Due to an increasing number of champions, the spotlight on Margaret Sutherland (1897 – 1984) has steadily become brighter following her death. Melbourne boasts an outstanding piano trio, the Sutherland Trio, and Jillian Graham’s highly informative and readable book, Inner Song, has been widely publicised – and read. In this concert, presented by Friends of the Auburn Tower, several aspects of Sutherland’s compositions added to more frequent performances of her works.
This concert at Auburn Uniting Church went well beyond an admirable performance of a selection of Sutherland’s works for keyboard, clarinet and voice; as with other concerts performed at this church, there was an emphasis on fellowship and recognition of wider social and musical connections. In his words of welcome, the Secretary of Friends of the Auburn Tower, Alan Chuck, spoke of the link between this church and the Sutherland family and gave a special welcome to Sutherland’s grandson and members of the Lyceum Club, an organisation with an annual award for a promising young musician via the Lyceum Club Melbourne’s Margaret Sutherland Bursary Fund.
In keeping with Sutherland’s passionate advocacy for music in Melbourne – the Arts Centre Melbourne being a major fruit of her endeavours – Jane Elton (former member of the music staff at the Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School and founder of The Star Chorale), June Nixon, (former Director Music, St Paul’s Cathedral) and Anne Williams (of the brilliant Eltham East Primary School Choir), were acknowledged as “three female musicians who have carried on Margaret Sutherland’s pioneering work in composing and performing Australian music and in musical education”. Flowers were given to them at the end of the concert.
Articulate and engaging, Jillian Graham provided a succinct overview of Sutherland’s achievements and brief introductions to each work. It would have been difficult to find a better venue for the first two pairings: Two Choral Preludes by J. S. Bach “Jesu, meine Freude” BWV 610 and “Herzliebster Jesu” BWV 1093 for organ, with Sutherland’s arrangements of these for piano. With Geoffrey Urquhart playing the Fincham organ – dating from 1889, the year of the church’s construction – we heard such a sonorous version of the first chorale, with full growling bass line, and a contrasting second chorale with its sweet registrations, that it was difficult to imagine how a piano could possibly convey such vibrantly colourful characteristics. Yet, even given the vastly reduced capacity of the piano, Christopher Nankervis found the smaller scale grandeur of the first chorale and a suitable contrast of approach in the second homage to Bach created by the composer. The warmth and clarity of his performance was made more striking by the church’s fine acoustic.
Clarinettist Lily Tamir-Regev joined Nankervis for Sutherland’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1947). According to Graham, this work was one of the most significant of the 1940’s. Originally written for viola and cello, it reflects the pastoral and neo-classical style. Although she claimed that Sutherland was not influenced by others – by which she supposedly means that she was no slavish follower of a particular style of composition – Graham did point out that elements of Bartok and Hindemith could be heard. A slow, rather hauntingly melancholy solo clarinet began the sonata, chromaticism alternating soon with flowing more melodic tonal passages. A work of contrasts with a wide range of dynamics and pitch, it tested the skills of both performers, who both gave persuasive, assured accounts of a work that culminated in an accelerating and excitingly urgent climax.
Six Profiles (ca. 1946) comprises short solo piano sketches of unnamed people in the composer’s circle. A brisk, lightly playful Profile led to a simple, gently rocking, tuneful song-like piece, followed by a dancing one with delicate passages. Profile 4 began with fast repeated notes ended with a flourish, while a short, moderately quick Profile 5 led to the initially marching pace of Profile 6 and a slower pace that accelerated in definitive ending. In a couple of these, especially the final Profile, it was possible to discern shades of Shostakovich and Prokofiev suggested by Graham.
It wouldn’t be a true reflection of Sutherland’s output without some vocal music. Accompanied by a sympathetic Nankervis, Syrah Torii sang four of Six Songs: settings of poems by Judith Wright, for voice and piano (1949 -1962). Torii possesses a beautifully warm, resonant mezzo-soprano voice that encompassed the range of all songs with ease. The lumbering strains of Bullocky was followed by an excursion into the mysteries of twinship with a faster paced The Twins; a winding piano accompanied the quiet charm of Woman’s Song – a contrast to the louder passionate Winter Kestral that concluded the bracket. The text of sung poetry is not always easy to understand, particularly when delivered by higher voices, so it was a pity that listeners were not provided with a copy of the text. Torri had a tendency to follow (the admittedly sometimes tricky) score rather than communicate directly with the audience, but she did convey the essential mood of each piece effectively – as did Nankervis. A final melodious song, In the Dim Counties, set to a poem by John Shaw Neilson (1934) was much easier to follow with its ballad format.
Voice, clarinet and piano combined for The Orange Tree (1938) – an ideal way to conclude the concert. Like Schubert’s famous Shepherd on the Rock, it is a fine showpiece for all three performers, especially the clarinet as the voice of the Orange Tree, in addition to being a particularly appealing example of Sutherland’s work. With its repetitions, it was also much easier to follow the text.
An appreciative audience responded enthusiastically to the sensitive, technically accomplished musicality of these fine young musicians, who enabled a fuller appreciation of Margaret Sutherland’s formidable creativity.
Image supplied
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Heather Leviston reviewed “Remembering Margaret Sutherland”, presented by Friends of the Auburn Tower Inc at Auburn Uniting Church on April 14, 2024.
