Let Noosa Orchestra transport you musically to a French vineyard and a charming Spanish hacienda when it presents its Spring 2019 concert across two Coast venues 10 November (Cooroy) and 17 November (Noosa).
You’re invited to aurally feast on a smorgasbord of classical musical genres from the grandiosity of Grand Opera (Les Huguenots) to an all-time great solo cello concerto (Saint-Saens); a Spanish guitar solo (Fantasia for a Gentleman); Mozart’s The Paris Symphony (No 31); and a musical score from the phenomenally popular Les Mis.
Presented by Noosa Orchestra in concert with distinguished virtuoso soloists Evalyn Legried (cello) and David Doherty (guitar), it promises to be a delightful and nuanced musical experience.
Watch and listen as cello soloist Evalyn communicates with great dexterity the lyrical complexity of Saint-Saens Cello Concerto in A minor. It is considered one of the most demanding musical scores for soloists, especially in the fast triplet and semiquaver passages.
Evalyn declares she gets “really excited when I play them and my fingers can sometimes fall over each other!” but expect to see her master these passages evenly, even when the excitement of being on stage takes over.
Witness music magic when the orchestra and soloist find their unique combination of give and take.
“It takes enormous effort to seamlessly weave together the intricate solo lines in both the solo and the orchestra parts,” says Evalyn.
The Brisbane-based performer, who recently performed with Eminem in Sydney for the Australian Rapture Tour, says she also loves playing contemporary music.
“The thing I love most about performing pop music is the focus on expression and entertainment rather than the aspirations of perfection.”
And while the Saint-Saens cello solo demands perfection, Evalyn says her aim is to engage the audience so they don’t just hear all the right notes but feel the music too.
Through performance, she will emplore you to “listen to this note, isn’t it just gorgeous”, or “this passage is just so thrilling, do you feel it too?”.
David Doherty is similarly excited to share the beauty of Rodgrigo’s guitar concerto, Fantasia for a Gentleman.
Like Evalyn’s solo, David’s aim is not only to play beautiful music, but to ‘show off’ with technically demanding sections and solo phrases that are in conversation with the orchestra.
“Our aim, and the challenge presented by this concerto, is to play all of the technically demanding sections with an air of grace and ease, as the piece was written for “the gentleman of the guitar” Andres Segovia.
The 14-minute guitar solo is an expansion of six short dances written by the 17th Century Spanish guitarist Gaspar Sanz.
“The beautiful melodies of the second movement Espanoleta are amongst my favourite of any classical music, and it is incredibly easy to get lost in the rich haunting accompaniments of the strings throughout,” says David.
“That section is a joy to play, but following that, a cadenza-like passage presents many technically difficult hurdles.
“Again, the aim is to play through these sections like a gentleman – not too phased, considerate, attentive and terribly engaged with the message the music is conveying.”
David says it’s with “great joy” he will be playing in concert with his mother, Deborah, a flautist in the orchestra.
“She is the reason I am so engaged with music,” says David who runs two of the largest privately-owned music schools in Brisbane, Forte School of Music in Toowong and Coorparoo.
“My childhood is dotted with clear memories of music, listening, playing, talking and generally being fascinated with music.”
