ARIA award-winning artist Lior has toured extensively in Australia and internationally and will perform Compassion at the Murray River Fine Music Festival on the Border this September. Photo: Supplied.
When the piano keys start to play, circus performers will leap and tumble their way into the magical, musical world of two timeless works inspired by childhood.
Set to capture the hearts of the next generation of music lovers, an enchanting piano duet will be brought playfully to life by students from the Flying Fruit Fly Circus at the upcoming Murray River Fine Music Festival (MRFM) in September.
The home-grown production features Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants (Children’s Games) and Ravel’s Mother Goose suite performed by duo Grace Kernaghan and Yackandandah pianist, educator and community musician Miriam Joy Briggs.
The show, which will deliver a blend of high-level classical artistry with the infectious energy of youth circus, will take flight at The Cube Wodonga, on Saturday 12 September at 2 pm.
It forms one magical part of what promises to be a “feast of musical storytelling” across the weekend, according to MRFM CEO and artistic director Helena Kernaghan.
“Circus students under the direction of Seth Scheuner will bring a fresh interpretation to two timeless works inspired by childhood,” she said.
Titled The Art of Wonder and Consolation, the festival from 11 to 13 September will deliver a wide range of music to audiences – from childhood games and fairytales to the brilliant Bach and moving music of Nigel Westlake and special guest, ARIA award-winning artist Lior.
Inventi Ensemble will open the festival on Friday 11 September with Bach’s final masterpiece, The Art of Fuge.
Ms Kernaghan said Inventi would lead the audience through Bach’s “inexhaustible genius in a glorious celebration of the great composer’s work”.
“In this performance, his music undergoes the Inventi treatment where it is arranged for flute, oboe, violin, viola and cello,” she said.
“Bach didn’t live to complete the piece, so for this concert Inventi have commissioned Geelong-based composer Kym Dillon to compose the completed chorale in a new and fascinating way.”
Each movement contains the theme of the piece, but each time it is flipped on its head, turned backwards, and transposed into different keys, bringing together Bach’s amazing and playful creativity with mathematical precision.
Rounding out the festival will be a soul-stirring performance of Compassion by Lior and the Murray River Fine Music Ensemble on Sunday 13 September from 2 pm.
Ms Kernaghan said Compassion was a song cycle composed by Nigel Westlake and Lior blending the richness of ancient Arabic and Hebrew texts to present profound and poetic messages around compassion between human beings.
“It unites different musical voices and influences from the diverse backgrounds of the two creators, and shares with us insights into the wisdom of compassion gained from poems, proverbs and songs,” she said.
Lior, who has toured extensively in Australia and overseas (including an entire season at the Edinburgh Festival), will join MRFM ensemble members Kaori Sparks (violin), Yuhka Nagai (violin), William Vyvyan Murray (viola), Charlotte Jacke (cello), Helena Kernaghan (piano) and Steve Falk (percussionist).
This year the festival also features a solo piano recital by Stefan Cassamenos on the Saturday night, who will be on the Border adjudicating the Geoffrey McFerran Young Regional Victorian Piano Competition.
Audiences are welcome to attend the heats of this competition at the Wodonga Senior Secondary College Performing Arts Centre (9:30 am to 2 pm on Saturday) with the finals from 11 am to noon on the Sunday. Tickets available at the door.
The regional prize is awarded annually by the Victorian Music Teachers’ Association and is open to piano students aged 18 and under from regional Victoria and Albury.
The Art of Wonder and Consolation runs from 11 to 13 September. Visitors can access all shows at The Cube with the Music Festival Value Pass or book individual shows in general admission. Tickets are available by phone, in person or online at The Cube Wodonga.
