Musica Viva - Among The Birds And The Trees

Musica Viva Australia presents Among The Birds And The Trees, featuring London Symphony Orchestra flautist Adam Walker, Vienna Philharmonic harpist Anneleen Lenaerts, and 2023 RPS Young Artist Award winner, Timothy Ridout, at the Queensland Conservatorium on May 3, 2023.

Featured in the program is a unique blend of instruments rarely heard in classical chamber music: flute, harp, and viola. Artistic Director concert curator Paul Kildea is excited to bring the distinctive trio to a national audience.

“The rather unusual line-up of instruments offers a unique experience for the listener: a world of glowing sounds, with something entrancing around every corner of a gently twisting path. It is sure to be a stunning concert experience,” he says.

The concert marks the return of Walker after his stellar performance at the Musica Viva Festival in 2019. Described by the Guardian as “effortlessly virtuosic” with “impeccable craftsmanship”, Walker will perform an exhilarating collection of solo and ensemble works alongside Lenaerts and Ridout.

The centerpiece of the performance will be Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp; a sprawling work popularised as a staple of the ensemble model. The Sonata will be performed alongside modern works inspired by Debussy’s sonorous soundscapes, including Gubaidulina’s Garden of Joy and Sorrow and Japense composer Takemitsu’s And then I knew ‘twas Wind.  

Takemitsu uses Debussy’s trio as a launching pad to evoke the shifting quality of the wind. Like many of his previous works, it draws upon the principals of Japanese garden construction. In Takemitsu’s own words, “listening to my music can be compared to walking through a garden and experiencing the changes in light, pattern and texture.”

The acclaimed trio’s take on these mesmerising works is guaranteed to delight audiences!

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