ANTHONY Albrecht may play only one instrument, but his regional tour proves he’s a true one-man band.
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The Newcastle cellist brings his Bach to the Bush to Ballarat this week, performing his solo cello recital at the Loreto Chapel.
Every aspect of the tour, from logistics to publicity, ticket sales to the actual performance, is his own work.
Regional touring is close to his heart despite years spent training at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School, which he attended on a full scholarship beating out thousands of other hopefuls from around the globe.
“It was a unique time of life to be doing a program like that, playing music seven days a week, playing with some of the best musicians in the world and living in New York, which had always been a dream,” he said.
Soon after leaving Australia he started getting calls for professional work back home and returned a few times a year to play with various orchestras and ensembles.
Part of that work involved touring in regional and remote areas of the country, so he decided to devise his own regional tour. The only downside is he’s responsible for every aspect of the tour.
“The places I most enjoy playing are regional and remote towns where … for the most part people are very excited when someone comes to town. You get this really generous sense of appreciation from the audience.
“The whole mission of the tour is to connect with regional audiences and share classical music in an intimate setting. It’s a pleasure and journey for me: this music I play is something you never really truly master or finish learning.”
During Bach to the Bush, Mr Albrecht explains to the audience the context of the music, where it fits in to the modern repertoire, and why it’s important to him.
“Music back then was written with such depth and sincerity and to me it touches the soul. Not a lot of art of music that’s written in the 20th century has that kind of depth to it.”
Bach to the Bush - Music for Solo Cello is at Loreto Chapel on Wednesday at 7.30pm. Tickets available at the door or anthonyalbrecht.com.