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Concerts

The Recitals 2008

Concert 1     March 1st

Soiree Spectacular

International piano sensation Melvyn Tan in a

Gala Recital

Official Concert Series Opening by Mayor Kevin Byrne

Beethoven Piano Sonata op 28 "Pastorale"

Mozart Sonata for Violin and Piano, K.454

Schumann Adagio and Allegro for Horn and Piano

Dvorak Piano Quintet, Opus 81 in A

Melvyn Tan, International Piano Soloist

Kirtley Leigh Paine and June Campbell, violins

Malcolm  Cole, viola, Louise King, cello

Mark Paine, horn

see  www.melvyntan.com

http://www.vbpr.co.uk/vbprmelvyntan.html

Concert 2      April 19th

Winds of Paradise

Chamber Music for Clarinet and String Quartet

Brahms Clarinet Quintet and Mozart Clarinet Quintet

Featuring Cherie Spannenburg, guest clarinet

And guest musicians interstate including Louise King, cello

With Kirtley Leigh Paine, violin

June Campbell, violin,

Malcolm Cole, viola

See http://www.sistamusic.com/louise.htm

We’re back!

Carnegie Hall comes to Cairns ! Indulge in the finest classical music, performed by a truly stellar line-up of international musicians, in the most beautiful tropical setting. Now in its 4th stunning season, Paradise Concerts brings eight varied chamber music  concerts, each with music to transport the senses and lift the spirit. Our concert series is proudly supported by our elegant new venue, the Hilton Cairns, as well as Stageworks, RADF, Cairns City Council, and Arts Queensland . Please join international soloists and Artistic Directors Kirtley (violin) and Mark Paine (horn), and their professional colleagues for a classical concert you will remember and cherish. Paradise Concerts ... immerse yourself in the magic of classical music, here in Paradise ...

This second recital in 2008 spotlights the rich, dark and resonant hues of the clarinet, in two giants of the repertoire for the combination of string quartet and clarinet, the Brahms and Mozart Clarinet Quintets. These two works show the immense power the addition of a wind instrument has to the traditional quartet combination, and the musical results are powerful in nuance of colour and sound.

Paradise Concerts is pleased to introduce clarinettist Cherie Spannenburg as guest for the concert. Cherie is a well-known musician in Cairns , and currently teaches music at Smithfield High School . Renowned  British Cellist Louise King also joins us from Brisbane .

Paradise Concerts Presents              Winds of Paradise
Saturday April 19th                               Hilton Cairns Grand Ballroom
4:30 pm cocktails cash bar                 5:30 recital
Tickets Ticketlink                                  Adults $35 Students (3-17) $20
4031 9555                                                www.ticketlink.com.au

 

Concert 3  May 3rd

Eight by the Great

Music for 3 Winds and 5 Strings

Beethoven Septet

Schubert Octet

Kirtley Leigh Paine, violin, Malcolm Cole, violin

Caroline Lloyd Doolan, viola, Louise King, cello

Jacinta Grace, clarinet, Alana Gould, Bassoon,

and featuring International Horn Soloist Mark Paine

see www.markpaine.com and

www.morgensternsdiaryservice.com/WebProfile/paine_m_741.shtml#

Join Paradise Concerts in their 3^rd recital for 2008. Two cornerstones of the classical chamber music literature are presented- Beethoven”s majesterial Septet and Schubert’s witty and joyous Octet. Each composition juxtaposes the vibrant wind sonorities of French horn, bassoon, and clarinet with the smoother string textures of violin, viola, cello and double bass. These interplays between the two contrasting groups of instruments produce a result sometimes nearly orchestral in quality, and at other times strikingly intimate.

Mark Paine, celebrated horn player, joins the group fresh from his most recent British and European tours.

