In this, their fifth Festival, Artistic Directors Monica Curro and Stefan Cassomenos deployed the theme of “Cosmos” to frame an eclectic program accommodating every conceivable taste in the classical and wider musical repertoire, from 17th century Biber, to 20th century cabaret, to 2024 Cassomenos, and much more in between. Even a chat session with an eminent astrophysicist! As usual, Curro and Cassomenos created a masterful and exciting weekend of music, and it is to be hoped that they continue as Artistic Directors for the foreseeable future – no need for change, especially given their wonderful successes in reaching out to the local and wider community. Also as usual, there was a sea of grey heads in the concert venues and the streets of Port Fairy, long-time supporters of the Festival, but it was great to see some younger faces. This was a weekend of world-class performances in the beautiful Victorian seaside town of Port Fairy.
Cabaret Constellation, Friday 11 October 10pm
Lotte Betts-Dean, mezzo soprano; Stefan Cassomenos, piano
The program called it a Lustrous Late Night which indeed it was – a night of consummate artistry from the magnificent voice of Betts-Dean and sympatico, often thrilling, piano accompaniment from Cassomenos. Adding to the atmosphere, the venue (the hall attached to St Patrick’s Primary School) was set out as a cabaret with stage-side small tables, glasses of wine, and flickering tea lights. What would the old Good Samaritan nuns of Port Fairy have thought?
The program was also an Interpretation of Life’s Big Things in the entertaining but often slightly disturbing cabaret genre in which Betts-Dean is so completely at home. As well as the to-be-expected Kurt Weill, there were some fascinating additions, with songs in a familiar cabaret style from less familiar composers (William Bolcom, Madeleine Dring), and surprisingly unfamiliar songs from familiar composers (Britten’s settings of Auden poems; early cabaret from Schoenberg). Highlights were the Britten/Auden Stop All the Clocks, moving as well as technically superb; the Weill song Night Shift from Lunchtime Follies, a touring program of comedy, song, and dance that visited US defence plants during the war to entertain the workers; the Bolcom set, a wonderful revelation; and Dring’s setting of a Betjeman poem where Betts-Dean treated the language beautifully and with enormous care. Betts-Dean is a complete chanteuse of the highest quality, with crystal-clear diction and impeccable accent when singing French and German. She possesses utter musicality and astonishing artistry, tender or passionate as called for, with the purest legato vocal line and wondrous vocal range. It was a privilege to have her in Port Fairy.
A minor quibble – we were not convinced that the amplification was required, and sometimes its foibles intruded. Cassomenos on the grand piano and Betts-Dean’s voice could have easily embraced the audience in a relatively small hall.
Andrew Ford in conversation with Dr Gail Iles, Saturday 12 October 10am
Dr Gail Iles is Associate Professor in Physics and founder of the Bachelor of Space Science at RMIT University. Iles began her career with the European Space Agency and in 2010 became an astronaut instructor at the European Astronaut Centre. After moving to Australia to join the Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation, she went to RMIT in 2017. Iles was awarded Female Space Leader of the Year in 2024. In the wonderfully quirky environment of Blarney Books, she had a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with broadcaster and composer Andrew Ford about science, from its role in and explanations of everyday life to big questions about the cosmos, universes, galaxies and the solar system. Along the way we found out that baby formula is a by-product of research into dry foods for astronauts, and that smart phone cameras came out of the Apollo missions. Iles was informative, entertaining, and has a wonderful sense of humour!
Shards of Light, Saturday 12 October 11.30am
Quercus Trio (Elizabeth Sellars, violin; Carla Blackwood, French Horn; Rhodri Clarke, piano), Helena Rathbone, violin; Stefan Cassomenos, piano
Quercus gave us a world premiere from the talented Melody Eötvös: Shivelight, which evoked most successfully the ever-changing colours of sunlight through forest. This was followed by Elgar’s Violin Sonata in E minor, which he had said was inspired by woodland, so we had an excellent conjunction of works in the program. It’s an important and impressive work, which Rathbone played superbly with a mature understanding. Cassomenos was equally accomplished, and together they reached satisfying – almost operatic – heights in the final movement.
Another quibble about amplification: it was disconcerting to see Rathbone playing marvellously but have her violin’s sound emanating from a speaker beside her.
Orbital Resonance, Saturday 12 October 2pm
Slava Grigoryan, guitar and Leonard Grigoryan, guitar and tenor ukelele
What a privilege to hear this fabulous world-class duo in Port Fairy, in the reverberant yet intimate acoustic of St John’s Anglican Church. Their program comprised mostly pieces from their latest CD, some their own compositions, others being commissions from friends that indeed captured “the reciprocal appreciation between the composers and the Grigoryan Brothers” (program note). And what a duo! What artistry! And as Curro said in her introduction, they are indeed “genre-defying, genre-busting”. Their spectacular technique ranged from the fastest exciting melismas to nostalgic tenderness, conquering complex cross rhythms with breathtaking ease, in constant communication with one another.
