Steve Reich
Clapping Music
New York Counterpoint
Ernő Dohnányi
Sextet in C, Op.37
John Novacek
New work (2020) (world premiere)
Camille Saint-Saëns
Carnival of the Animals
What’s better than one clarinet, you ask? When Ensemble Liaison teams up with talented students and staff from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music there will be no fewer than 11. Despite its maximalist cast, Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint is minimalist in style, using the clarinets to create seemingly electronic sounds that depict the thrilling urban soundscape of Manhattan.
In Saint-Saëns’s brilliant Carnival of the Animals, a bold and hilarious combination of instruments represent a veritable zoo, populated with long-eared characters, kangaroos and, of course, the famous swan. Humour and drama is also redolent in Dohnányi’s Sextet, and the artists premiere a new work by American pianist composer John Novacek, written especially for the Ensemble. With its wonderful guests and jubilant works, this concert has it all: drama, beauty and a whole lot of fun.
‘Terrifically exciting.’ The Age