Broken Consorts tour with Ensemble Offspring

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Ironwood saw 2015 in with lots of new music & new ways of hearing old music. A long planned collaboration with Sydney’s cutting edge new music group Ensemble Offspring hit the road in mid-Feb.

A brand new commission written especially for us & Ensemble Offspring by Australian composer Felicity Wilcox had been in the planning for over a year, and we were very excited to workshop its first draft just before Christmas 2014.

To work with a living composer on an evolving work is a gift in direct relation to what we do as ‘historically informed performers’ – all those style things not written down in the score are right there in the composer’s head – waiting for you to discuss with them. Instead of doing the detective work through scores, letters, diaries, early recordings (sometimes), we get to chat about it directly with the person who is working in a compositional style right here and now.

You become very aware that the pencil markings you scribble on a first printed draft of a part or a score are significant not only for the composer but subsequent performers, as a ‘how to’

Felicity’s “Uncovered Ground” mixes modern instruments – prepared modern piano, bass clarinet, percussion – vibraphone, gongs, wood blocks and lots of other sounds,  flutes – alto flute, as well as a classical flute at A=430hz and baroque strings.

Also on the program was Damien Ricketson’s 2002 work “Trace Elements” which is a work written in tablature, for any two wind & two string instruments. Lamorna Nightingale (flutes) & Jason Noble (clarinets) were paired with Danny & I on our gut strung early cello & viola. An amazing spectral composition, which just kept getting more interesting for us with each performance.

Claire Edwardes (percussion) and Zubin Kanga (piano) made a wacky & very cute version of 17^th century composer Matthew Locke’s The Tempest suite by preparing both instruments with things like ping pong balls, blu tack, metal chains, paperclips and even an toy cicada. Claire’s toy bells (in assorted bright colour coding) were a hit pairing with bass clarinet in a sarabande. Theatre music anyone?! 

ABC Classic FM recorded us in our first performance in Hobart, in the wonderful and unusual circular acoustic of the Baha’i Centre for Learning, and we think it will probably go to air in early April – listen out for it.

Our tour took in Hobart – Julia’s home town; a road trip up to Tassie’s beautiful North West coast & Burnie; then a full house in Melbourne at a very atmospheric and theatrical fortyfivedownstairs, and on the final weekend two shows in the Utzon Room at Sydney Opera House, and another road trip to visit Newcastle Museum – the home of Newcastle Youth Orchestra. Thanks especially to Anna McMichael, who stepped in for Sydney & Newcastle shows when Julia was extremely sick and couldn’t fly from Hobart due to flu. Thanks to all who came along and supported such an interesting collaboration.

It was fab to work with the marvellous Ensemble Offspring & great to get around a large part of Australia’s east coast. We’ll see you all again soon with more new music for old instruments, and interactive commissions by Australian composers in Tassie in March at Ten Days on The Island (Nicole), at Tyalgum Festival in September (all of Ironwood string quartet), and a sneak peek/listen at our planned new works for 2016 and beyond in December’s series. New Australian work – vital and fascinating.

PS – Did you know that Matthew Locke was murdered by a 17^th century hitman, after being noted as a royal supporter and sent into hiding away from London? Clearly, being a composer is a MUCH safer job in the 21^st century!

Hello Again Brahms...

Hello again,
 It's been a while since we last posted - in the interim there've been all sorts of discussions about social media and length & types of posts. We reckon 140 characters has it's place, and so does targeted posting & viewing, but for good old fashioned detail & depth, you can't go past a blog. So here we are again.
You can catch up with what we've been up to 2012-2014 on Twitter here: @IronwoodEns
and on Facebook here: Ironwood

We are right at the end of 2014's season, and our public concerts finished with a blast of a season working with The Song Company on JS Bach's B Minor Mass. But we are not quite done yet - one of the most detailed projects of the last 3-4 years has been developing our work in nineteenth century history performance, specifically the 'german school' surrounding Brahms, Joachim, Clara Schumann, Fanny Davies and others. We still have half a recording to do before Christmas - Brahm's rather monumental G Minor Piano Quartet, which we are recording with Neal Peres Da Costa's brand newly made copy of Brahms own favourite Streicher piano of 1868. The copy was made by Paul McNulty - and you can see more of it in construction here Flickr McNultyMusic

With this project Ironwood has completed two highly successful tours of the USA (2012&2014) - where Stanford University Archive of Recorded Sound acclaimed us as 'world leaders in nineteenth century performance practice' - and where we had the opportunity to play in the Yale Collection of Instruments with yet another 1860's Erard; in upstate New York for Pegasus Early Music Series where Malcolm Bilson very kindly lent his 1830's Simon piano (incredibly informative as to how Brahms as a young man may have heard his piano playing); in Colorado working with the students at UC, Boulder, and previously in New York for the American Brahms Society's 2012 conference.