Paradise Concerts Presents            Eight by the Great
Saturday May 3rd                                Hilton Cairns Grand Ballroom
4:30 pm cocktails cash bar              5:30 recital
Tickets Ticketlink                                Adults $35 Students (3-17) $20
4031 9555                                              www.ticketlink.com.au

Concert  4       June 28th

Quartetscape

                                                                              Monet Sunrise

Music for the dramatic String Quartet

Grieg String Quartet No1, op. 27  in g minor
World Premiere String Quartet, With Magic
 By Australian Composer Rhonda Berry

Kirtley Leigh Paine, violin,  Caroline Doolan, violin/viola
 Malcolm Cole, violin/viola
          Cello TBC

Quartetscape promises a string quartet programme delivering brooding intensity of emotion and atmospheric breadth of style and texture in chamber music for the classic combination of 2 violins, viola and cello.

. On hearing Grieg's quartet for the first time, Franz Liszt declared: "It is a long time since I have encountered a new composition, especially a string quartet, which has intrigued me as greatly as this distinctive and admirable work by Grieg." Grieg himself thought of  the quartet as a  vigenette of his own life: 'Concealed within my quartet are samples of that heart's blood of which posterity hopefully will see more than just a few drops.' The musical language is distinctly radical, his style providing a link  between the late Beethoven quartets and Debussy's quartet of a later era. There is an orchestral drama and almost irreverence of stylistic traditions in what is considered a groundbreaking work in the history of string quartet writing.

Coupled with this Scandanavian  treasure is a brand new work, With Magic. Composed by Australian Ronda Berry, this world premiere performance brings ingenuity and freshness of musical language to a modern string quartet. The  entire piece is written as one movement, in which the same motifs are used throughout  with different time signatures.

The composer herself will be at this momentous performance to commemorate her world premiere, and will be available to have an informal chat with the audience afterwards.

Paradise Concerts Presents      Quartetscape
Saturday April 19th                       Hilton Cairns Grand Ballroom
4:30 pm cocktails cash bar         5:30 recital
Tickets Ticketlink                          Adults $35 Students (3-17) $20
4031 9555                                        www.ticketlink.com.au

Concert 5    July 26th

Reef Reverie

Celebrate the International Year of the Coral Reef

Bob Halstead, photographer

Ross Carey, Composer

in a specially commissioned world premiere multi-media performance

Beneath the Sea

with Kirtley Leigh Paine, violin

including other music to lure the listener to an underwater canopy

see www.halsteaddiving.com  

A concert to dive into with abandon...literally! The splendours of the oceanic depths are portrayed musically as well as visually, in a programme where the coral reef meets the composer, and the world which awaits beneath the sea is filled with music as mysterious and profound as the accompanying prize-winning photography.

Bob Halstead has spent a lifetime mostly underwater, and the way he captures the Coral Reef is breathtaking to behold. His recent membership into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame has firmly marked him as one of the diving and underwater photography legends of our time.

Join him as he invites us to experience his realm beneath the sea, as seen through his eyes in a unique experience to challenge all the senses. In this world premiere performance, the photographs combine with a specially commissioned piece by International composer and pianist, New Zealander Ross Carey. Ross' musical kaleidesdescope will enhance and enrich the performance, as composer's mind meets diver's eye.

A celebration of the 2008 International Year of the Coral Reef, an affirmation of the astounding hold nature has on us all. The blending of these elements will take you on a new underwater journey, from the comfort of your Grand Ballroom seat, a journey where all is not as it seems on land...

Paradise Concerts Presents       Reef Reverie
Saturday July 26th                        Hilton Cairns Grand Ballroom
4:30 pm cocktails cash bar         5:30 recital
Tickets Ticketlink                          Adults $35 Students (3-17) $20
4031 9555                                        www.ticketlink.com.au

