Aram KHACHATURIAN Trio (1932)
Claude DEBUSSY Sonata for violin and piano (1917)
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Selected Bagatelles from Op 33
Robert SCHUMANN Three Romances for clarinet and piano, Op 94
Gordon KERRY The End of Many Worlds (2014)
Peter SCULTHORPE From Nourlangie (1994)
Tickets: $30 Full / $23 Concession
Melbourne contemporary chamber ensemble PLEXUS brings together the talents of three of Australia’s most vibrant and versatile musicians. PLEXUS was formed with the express goal of paying homage to the acclaimed ensemble of the same instrumental combination, the Verdehr Trio, who commissioned numerous important composers of the late 20th century. Continuing in their footsteps, PLEXUS premieres 22 new works in 2014. The name PLEXUS reflects this ensemble's devotion to supporting and engaging an ever-growing network of exceptional artists across a variety of disciplines.
PLEXUS are joined in this concert by Christopher Saunders, one of the finest tenors of his generation.
Gordon Kerry’s cantata The End of Many Worlds is a setting of two texts. The first, from Euripides’ Trojan Women, is a moving address by the chorus to Ganymede, asking why he could not intercede with the gods on behalf of Troy, to prevent the women’s capture and brutalisation. The second, from Sebastian Barry’s novel A Long, Long Way, describes the poignant death scene of Willie Dunne, a teenage soldier in the trenches of Flanders. He too asks why God will not intervene to comfort them. The piece is dedicated to the composer’s great-uncle John Kerry, who died of horrific wounds in Flanders in 1917; his razor, a book and damaged fountain pen were returned to his wife in Australia via a ship called the Euripides.
Presented alongside are works by Beethoven, Schumann, and Debussy, in which Monica, Philip and Stefan perform in duo and solo, as well as the 1932 Trio by Khachaturian, one of the first works ever written for this instrumental combination. They also pay homage to the late great Peter Sculthorpe, with a performance of his trio From Nourlangie, commissioned by the Verdehr Trio.