___________________________

Tankard, Barton, Edwards and Shostakovich

One of the most pervading themes of this year's Australian Festival of Chamber Music is fusion. The old world and the new, Asia and Europe, contemporary dance, classical harp and didgeridu. On the eve of the 250th anniversary of Mozart, the 100th anniversary of Shostakovich and the Japan Australia Year of Exchange, the Festival has had free reign to explore a vast repertoire of styles and in so doing, has attracted a host of international performers.

The festival will boast twenty national and international premieres at the hands of some of the worlds best chamber musicians, including Ian Swensen, Lara St John, Jiri Barta, Corey Cerovsek, Marshall McGuire, William Barton, Diana Doherty, Riley Lee and the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra from the Czech Republic. The programme includes the first performances of three of Ross Edward's works, composer in residence for the festival, as well as a chamber version of his much loved Oboe Dancing with Diana Doherty.

International Artistic Director, Theodore Kuchar stated that the festival has arisen from a "passionate belief in the beauty of chamber music", clearly reflected in the innovative programme of Antonin Dvorak, Phillip Glass, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Peter Sculthorpe and careful choice of performance venues.

Kuchar and Christopher Latham, Australian Artistic Director, have taken advantage of the tropical setting of Townsville and the strong artistic communities in Queensland in their choice of performance spaces. These range from art galleries to an intimate beach concert following a day tour over one of the area's famously beautiful reefs.

Booming interest in chamber music as an art form has swept Australia, with the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition attracting 3.75 million radio listeners in 2003. Richard Tognetti is regarded as one of Australia's most spirited and polished performers, as the director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, not least for his dedication to the progression of an established art form, but also for his compelling performances, reflecting the virtuosic musicianship required for seemless chamber music performance.

In the words of violinist Isaac Stern, 'Chamber music is so exposed...You have to fit. The group has to sound like one. If any part is out of kilter, the one will not happen. A good soloist might not make a good chamber musician, but a good chamber musician may make a fine soloist.’

Chamber music holds a special place in the realisation of musical creativity. It bears an inherent sense of independence and power as an art form which is driven purely by those within. They are bound by their own exposition and dynamic, their only external reference the intentions of the composer and the hush of the audience.

The Australian Festival of Chamber Music continues its history of fine performance and premieres from 30 June to 10 July.

June l 2006