Conservatorium students end their year on a high note
Next week, 125 music students from the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra will end their year on a high note. Under the baton of internationally renowned conductor Johannes Fritzsch, the upcoming concert will explore contrasting repertoire from around the world. Students will be performing three pieces, one of which will be a world premiere by celebrated composer Gerard Brophy.
The orchestral students are lucky to premiere Gerard Brophy’s piece Sentinel. The three movements are inspired and named after Queensland’s Glass House Mountains – Beerwah, Tibrogargan and Coonowrin. It is always exciting when up-and-coming musicians are given the opportunity to present new works.
Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 will be performed by pianist Oscar Wong who is in his third year of a Bachelor of Music (Advanced Performance). At 19, he has already been invited to travel the world to participate in many prestigious workshops and competitions. Oscar received first prize in the 2017 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition along with three special awards. Having recently performed the concerto with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra as part of the competition, Oscar is delighted to perform the piece with his peers.
After interval, the brass and woodwind sections double in size to play The Ring Without Words by Richard Wagner arranged by Lorin Maazel. This 70-minute piece arranged by Maazel is a popular take on Wagner’s The Ring Cycle, a four-part opera usually performed over four consecutive nights. Maazel’s arrangement cleverly adapts vocal lines to be played by the orchestra. Unique instruments such as a bass trumpet, four Wagner tubas and a contrabass trombone will appear in the show.
Let the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra transport you from concert halls of Russia, to picturesque Australia then to the opera houses of Germany. They are currently rehearsing every day in the lead-up to the concert, so why not let these talented students take you on a musical journey?
Johannes Fritzsch conducts The Ring Without Words will be performed on Friday 24 November 7:30pm in the Conservatorium Theatre, Grey St, South Brisbane.
Tickets can be purchased at http://queenslandconservatorium.com.au and student discounts are available.
Written by Charlotte Fung