First festival success
The inaugural Gippsland Fine Music Festival was held at the Wesley of Warragul from October 14 to October 16.
Originally planned for October last year, but postponed due to the pandemic, the program featured established artists as well as a number of young and emerging Victorian musicians and composers, and a number of new works had their world premiere performances during the festival.
Volunteer venue manager Rob Robson applauded the festival for its endeavours.
“There is a good festival niche available for this type of music and a keen audience willing to travel to see it performed,” he said.
“Warragul has a very rare acoustic gem in Wesley and we are ideally located to offer a weekend away for high-profile performers and music lovers, which benefits our local visitor economy as well as enriching the cultural life of the region.”
Community radio 3BBR-FM classical music presenter Joseph Baraké attended all five concerts and was very complementary.
Mr Baraké has penned a review on the Festival, which can be read below.
Plans are already underway for a return of the festival to Warragul next year, with organisers hoping to release details in February.
I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
Could one ask was there a single highlight at the inaugural Gippsland Fine Music Festival?
Each concert in the series of 5 concerts held at Wesley of Warragul was a unique highlight.
Every performer brought that special ‘something’ to their performance.
The opening concert titled Wanderlust’ on Friday evening with Luke Severn and Elyanne Laussade, set a high benchmark for things to come and set us on an incredible musical journey.
Luke Severn, who is not only the Artistic Director of the Festival, but also a singer, cellist and conductor, opened the program with Beethoven’s song cycle, ‘An die ferne Geliebte’, (To the distant beloved), with Elyanne Laussade at the piano.
Laussade then performed the ‘Wanderer Fantasy in C’ by Schubert, a marathon for the pianist. Laussade had no issue with running this marathon, it was breathtaking.
Luke Severn followed with the beautiful ‘Songs of Travel’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Luke has a remarkably rich baritone voice, well placed with a greatfeeling for each of the 9 songs in the cycle.
Saturday afternoon a rare treat to hear Duo Piaggio, violinist Kyla Matsuura-Miller and pianist Adam McMillan. Their diverse program included ‘Romances’ by Clara Schumann.
A new composition, premiering in Warragul, by young Melbourne composer, Christopher Healey, titled ‘Cloud Painting’
Healey certainly capturing the clouds he was painting, with both violinist and pianist captured the essence of the music in sound colours.
Was it possible that these two performers could attract our attention even more?
Cesar Franck’s late 19th century ‘Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major’ was a true ‘tour de force’ by both musicians on stage. One could almost see the smoke coming off each instrument!
Their concert finished with a rare glimpse at a Raga, by Middle-eastern composer Kala Ramnath.
A major coup for this Festival on Saturday evening, was the first time visitoutside a major Australian Capital by composer/pianist, Elena Kats-Chernin with pianist Tamara Anna Chislowska.
This concert rightly deserved the standing ovation by a very appreciative audience.
This festival was attended by four living composers, proudly having their works performed. How privileged we are in Warragul to have witnessed such a rare occurrence, rare for any festival! The husband and wife team of Saxophonist Joseph Lallo and wife Oboist Brianna Leaman are part of Duo Obax. Their concert on Sunday morning included Melbourne pianist, Peter de Jaeger.
We witnessed two world premieres of works for the combination of Oboe, Saxophone and Piano.
The other world premiere was by Kate Tempany, ‘Through the Lotus Garden’ commissioned by Duo Obax. This was new music taking us into a new stratosphere. An overall triumph by performers and composers.
The final concert on Sunday afternoon titled, ‘Homeward Bound’ was a suggestion to look back at this fine Festival as we return to our regular daily life.
On stage Elyanne Laussade and Luke Severn, this time as cellist in an exhilarating selection by Schumann, Nadia Boulanger and Beethoven’s Cello Sonata in A. In this the Schimmel piano which was on stage throughout the festival, (brought in especially for the Festival by Bernie’s Musicland), came into its own.
A final word in music ‘When the World was Young’ by Luke Severn, ended this inaugural Gippsland Fine Music Festival.
Congratulations to Luke Severn and his team of Australia’s finest musicians. What a splendid start to what could become an annual event, finally giving Gippsland its own well-deserved Festival.