AFTER a Canberra day of gloriously warm spring sunshine the night began with Andrew Rumsey filling the acoustically satisfying confines of the Wesley Music Centre with the sound, if not smell, of beautiful flowers.
“Frangipani”, by Ross Edwards, introduced this delightful concert which, during the first half, featured short works of Australian classical music. Imagery abounded with the Kate Abbott work Glisten certainly capturing a picture of the sun bouncing as it touched waves of water.
Nigel Westlake’s “Wooden Ships” from his “Antarctica Suite”, then took minds away from warmth for a moment before Andrew played a timely tribute to the late Peter Sculthorpe in which the composer musically captured images of a whistling duck on a billabong.
In addition to his fine piano playing Andrew proved to be an easy going and informative compere who introduced the program items and his guest performers with relaxed charm. And it was an outstanding group of “friends” who had gathered to join him! David Pereira, the internationally renowned cellist was quite electric playing his own piece, “Breath of Fire”.
He then invited the audience to suggest a subject for improvisation. From a diverse list he chose to provide a musical picture of dark chocolate. Most fascinating! James Huntingford (piano), Ciaran Edwards-McKeown (guitar) and Richard Manderson (soprano saxophone) all featured as did the world premiere of the serenely haunting “In an Eastern Garden” by Michael Dooley, well known Canberra jazz pianist and classical composition student of Ross Edwards.
After interval it was away to a world of Bach, Brahms, Debussy, Samuel Barber and Anthony Newley with Maddie Sue Anderson (voice) and James Larsen (cello) joining the quality list of “friends”. Andrew commenced proceedings with a delicate reading of “Clair de Lune” then David Pereira (with eyes closed in focussed concentration) joined him for a quite sublime “Ave Maria”.
In keeping with the casual nature of the evening David told a yarn or two about his childhood and how he and his father played music together. James Hungerford joined Andrew for a four-handed piano tango then a clever, comedic and agile take on the Brahms Hungarian Dance No 5. James, after a fineexplanatory introduction, deftly played “Les Savages” before Maddie Sue Anderson rose from her seat in the audience to sing “Feeling Good”, recently popularised by Michael Buble.
The 1st from the Saint-Saens Sonata No 1 for cello and piano provided a sparkling end to a most diverse, well-constructed, entertaining and happy concert.
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