s famous guitar concerto was inspired by the magnificent Aranjuez palace, and by the music which was played there in the 18th century. The haunting, bittersweet slow movement, however, has a more specific meaning: it is Rodrigo s prayer for the recovery of his wife, Victoria, who had just given birth to a stillborn baby. Many years later, she described it as an evocation of the happy days of our honeymoon, when we walked in the park at Aranjuez. CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS The Swan from Carnival of the Animals 2 28 Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Heinze conductor Written originally for private performance only, the Carnival of the Animals became so popular that Saint-Saëns forbade performances of the work during his lifetime for fear that it would affect his reputation as a serious composer. The Swan features gliding motifs from the cello accompanied by a rippling ostinato in the piano to represent the movement of water. SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Variation 18 from Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Op Vitaly Samoshko piano, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Edvard Tchivzhel conductor LIVE RECORDING Rachmaninoff s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini was his last work for piano and orchestra. It was completed quickly, between 3 July and 18 August 1934, in his new Villa Senar on the banks of Lake Lucerne. Premiered in November by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski, it was such an overwhelming success that RCA ushered the artists into the recording studio within six weeks of the premiere. The Rhapsody is a set of variations on the theme from Paganini s Caprice No EDWARD ELGAR Nimrod from Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 Enigma 3 15 Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Myer Fredman conductor Begun in a spirit of humour and continued in deep seriousness, each movement of the Enigma Variations represents one of Elgar s friends. The movement entitled Nimrod represents A.J. Jaeger. (It s a clever play on words: Jaeger is German for hunter, and Nimrod is a biblical character famous as a mighty hunter.) Jaeger worked for the music publishing company Novello, and was a great champion of Elgar s work. The composer later wrote to Jaeger that the Nimrod variation was just like you you solemn, wholesome, hearty old dear. SAMUEL BARBER Adagio for Strings, Op Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Jorge Mester conductor The sublime beauty of Barber s Adagio for Strings has come to be particularly associated with funerals it was played at the funerals of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Albert Einstein and Princess Grace of Monaco, and was broadcast in the United States when John F. Kennedy was killed. It is extremely difficult to pin down just what it is about the music which is so affecting. The answer has eluded all analysis of musical technique, and most commentators find themselves left only with the composer s inherent openness and honesty: It s really well felt, it s believable it s not phoney, said fellow composer Aaron Copland in He s not just making it up because he thinks that would sound well. It comes straight from the heart, to use old-fashioned terms. GIACOMO PUCCINI Un bel dì (One Fine Day) from Madame Butterfly 4 24 Shu-Cheen Yu soprano, Sinfonia Australis, Antony Walker conductor Puccini s opera Madame Butterfly is a story of East meeting West with tragic consequences. The scene is Nagasaki, Japan: an American naval officer, Lieutenant Pinkerton, is smitten by the beauty of the 15-year-old Butterfly; she is swept off her feet by the sophisticated foreigner and the two marry. Pinkerton returns to the US with his ship, promising to return when the sparrows nest. After three years of waiting, Butterfly s faith is unshakeable: when her maid begins to wonder if perhaps Pinkerton might have abandoned them, Butterfly reproaches her 11

7 with the aria Un bel dì, in which she pictures in heart-rending detail the scene of their reunion. In fact, Pinkerton does return but he brings with him his new, American, wife, and when he discovers that Butterfly has borne him a son during his absence, he decides to take the child back to America to give it a proper upbringing. The opera ends as the devastated Butterfly takes her own life. ARAM KHACHATURIAN ! Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from Spartacus 5 42 Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Patrick Thomas conductor Gladiators in ancient Rome lived short but very intense lives. Mostly prisoners of war or criminals, they were considered lower than slaves, but at the same time, they could achieve celebrity status, especially among women. Khachaturian s ballet follows the story of perhaps the most famous gladiator of all: Spartacus, leader of a massive slave uprising between 73 and 71 BC. The Adagio, made famous when it was used as the theme to the television series The Onedin Line, in fact has nothing to do with the sea: it is a tender, soaring pas de deux between Spartacus and his lover Phrygia. FRANZ LISZT Liebestraum (Dream of Love) No Roger Woodward piano The Hungarian composer Franz Liszt was also a pianist, the greatest virtuoso of his day, and he wrote piano music to challenge the most agile player. His three Liebesträume, however, are nocturnes, and their mood is more mellow. This one, the third of the set, is prefaced by a poem: O love! O love as long as you can The hour is coming when you will stand at graves and weep. And take care that your heart glows And watch your tongue carefully: a harsh word escapes all too quickly. O God it wasn t meant to be cruel but the other walks away weeping. PYOTR IL YICH TCHAIKOVSKY Waltz from The Sleeping Beauty 4 36 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Dommett conductor Tchaikovsky s ballet music has always been immensely popular think Swan Lake and The Nutcracker but the composer himself felt that one of his finest works was The Sleeping Beauty. It is, of course, based on the fairy tale of the princess who pricks her finger and falls into an enchanted sleep for a hundred years, to be awakened by a handsome prince. The dazzling waltz comes in Act I, as Princess Aurora celebrates her 16th birthday in grand style. LEONARD BERNSTEIN $ Overture from Candide 4 14 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Jorge Mester conductor Leonard Bernstein s comic operetta Candide is based on a story by the 18th-century French author Voltaire. Candide is a young man who has been taught to believe that everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds. After a string of disasters (including the execution in the Spanish Inquisition of the tutor who had preached this message to him), he finally resolves to abandon this philosophy and simply try to build an honest life. The operetta never really worked in the theatre, despite numerous cuts and reworkings, but the music is glorious, and the sparkling overture remains hugely popular in the concert hall. Total Playing Time

8 Eoin Cameron Unlike Prue, who has serious cred when it comes to classical music, I discovered the genre through television and commercials. Who could forget the billowing of the sails over Khachaturian s soaring melody in the opening credits of The Onedin Line? And I m sure Carl Orff would be Orff his face at the prospect of one of his masterpieces flogging Aussie beer. There s nothing mysterious about classical music, it s just the pop music of its time, and as you listen to this compilation you ll understand that the hits just kept on comin. Having left school at 14, Eoin Cameron had a variety of jobs from rouseabouting in a shearing team, salmon fishing and tractor driving, to trying (unsuccessfully) to sell used cars. He has been broadcasting since 1969, apart from a sixyear hiatus when he served two terms in the Federal Parliament. Eoin presents the top rating Breakfast Show on 720 ABC Perth. Prue Ashurst joins Eoin each Friday for their Prue and the Maestro segment which is enormously popular. Prue Ashurst Prue Ashurst is a graduate of the University of Western Australia with a Master s degree in Music Performance (Choral Conducting) and a Bachelor s degree in Music Education and Performance. She has also studied and performed interstate and overseas. Prue is in demand as a choral conductor, adjudicator and music director in Perth, and has conducted for the Perth International Arts Festival, West Australian Opera, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, University of Western Australia Choral Society, West Australian Symphony Orchestra Chorus and West Australian Symphony Orchestra Youth Choir. Her school choirs have sung in Geneva, London, Singapore and Wales. Since 2003, Prue has freelanced as a guest conductor in Sydney and Melbourne with Australia s most prestigious children s choir, Gondwana Voices. Executive Producer Robert Patterson Mastering Michael Lynch, Sony DACD Editorial and Production Manager Hilary Shrubb Publications Editor Natalie Shea Booklet Design Imagecorp Pty Ltd Photos Cover: Dawn from Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia David Messent/Photolibrary.com. Photos of Eoin Cameron and Prue Ashurst by Frances Andrijich ABC Classics thanks Deborah Leavitt and Simon Moore-Crouch (720 ABC Perth), Alexandra Alewood and Melissa Kennedy CD1 8, 1993 CD2 9, $, 1996 CD2 4, 1997 CD1 7, 1998 CD1 6, 2000 CD1 1, 9, 2001 CD2 0,!, 2002 CD CD1!, $, CD2 2, 6,, 2004 CD1 0,, %, CD2 7, 2005 CD1 2, 5, CD2 1, 5, 8, 2006 CD1 3, CD2 3 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This compilation was first published in 2007 and any and all copyright in this compilation is owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Universal Music Group, under exclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner of copyright reserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion, public performance or broadcast of this record without the authority of the copyright owner is prohibited