Blue Mountains, written for them during Australia’s COVID lockdowns by one of their childhood musical heroes, Cuban Leo Brouwer, was a highlight. It showcased the full range of sounds the instruments were capable of producing, including harsh plucking and percussive effects depicting landscape, climate change and bushfires. The final moments were exhilarating. Equally convincing, to conclude the program, were three of 18 pieces inspired by the brothers’ choice of objects from the National Museum of Australia (a commission from the museum). The first was a poignant evocation of the message inscribed on a convict love token, “Dear brother remember me when this you see”; the second was a sombre and wistful piece depicting the children sent against their will to an Aboriginal Boys Home. The third, Don’s Bat, provided a cheerful finish to the concert with lots of colour and movement.
The Unknown Swimmer, Saturday 12 October 3.30pm
Judith Dodsworth, soprano; Laila Engle, flute; Campbell Banks, cello; Louise Devenish, percussion
The piece, a “reimagined song cycle” with music by Kevin March to the singer’s own libretto, followed a swimmer’s “personal transformation as cold-water swimming becomes an integral part of recovery from a mental health crisis” (program notes). There were lighting effects, the general sounds of interesting underwater ambience, some recorded voices, and lovely visual projections. Three valiant players accompanied the admirable Dodsworth in this interesting newly composed work. Excellent playing from percussionist Devenish with bells, tuned bowls and glockenspiel gave a new-agey and underwater feel when required, but unfortunately there were some technical problems with the sound: the cello drowned out the speaking voice on occasions, and recorded and live spoken parts seemed sometimes to overlap, rendering comprehension quite challenging. Not ideal for a song-cycle! For all her valiant vocal and physical efforts, in the absence of surtitles or a libretto, and with a possibly over-excited sound engineer, I just could not follow much of Dodsworth’s narrative. One might guess the thrust of the story from occasional phrases, from the music, or Dodsworth’s actions, but without audible words or text I found the whole thing dramatically mysterious. On the other hand, I’m sure there were others in the audience who found it a compelling piece.
Cosmonauts in Training, Saturday 12 October 5.15pm
Southwest Music Students with accompanists Benjamin Hiscock and Rhodri Clarke (piano), and Ben Singh (cello)
One of the outstanding achievements of Curro and Cassomenos in their five years at the helm of the festival has been their engagement with the community, both in Port Fairy and further afield (as most wonderfully evidenced in the Closing Gala – see below). In this session seven young musicians preparing for their VCE (Nicholas Hoskyns, Amelie Hiscock, Dan Duffy, Josiah Woodhouse, Daisy Henry, Sarah Crowle and Arshi Woosantia) presented a variety of instrumental and vocal pieces. The students were from King’s College in Warrnambool, and the Hamilton and Alexandra College in Hamilton, and were accompanied by teachers. They performed very creditably, albeit with some nervousness from a few – but a good preparation for undertaking VCE performance exams. The star of the show was the promising young violinist Nicholas Hoskyns, who played with verve and accuracy, and engaged delightfully with Singh, his accompanist in the opening Kats-Chernin piece, his fellow musicians in the closing quartet from Pirates of the Caribbean, and the audience.
Delectably Divine Divas, Saturday 12 October 10pm
Judith Dodsworth, Aurora Kurth and Anna Lee-Robertson, voice; Toni Lalich, piano; Dawn Holland, producer
Here was another thoroughly enjoyable late night in a dimly lit St Patrick’s Hall, with ringside tables and a glass of wine (we sat with a couple who had come all the way from Brisbane to come to the Festival!). Lalich (in a tour de force of multitasking, as she is also the wonderful administrator of the Festival) did some jazzy tinkling on the ivories before the show started in a suitably mood-setting introduction to the three ladies, dressed divinely in glittery things, who took to the stage for a “satisfyingly succulent smorgasbord of opera, musical theatre, cabaret, jazz and pop” (a most apt program note). What a fabulous trio they were! Each had their specialty solos – Dodsworth the operatic, Lee-Robertson the musical comedy, Kurth the cabaret – but all combined delightfully in their duos and trios. The songs were interspersed with amusing banter and various meditations shared with the audience on what it is to be a woman – and a woman singer/diva particularly. After sharing some good laughs among themselves and with the audience, one or all would break into song, reliably accompanied by Lalich. Kurth had us in the palm of her hand with her marvellous Life is a Cabaret as she prowled the audience, seducing every man in sight. The Good Samaritan Sisters might well by now have been turning in their graves! The Delibes Flower duet from Dodsworth and Lee-Robertson was a highlight, as was the trio of Three Little Girls from The Mikado. These were serious feminists with fabulous voices and personalities to match, having huge fun in spangles and glitter.
Cosmic Mysteries, Sunday 13 October 11.30am
Biber, Mystery Sonatas of the Rosary – Zoë Black, violin; Hannah Lane, triple harp; Molly Kadarauch, cello; Stefan Cassomenos, organ
Biber’s Mystery Sonatas were written around 1676, but languished in the Bavarian State Library in Munich until their publication in 1905. They were based on the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary (five Joyful Mysteries, five Sorrowful Mysteries and five Glorious Mysteries), meditations that have been practised in Rosary processions since the 13th century. The supposition is that the congregants would listen to each of Biber’s musical sonatas as they processed around the fifteen paintings and sculptures in the church. As the program notes indicated, the sonatas are “one of Biber’s crowning achievements”, but also extremely challenging because of their scordatura whereby the soloist has to change the tuning of the violin according to the colour called for in each sonata. Only the most accomplished of violinists can master the technique, especially when called for so often in this piece, and we were exceptionally lucky to hear Black’s virtuosic mastery in this festival highlight.
