Southern Cross Soloists Have It All ‘Rapt Up’ With Jazz, Poetry And A World Premiere

Brisbane’s own Southern Cross Soloists and special guest artists will present Rhapsody in Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC’s) Concert Hall on Sunday 29 July.

Featuring works by Gershwin, Vivaldi, Dean, Copland and Debussy, Rhapsody is the second concert in their 2012 season.

Southern Cross Soloists’ Creative Director and Oboist Tania Frazer said that the definition of the term ‘rhapsody’ is often associated with the word ‘epic’.

 “The term Rhapsody actually originated in ancient Greece. ‘Rhaspode’ essentially means ‘to sew songs together’, and a Rhapsode was a singer of epic poetry,” said Ms Frazer.

 “We are certainly featuring ‘epic’ works and some beautiful poetry in this afternoon concert. A highlight will be George Gershwin's iconic piece, Rhapsody in Blue, which was the first successful American jazz-classical cross-over work. This work features one of the most ‘epically’ difficult openings of all times, the notorious clarinet glissando.

 “Southern Cross Soloists member Paul Dean will also play the ‘epic’ clarinet test piece from the Paris Conservatoire, Debussy’s Premier Rhapsody and the Soloists will perform a delightful chamber concerto by the ‘epic’ father of the virtuoso concerto, Antonio Vivaldi.”

In addition, this concert program will feature a world premiere, Dean's own rhapsodic composition, entitled Amid a crowd of stars. Dean took his inspiration for this new work from the poetry of W.B.Yeats, Dylan Thomas and Mary Frye.

“Amid a crowd of stars is the first work especially developed for all the instruments in the Soloists’ ensemble and Dean has insisted on the inclusion of the contraforte - a groundbreaking re-invention of the sometimes awkward instrument, the contra bassoon,” said Frazer.

“We are therefore excited to welcome contraforte expert Brock Imison of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to join the Soloists to play this new instrument, which was only invented in 2010 in Germany.

“In Rhapsody, the Soloists also welcome a guest trumpeter for the first time, Principal Trumpet of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Sarah Wilson, who will play in the Gershwin  and Vivaldi works. Soprano Margaret Schindler will also enchant with the intriguing songs of Aaron Copland based on the haunting poetry of Emily Dickinson,” said Frazer.

Audiences should not miss this Sunday afternoon of rhapsodies with the Southern Cross Soloists, set in intimate mode (Reverse Mode) in QPAC’s Concert Hall.