Concert 6    September 13

Shakespeare in Love

a Romantic Rhapsody

French pianist extraordinaire

Pascal Roge  with Diane Cilento 

                                                                        International Actress

see www.pascalroge.com

and

www.karnakplayhouse.com.au

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE at KARNAK PLAYHOUSE

 in a Sumptuous evening of classical music and words

On Saturday 13 September, Karnak Playhouse and Theatre, in association with Paradise Concerts, present Shakespeare in Love –a concert combining sublime spoken word with sumptuous classical music.  This special concert is a rare treat for lovers of music, drama and art as it features celebrated actress, Diane Cilento in Shakespearean and other dramatic readings, as well as narrator for classical music performed by French pianist extraordinaire, Pascal Roge who is amongst a bevy of international stars to perform at Karnak.    While Ms Cilento undertakes a series of Shakespeare readings and Pascal Roge performs romantic piano works and Poulenc (Babar the Elephant), Brahms (Horn Trio) and Korngold (Four Shakespeare Pieces), the concert will feature other stars, including Japanese pianist Ami Hakuno, Mark Paine, solo horn and Kirtley Leigh Paine, violin.  There is also elegant movement performance by guest Catherine Hassall.  Karnak Playhouse enjoys a magical setting in the rainforest and mountains north of Mossman that was designed and built by Diane Cilento and is home today to a host of international entertainment. A special dinner will be served before the show.  “Cornucopia” will be a veritable feast of Shakespearean proportions.

•  Dinner will be served at 6.30pm    Concert at 8.00pm                                        

                 $20 return  bookings are essential via Karnak Playhouse 07 4098 8111

  Concert/Dinner Bookings essential via

About the Concert

A highlight of the evening is the ravishing work of Korngold – Four Shakespeare Pieces.  Interspersed with this heady music are readings of the great Shakespeare soliloquies and sonnets – by none other than the famous actress herself, Diane Cilento.  Next is the delightfully witty Story of Babar the Elephant by French romantic composer Poulenc.  This charming work is composed for two piano players sitting at one piano – otherwise known as “Piano Four Hands”. The humorous narrative of the elephant’s journey is spoken traditionally by an actor – as the two pianists musically bring the tale to life.    Brahms’ Horn Trio is often knowingly dubbed Brahms’  ‘Third Piano Concerto’ – such are the technical and musical mountains to climb asked of the performer.  The artistry and integrity of this haunting masterpiece is understandable as the horn soars and violin seduces, intertwining with the piano.

About Pascal Roge 

Pascal Rogé exemplifies the finest in French pianism.  His playing is known for its elegance, beauty and delicate phrasing - his name is synonymous with the best playing of French repertory in the world today. Born in Paris , Pascal Rogé is an exclusive DECCA recording artist who has won many awards including two GRAMOPHONE AWARDS, a Grand Prix du Disque and an Edison award. Pascal Rogé has performed in almost every major concert hall in the world. Some of the orchestras he has appeared with are the Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony, Montreal Symphony, l'Orchestre de Paris, l'Orchestre National de Radio France, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Geneva, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and all the London orchestras. He appears regularly in the United States , in Latin America, Mexico , Australia , and Japan . Performance highlights include with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Chamber Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and the Vienna Symphony, recitals in London 's Wigmore Hall, and in Paris , Berlin , Vienna , Italy and Spain .

About Diane Cilento 

Feisty, uncompromising and free-spirited, Diane Cilento won international acclaim as an actress during the 1950s and 1960s. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role as the seductive Molly in Tom Jones in 1963, around which time she also gained celebrity status as the wife of Sean Connery, then becoming famous as the iconic James Bond. But these are only a few of the parts Diane has played. The twists and turns of her extraordinary life took her from a privileged childhood in Queensland , Australia , to Broadway, then to London and her work with some of the biggest stars of stage and screen. She also has an ongoing search for self-expression and spiritual fulfilment. Having turned her back on stardom in the 1980s, she moved to Far North Queensland, where she built and still runs Karnak Playhouse, a unique centre for the arts. The daughter of Sir Raphael and Lady Cilento, Diane Cilento was born and raised on Queensland 's Sunshine Coast . She began her acting career in New York and London as a teenager, and went on to star in such films as The Admirable Crichton, Tom Jones, Hombre and The Wicker Man. Her career has also embraced theatre work, writing, translating, directing and instructing. The widow of playwright Anthony Shaffer, she now lives near Port Douglas, Queensland.