How proud we are of the annual music festivals in regional Victoria that offer the highest quality performances in sellout events every year. The commitment of organisers and teams of community minded volunteers, first class artistic directors, and the professional musicians, who give time and travel beyond the norm for these popular festivals, is bringing significant artistic performances to country regions. Woodend’s Winter Arts Festival, the brainchild of renowned musicians John O’Donnell and Jacqueline Ogeil, was first celebrated in 2005, and now welcomes over 5,000 visitors to the town on King’s Birthday Weekend. The Festival now comprises a multi-arts program of some 30 events, the highlights being classical chamber music performances, with a smaller variety of jazz or world music, literary, visual arts, educational and community events. We think of Woodend as the definitive winter woollies town in the Macedon Ranges, but this year brought comparatively mild and quite perfect weather to the region.
How impressive was this year’s program. You had to be quick to get tickets for Bach’s St John’s Passion with Ensemble Gombert and Accademia Arcadia, or for Piers Lane. Paul Grabowsky, the Nat Bartsch Quartet, a Schubert recital by tenor Daniel Thompson, Melbourne Cello Octet, Fiore Ensemble and the Paco Lara Flamenco Duo were just a sample of the wide variety of musical highlights.
There wasn’t a spare seat in St Ambrose Church, a small, cosy and visually beautiful setting for the period instruments of Accademia Arcadia for a program of four Early Solo Concertos. First came Thomas Arne’s Concerto No 5 in G minor with Festival Artistic Director Jacqueline Ogeil as soloist on her keyboard rarity – a copy of a Cristofori forte-piano (c. 1729-30). Following a firm and grand opening in true Baroque style with a strong fanfare-like statement, this was a most enjoyable “overture” piece, where often the strong sound of the accompanying octet of six mature strings and two Baroque oboes did win out against the forte-piano in ensemble sections. Ogeil’s solo technical ability was in top flight in her solo work, the instrument being most delicate and surprisingly soft and lute-like in timbre. Alessandro Marcello’s Concerto in D minor D935 for Baroque oboe was a most appealing work, and its charming, lightly spaced orchestration, and elegant, repeated rising phrases were most uplifting. Soloist Adam Masters showed excellent audience communication, fine intonation and expressive melodic phrasing. At times, however, the Largo did require a more relaxed tempo from the accompanying string pulse to allow more calmness, elegance, soulfulness and dynamic contrast.
How skilled a musician is Brendan O’Donnell, who moved from his ensemble position as oboeist to be the recorder soloist for Vivaldi’s Concerto in C minor RV 441. In this technically demanding concerto, O’Donnell had us holding our breath with his exciting playing, memory work, musical authority and virtuosity, with impressive intonation through sustained notes and crescendos, all made more beautiful over a lighter pianissimo string accompaniment in the second movement Largo. The audience certainly appreciated seeing four different instruments in such prominent solo roles.
Josie Vains always projects a strong, expressive and rich golden tone from her well-loved cello in her Concerto in A minor by C. P. E. Bach. With a busy accompaniment, Vains carefully brought out her entries with enhanced lyricism in broad melodic phrases, showing a commanding florid and speedy technical prowess. Bach’s wit came through, with the soloist showing much rhythmic agility as lines flowed suddenly and surprisingly from highest to lowest pitches, and most interesting cadenzas revealed varied legato and pizzicato surprises. Perhaps there was pressure on the string ensemble to keep this very full program moving along before the next concert, as there was a tendency to become more hurried through each concerto movement, causing some loss of softness and variation in dynamic range, slight acceleration in tempi, and some imprecise ensemble accuracy in phrase endings. Clearly a challenge for breath control for woodwind playing.
After such a full feast of music, it was just a hop and a step to the nearby St Ambrose Hall for one of the world’s leading pianists: Piers Lane. Often performing rarely heard works, Lane always eloquently shares his in-depth knowledge of the composers and their works, connecting their place in history with us. Most joyful and warm was his apparel – a heavenly blue jacket to brighten Woodend’s grey skies and open our spirits to Mozart’s colourful, joyful Sonata in F major, its first movement so fluent, expressive and full of energy. Lane described the piece’s “Sturm und Drang” with its range of emotions, contrasting timbres and charm. It was “textbook Mozart” and a demonstration of Lane’s eloquence, charm, technical speed and brilliant colourations. Before playing John Field’s Variations on a Russian Folk Song, Lane spoke of the Irishman’s influence on Chopin, with his beauty and simplicity of melodic line. Taking us then from tragedy to triumph was Chopin’s extraordinary Fantasie in F minor Op. 49, followed by the popular Etude in A-flat (Aeolian harp) and “Raindrop” Prelude. Once again, Lane connected us with the true spirit and troubled soul of Chopin. This was perfect Chopin.
Polkas and Caprice Bohémien by Smetana gave us lively flowing, more densely textured folk dance elements, some quirky rhythmic displacement giving us an imaginary vision of Czech dancers certainly having fun in life. Lane spoke warmly of his association with Australian composer Robert Constable, introducing his encore, A Slinky Foxtrot, a concert piece which developed from a silent film score – and a suitably nostalgic, charming and colourful character piece to close a most rewarding recital with this acclaimed pianist.
Photo credit: Sandy Scheltema
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Julie McErlain reviewed concerts given by Accademia Arcadia and Piers Lane as part of the Woodend Winter Arts Festival at St Ambrose Church and St Ambrose Hall on Sunday June 9, 2024.