 We've also played in Musica Viva Australia's Chamber Music Festival & in the Melbourne Recital Centre - where lots of people remarked that they 'understood' Brahms for the first time, with our application of these re-discovered performance practices of tempo modification, rhythmic alteration, arpeggiation, dislocation of the bass from the treble, portamento, and a narrower more 'shimmery' vibrato. Really interesting to hear how people perceive this nineteenth century chamber music, and how these performance practices possibly allow it to be heard/received differently.

 So now we're going in to the studio at ABC Classics to record these works. Exciting, and somewhat daunting. It's one thing to try and recreate the sounds of Brahms & Joachim live on stage, and quite another to commit them to a permanent recording. At the Stanford conference "Reactions to the Record" , we were privy to all sorts of discussions about this period of music - amongst some of the first to be recorded by mechanical means on piano roll and on wax cylinder - being a three 'type' artefact - a performance, a recording & a score; all of them important for the research and reconstruction of performance practices. Different to the reconstruction of the 18th c - for which recording did not yet exist. Neal Peres Da Costa (our keyboard player)'s book "Off the Record" (OUP:NY:2012) deals with this if you'd like to read further; and Robin Wilson, our resident string expert on this period, will have his PhD thesis published at some point in the next few years (USYD, if anyone wants to request online). We're incredibly lucky to have these guys researching here in Australia, and even better applying it to performance and teaching.

 More reports on this recording as we go - next week..Time to go and sleep before another day of practice and admin... Nicole x

Ironwood with Developing Artists Orchestra presents Hornsignal

Ironwood presents
Hornsignal
Ironwood Developing Artists Orchestra
Directed by Neal Peres Da Costa, fortepiano
With Darryl Poulsen, natural horn

Sydney: Carriageworks, 7.30pm Saturday 15 October
Newcastle: Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, 2.30pm Sunday 16 October

Experience the magic and musicianship of the next generation of Australia’s hip musicians (that’s historically informed performance), in a concert of some of Mozart and Haydn’s most energetic and sparkling works; the restless energy of Mozart’s G minor Symphony 25, the crystalline clarity of fortepiano and orchestra in Mozart’s Piano Concerto K451, with Neal Peres Da Costa, soloist and director, and the blazing brilliance of the natural horn in Haydn’s Hornsignal Symphony.

Program
Mozart Piano Concerto No 16 K451 in D major
Haydn Symphony No 31 in D Major ‘Hornsignal’
Mozart Symphony No 25 K183 in G minor

Sydney
When: 7.30pm Saturday 15 October
Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh
Suggested Donation at the door $20. Bookings: Anna on 02 9389 8117

Newcastle
When: 2.30pm Sunday 16 October 2011
Where: Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Church Street, Newcastle,
Tickets: $35 adults; $20 Under 30/Consession
Bookings: Anna ph: 02 9389 8117 or e: cenika.anna@gmail.com

Ironwood officially launch their Developing Artists Program, following successful seasons in 2010 & 2011 of performances for the Biennale of Sydney, Melbourne Recital Centre, St James King St, Sydney and a residency at Bundanon, NSW. This seasonal orchestra gives young career-cusp musicians interested in Historically Informed Performance (HIP) an opportunity to perform with professionals in both urban and regional venues. The program provides Australia and the Pacific region with a pre-professional link orchestra on early instruments in the tradition of the European Union Baroque Orchestra, and other programs run by Tafelmusik, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra. Ironwood gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Bundanon Trust, rehearsal residency for this project, Carriageworks and the JUMP Mentorship Scheme, Australia Council for the Arts – Anthony Albrecht, (cello mentee) and Daniel Yeadon (cello mentor).

More details: www.ironwoodchamberensemble.com

Ironwood presents HORIZONS

Concert 1. Melbourne: 7.30pm Friday 16 September, Richmond (private gallery)
Concert 2. Mornington Peninsula: 6pm Sunday 18 September, Main Ridge Estate, Red Hill

Join Ironwood in string quartet guise for an evening of visionary horizons. The program features Haydn’s Opus 20 - developing the equality of the voices in the classical string quartet in a new way for the 1770’s; Beethoven’s groundbreaking Op 18, as well as Melbourne composer Katy Abbott's “Vertical Horizon” for string quartet. The concert will be performed in the intimate surrounds of a private Richmond gallery and on the Mornington Peninsula’s Main Ridge Estate. Please join us for some wine, music and to discover new horizons of string quartet writing in the 18th, 19th & 21st centuries.