Blessedly unamplified, the solo violin in the opening Passacaglia filled the church without any ghostly electronic “echo”. Each variation was treated with graceful care and elegance. What a privilege to hear this music in this little town! There were delicious continuo forays from the triple harp. Some of the fiery variations were eye-watering. The performance had a space-filling glow grounded in the organ (the ever-versatile Cassomenos) counterposed with the exciting violin solos, and the delicious continuo of harp and cello.
A shout out to Lane for the inventive flourishes supporting Black’s swift runs in the Sarabande of Sonata 7 – but set against the fierce scourging in this sonata, in other movements there were moments of hushed and blessed quiet and sweetness. This was Baroque expression at its absolute best. All four players appeared to be revelling in this work – It was music-making of the top rank, and our favourite of the festival.
Celestial Schubert, Sunday 13 October 2pm
Schubert, Trio No.2 D929- Zoë Black, violin; Timo-Veikko Valve, cello; Stefan Cassomenos, piano
In yet another highlight (I suspect we are over-using this word, but there were so many!), it was a treat to hear this monumental achievement of Schubert and of the trio performing it. Unlike the Biber, where the other instruments are support for a soloistic violin soaring over its colleagues, here all instruments are equal in their contribution, creating a single ensemble of sound. One is reminded of Schubert’s vocal work – this trio is so full of glorious melody. The whole was expressive and powerful, with sensitive playing and extraordinary communication between the three musicians. As was to be expected, Black was outstanding. Valve accompanied his exceptional work on the cello with the occasional stamp of the foot, even on occasion lifting his cello into the air, and his cello solo opening the second movement was breathtakingly beautiful. The thoroughly accomplished Cassomenos coaxed from the piano an extraordinary range of expression and tones (a well-tended piano after needing attention beforehand from the Kawai support person, who was applauded when he left the stage!). His pianissimos were especially impressive, and his semiquaver runs effortless and sparkly. This was a spectacular concert.
Closing Gala: The Planets, Sunday 13 October 3.30pm
Demby McKenzie, tenor; Carla Blackwood, French Horn; Rhodri Clarke, piano; PFSMF chamber orchestra; Stefan Cassomenos, Conductor; Monica Curro, Concertmaster; Consort of Melbourne; PFSMF Chorus; PFSMF Children’s Chorus (director, Dermot Tutty); Port Fairy Ring of Bells (director, Suzanne Brimacomb)
An extraordinary success – a transfixing and heart-warming program involving as many locals and children as you can, mixed with terrific professional musicians. I had spoken to a friend earlier in the day who said she hadn’t booked for this event because she thought it would be a bit down-market. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It was a wonderful apotheosis, a celebration of all that Port Fairy and the region have to offer. You got a commendable performance from the local tenor Demby McKenzie of Andrew Ford’s A Martian Sends a Postcard Home (a whimsical setting of Craig Raine’s imagined visitor’s impression of life on planet Earth) supported by Blackwood and Clarke. You got the premiere of a specially written and exceptionally good arrangement by Cassomenos (who had skilfully multitasked over the entire weekend as composer/arranger, rehearsal captain, Festival co-Artistic Director, conductor, organist, and pianist) of Holst’s Planets, and his new composition in collaboration with local children, of the sadly forsaken erstwhile planet Pluto. What a great grand final concert in the moderately-sized Reardon Theatre, a stage tightly packed with performers, and a small orchestra which sounded four time as large as it really was.
McKenzie used a variety of vocal effects, from falsetto to Tibetan-like deep sounds to evoke the strangeness experienced by the Martian visitor. Cassomenos’ Planets was an extraordinary achievement, a band of professionals and amateurs combining in a fruitful collaboration. The local choirs, beefed up a bit by the Consort of Melbourne, did a great job, clearly enjoying their disguise as instruments in the texture. For Pluto, in came the local school children – coached into splendid voice by Tutty, they revelled in the opportunity to shine astronomically, with a hilarious conversation with the adults about whether Pluto was really a planet. “No, you’re too small’. The Ring of Bells gave their all in providing the occasional distinctive sparkle and glow to the orchestral palette. There was never a dull moment. One felt that the audience was swept up, a feeling obviously shared by those around us. It was astoundingly good and involved so many – the enjoyment was palpable.
It was a happy, joyous Festival Occasion to close the 2024 iteration of the Curro/Cassomenos collaboration. How lucky we were to have the opportunity to experience this piece. Congratulations, big cheers, and thanks to all.
Image supplied
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Kristina and Bruce Macrae reviewed selected events presented as part of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, held at Port Fairy October 11 – 13, 2024.
