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Kawai Opening Gala: Emergence - Port Fairy Spring Music Festival

...An utter privilege to witness – KAYE BLUM (AUSTRALIANJAZZ.NET) ON SHAUNTAI BATZKE

The 2019 festival emerges – from the harmonious opening bells of the Vingt Regards, as Messiaen fixes our gaze on the dawn of creation – from the mellifluous Adagio movement of the Beethoven violin sonata now synonymous with springtime – and from Ravel’s jubilant 1914 masterwork Piano Trio, which drew its inspiration from the unfinished composition Zazpiak Bat, Ravel’s patriotic celebration of the ancient Basque culture of south-western Europe.

EMERGENCE concludes with a celebration of our own First Nations culture, in the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Shauntai Batzke – one of Australia’s leading sopranos, and a major emerging compositional voice in the Australian art music scene, migrating across genres. Her visionary project is an epic song cycle exploring her Wiradjuri heritage, with her own powerful lyrics written in First Nations language. For the world premiere, Shauntai collaborates with an ensemble of leading Melbourne string players, together with festival directors Monica Curro and Stefan Cassomenos.

MESSIAEN Regard du Pére (from Vingt Regards)

BEETHOVEN Adagio molto espressivo (from Spring Sonata, Op 24)

RAVEL Piano Trio

BATZKE New Work (World Premiere)

ARTISTS

  • SHAUNTAI BATZKE

    Voice

  • STEFAN CASSOMENOS

    Piano

  • MONICA CURRO

    Violin

  • JENNY KHAFAGI

    Violin

  • JASON BUNN

    Viola

  • MICHAEL DAHLENBURG

    Cello

  • EMMA SULLIVAN

    Double Bass

DATE & TIME

Friday 11th October, 
8:00 PM

  • DURATION

    80 minutes

  • PRICE

    $49/$39 conc.

  • VENUE

    Reardon Theatre