Hamer Hall has long played host to many an epic production – after all, most orchestral performances run for at least two hours – but the venue’s newest concert series is set to shake things up a bit, with one-hour shows that highlight the very best of classical music.
Quick Fix at Half Six is a series of four, hour-long performances by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The shows kick off at 6.30pm and there is no interval – ideal for city workers keen to avoid the peak hour commute or people who don’t want to be out late on a weeknight.
The first iteration is happening on August 1, and will see Jaime Martín, chief conductor of the MSO, lead the orchestra in a soul-stirring rendition of one of classical music’s most popular works: Dvořák's ‘New World Symphony’. Dvořák wrote it upon arrival in New York (having just started as director of the newly formed National Conservatory of Music), and he was heavily influenced by Native American music and the African American spirituals he encountered.
On August 18 get ready to experience Berlioz’s symphonic poem, ‘Harold in Italy’. The prose of Lord Byron provided the artistic inspiration behind this large-scale work, and it was written for virtuoso violinist Paganini, who had just acquired a Stradivarius viola. MSO principal viola Christopher Moore will assume the instrumental role of Harold, a character who wanders through a tableau of Berlioz’s creation.
The MSO uncovers the spaces between sonority and silence in a special double-header featuring the works of Tchaikovsky and Australian composer Anna Cawrse. Cawrse’s ‘The Rest is Silence’ gives MSO principal cor anglais Michael Pisani the opportunity to showcase his remarkable instrument, which is often used to express music’s most melancholic moments. Tchaikovsky fans will love witnessing the orchestral spectacle that is Symphony No 6 Pathétique, a remarkable piece that explores the struggle between the strength of life force, and emotional and physical demise. It’s taking place on September 5, and is directed by Alpesh Chauhan, associate conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
And finally, immerse yourself in the grandeur of Beethoven for the last Quick Fix at Half Six performance on November 7. Sit back and enjoy the dramatic opening of Symphony No 5, and listen as Beethoven takes a number of simple themes and expertly weaves them into a layered musical texture. The concert will also include the Australian premiere of Gneixendorf Music, a Winter’s Journey – a bold new work by Brett Dean that was inspired by Beethoven’s own piano concertos and a summer spent in the small Austrian village where the German composer resided towards the end of his life.
Hurry, tickets for Quick Fix at Half Six will be snapped up quickly. For more information and to secure your spot, head to the website.