Opus Now goes online this Saturday 22nd August 8pm (GMT+10)
Link to concert: cpproductions.com.au/opus-now
Dear Opus Now friends and family,
Please join us in our first live-streamed Opus Now this Saturday.
A concert celebrating the beginning of Haydn's life-long journey of string quartet writing, and the life of the Dutch-Australian sound-alchemist Cor Fuhler, whose recent passing is felt as a huge loss to the music community.
The concert is free, but donations to the musicians who are giving their time would be greatly appreciated.
Looking forward to playing to you all again soon.
Stay safe,
Chris and Freya
www.cpproductions.com.au
Live Stream Proudly Supported by Prima Luce Events
C o r F u h l e r (3 July 1964 – 19 July 2020), described by the ABC as ‘A Modern Day Renaissance Man’, was an interdisciplinary eclectic musician, improviser, composer, sound artist, multi instrumentalist, instrument builder, inventor, visual artist, researcher and scholar whose practice crosses into installation, visual art, dance, puppetry, comic strip, music theatre and site-specific performance. A conservatorium trained pianist, guitarist and experimental electronics player, he was renowned for his pioneering extended piano techniques and his invention the keyolin, a hybrid violin and piano. He often functioned as axle between various art forms: he has written scripts, choreographies and music for theatre, radio plays, dance and puppetry. Cor has a preference for juxtaposing old and new technologies (from super 8 film to the latest digital software) and he has composed for ethnic instruments, western instruments, self built devices and various electronic media. In his work, he puts a strong emphasis on awareness of acoustic and visual phenomena at a specific time and place.
Born 1964 in the Netherlands in a multi-cultural family (he is partly Romani), after travelling and since 2010 living in Australia, Cor is influenced by several creative cultures. He took his first lessons on organ at the age of 10, but disillusioned by the complete lack of understanding from his teachers (he mostly changed compositions and instruments to his personal preference), he soon became autodidact. Again disillusioned, but now by his own lack of instrumental technique and general knowledge, in 1983 he decided to go to the highly esteemed Sweelinck Conservatorium Amsterdam to study piano and teaching methodology (his main teachers were Nico Langenhuijsen - piano and Misha Mengelberg - composition). During this time he spent much of his time in libraries, museums and on his bicycle in order to avoid musical tunnel vision. After finishing his studies in 1989, a year earlier than planned, he travelled around in Indonesia and went back to his natural state of following his own intuition. Since then he has been the artistic leader of his own ensembles (e.g., Corkestra, Wayang Detective, Fuhler/Bennink/de Joode, Cortet and solo), he toured internationally (Europe, Canada, USA, Japan, etc.) and released over 50 CDs, mostly with his own works and artistic concepts.
After a two-year research period Cor attained his PhD in composition in 2016 at the University of Sydney (with supervision by composer Damien Ricketson) with special interest in the relationship improvisation-composition, compositional multiplicity, corporeal kinetic installations, Fluxus, magic and mystery in art, and acoustic ecology. In 2017 he published his book Disperse and Display (which demonstrates a holistic approach to his research on modular compositional techniques and extended instrumental techniques) and he started working at the Conservatorium of Music in Hobart and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music; here he partly lectures composition, improvisation and ensemble as well as marks composition students’ essays. In 2018 Cor started a position as senior lecturer in sound and creative media studies at the SAE Creative Media Institute in Sydney.
Sounds: https://conundrom.bandcamp.com/
Opus Now Quartet Featured Musician:
James Eccles studied viola at the Sydney Conservatorium and ANAM during which time he made a name for himself as a contemporary music specialist and a founding member of Ensemble Offspring, before travelling overseas to attain a Master of Arts under world-renowned pedagogue, Bruno Giuranna. This was followed by time in Berlin studying with an ex-Berlin Philharmonic violist and working with the likes of the Konzerthaus Orchester and an avant-garde German rock band! James returned to Sydney in 2007, utilising his various experiences to carve out a diverse musical career.
As a period instrumentalist, James works with the Australian Haydn Ensemble, Pinchgut Opera, ARCO, and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. He has performed chamber music with some of the world’s leading period instrumentalists including Marc Destrube, Cathrine Mackintosh, and Charles Neidich. He is co-director of the Australian Haydn Ensemble’s education program.
James is also a keen champion of the music of today and has premiered, recorded and commissioned many new works over the years. In 2013-14 he was artistic director of the Aurora Festival, and he is violist and co-director of The NOISE String Quartet. The NOISE are awaiting the completion of a recording project: a 6-hour-long installation work by internationally acclaimed composer, Georges Lentz. A portion of this work will be released on NAXOS, but the entire piece will only be audible in a remote Glenn Murcutt designed ‘sound chapel’ in outback NSW!
James has performed as principal violist with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, as soloist with SBS Youth Orchestra and has worked extensively with Sydney Dance Company.
Sounds - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pleHvozL9S8
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Opus Now Online #1
Joseph Haydn
String Quartet Opus 20 N.1 in E♭ major
Allegro Moderato
Minuetto. Allegretto
Affettuoso e sostenuto
Finale. Presto