The message for Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s (QSO) 2023 season is ‘be curious’.
It’s a year of grand masterpieces and intimate chamber moments. World premieres and experimental music experiences, anchored by the likes of Ray Chen, Piers Lane, and William Barton. The season will also feature some great music from throughout history, from ‘Don Quixote’, ‘The Planets’, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, and Wagner’s ‘Ring Cycle’.
“My ambition for these next three years is to create a web of interconnected programs in which each single concert has a clear and unique storyline that develops into a unified arc, embracing the entire season,” QSO Chief Conductor Umberto Clerici says.
“My theme for 2023 is humanity, for after the past few challenging years I felt we needed music that celebrates sociality, friendship, and community.”
QSO’s Maestro Series opens in February, with three performances of ‘Ode To Joy’, a concert for the ages. It’ll see Maestro Clerici lead the orchestra with didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton and powerhouse violinist Veronique Serret along with soprano Eleanor Lyons, mezzo soprano Deborah Humble, tenor Andrew Goodwin, baritone Michael Honeyman and the Brisbane Chamber Choir performing Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 and Sculthorpe’s ‘Earth Cry’. Barton and Serret will also perform ‘Kalkani’ for the first time in the Concert Hall.
April will see Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets’ under the baton on South Korean conductor Shiyeon Sung, and the epic music continues in may with ‘Don Quixote’.
In June, it’s time for dynamic young music-makers to shine with ‘Terrific Trumpet’ starring new Section Principal Trumpet Rainer Saville performing French composer Henri Tomasi’s Trumpet Concerto under the baton of young Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski.
Ray Chen returns in July over two nights for ‘Ray Plays Tchaikovsky’ under the baton of Giancarlo Guerrero. Also in July will be two ‘Beethoven And Elgar’ performances as triple-threat conductor (violinist, and composer) Joseph Swenson brings his deep musical knowledge to Elgar’s Symphony No. 2.
In spring, Chief Conductor Umberto Clerici embarks on his Mahler cycle, with a twist.
Image © Peter Wallis
“Every new Chief Conductor starts a Mahler cycle, but few make it beyond his Fourth or Fifth Symphony. So, I decided to continue a cycle started by Alondra de la Parra in 2016: we will restart from Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, the Tragic, and continue the journey in years to come,” Clerici says.
“We will also hear the world premiere of a new symphony by Justin Williams, a personal friend of mine, and colleague at Sydney Symphony Orchestra. His music ideally continues the late Romantic idiom and could be the natural continuation of Strauss and Mahler.”
For the final performances of 2023, Clerici has packed as much symphonic goodness as possible into ‘Micro-Masterpieces’. Each work is less than half an hour. Then, in December, QSO takes part in ‘The Ring Cycle’, Wagner’s magnum opus. This production from Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng explores Wagner’s legendary tale through a futuristic lens.
The 2023 season also includes QSO’s new Up Close series, designed to celebrate music written for chamber orchestra. Other season highlights include the return of pianist Sergio Tiempo, and the blockbuster classical music event ‘Cinematic’.
“On the mainstage, in our studio, in the pit for the opera and the ballet, and touring all over this vast state; QSO thrives as an arts company for all Queenslanders,” QSO Chief Executive Yarmila Alfonzetti says.
“We will venture into classrooms and town halls in regional centres and remote communities. We will play alongside young musicians and seek to inspire their creativity and ambition and we will continue to produce digital performances for those who can’t access us live. It is also incumbent upon us to support the great music teachers of the future through professional development opportunities with our musicians.”
“The orchestra will also continue to connect with First Nation communities to create collaborative music that champions, educates and inspires. On the regional touring front, the orchestra is committed to sharing the power of music with as much of the state as possible – from Longreach to Bundaberg, Toowoomba to Atherton. We look forward to making a unique announcement in this space at the beginning of 2023.”