Haydn String Quartet Op 20 No 2 C major
Katy Abbott Vertical Horizon
Beethoven String Quartet Op 18 No 4 C minor

IRONWOOD are:
Rachael Beesley, violin
Julia Fredersdorff, violin
Nicole Forsyth, viola
Daniel Yeadon, cello

Ironwood is committed to exploring music of the baroque, classical and romantic periods on early string and keyboard instruments. Its members are some of Australia’s most respected early and contemporary chamber musicians. Ironwood complements their historically informed performances with new compositions and has produced recordings for ABC Classics and Vexations840. Ironwood are 2007 - 2011 artists in residence at the Bundanon Trust, NSW, and run a Developing Artists program for early music in Victoria and NSW.

HORIZONS

Concert 1: 7.30pm Friday 16 September
Venue: A private and interesting resident gallery in Richmond. Address provided at time of booking (or call Anna for any questions)
Tickets: $40 adults; $25 concession includes wine and nibbles.

Concert 2: 6pm Sunday 18 September
Venue: Main Ridge Estate, 80 William Rd, Red Hill
Tickets: $60 including nibbles. Main Ridge Wines will be on sale

Bookings: Anna Cerneaz on ph: 02 9389 8117 / 0412 093 063 or email: cenika.anna@gmail.com

Ironwood's April and May Concerts

We hope you had a very enjoyable Easter. Following Ironwood’s wonderful performance of St Matthew Passion last week at the Melbourne Recital Centre, we are now preparing a special program with St James’ Choir in Sydney. We do hope you can come.

A ROYAL OCCASION I
The Choir of St James’ & Ironwood Chamber Orchestra (with Developing Artists)
Everyone loves a celebration, particularly British royalty - be it a coronation, wedding or birthday. In the first of two programs which showcase the milestones of composition for royal occasions past and present, The Choir of St James’ and Ironwood don their finery to mark the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton.
Saturday 30 April, 5pm and Thursday 5 May, 7pm
St James, King Street, Sydney
HANDEL Coronation Anthems (selected) and music by WALTON, PARRY and PURCELL
Director: Warren Trevelyan-Jones
More information HERE; Tickets & booking details: www.cityrecitalhall.com

Special Offer:- St James’ is offering a discount to their first two concerts in the St James’ concert series - for “Royal Occasion 1” (with Ironwood) and “Royal Occasion 2” (with the Sydney Youth Orchestra in June/July). If you book both concerts, then you will receive $10 off the 2 tickets ($5 off each concert). You must book via this link: http://www.cityrecitalhall.com/book/id/1080 or tickets can be purchased over the phone on (02) 8256 2222 or 1300 797 118. Or at the counter at City Recital Hall Angel Place Box Office. To view the Music @ St James’ 2011 brochure, click HERE


UTZON MUSIC SERIES
Ironwood have a special affinity for music from the classical period so their interpretation of Mozart’s String Quartet K428, the third of his set dedicated to Haydn, is most exciting. A quartet by the ‘Spanish Mozart’, Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga is not to be missed. A new piece by Australian composer Kevin March displays perfectly the breadth and accomplishment of the ensemble. Sunday 15 May, 5pm at the Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House
ARRIAGA Quartet No. 3 in E-flat Major (1st movement only)
KEVIN MARCH Water Dreamers
MOZART Quartet in E-flat major, K428
Book Online Now: www.sydneyoperahouse.com


See you soon, Rachael, Julia, Nicole, Danny, Neal, Alice & Anna

Ironwood on ABC Classic FM today

Tune in to ABC Classic FM at around 13.45 to hear Ironwood performing Mozart's sublime Clarinet Quintet with guest artist Nicola Boud. Program also includes Mozart's "Hunt Quartet" and Kats-Chernin's "Eliza Aria" arranged for String Quartet, as well as Paul Stanhope's Morning Star, and was recorded in January at this year's Peninsula Summer Music Festival on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
This concert will follow the Bach 'cello suites performed by our wonderful Danny Yeadon, so tune in to Christopher Lawrence at 1pm for two sublime concerts!

Recording sessions completed with Fiona Campbell and David Walker

We finished the sessions on Sunday evening, and everyone has gone their separate ways. The sessions finished very well and the CD promises to be very beautiful. The release date is October at this stage. If you would like to be kept up to date about the release please join the Baroque duets facebook group.
In the meantime you can keep up to date with Fiona Campbell's movements on her website here, and David Walker's on his website here.