Italian harpist Elisabetta Ghebbioni, one of the musicians appearing in several concerts at the Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields Festival, gave an exquisite performance in the Loreto Chapel. Of the three pieces the Phillip Glass “Metamorphosis Two” stood out as the best transcription. Ghebbioni’s strong technique and lyricism gave meaning to the contrasting programme.
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A bravura performance by Melbourne ensemble Arcadia Winds in the Neil St. Uniting Church will be remembered as one of the highlights of this Festival. The exacting individual skills and telepathic understanding between the five musicians created a breathtaking performance, starting with Bartok’s popular “Romanian Folk Dances”. Ligeti’s “Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet” was a broad splash of tonal colours, something explored in Australian Lachlan Skipworth’s “Echoes and Lines” which followed.
At St. Patrick’s Cathedral John Weretka performed in and conducted a recreation of an eighteenth century German Advent cantata concert, bringing together an A-list of early music instrumentalists and singers. The programme featured the great names of Buxtehude, Pachelbel and Froberger with pleasant surprises from lesser known composers. \The feeling of spirituality and refinement was maintained throughout.
Local orchestral musicians performing with overseas guests has become a tradition for the day at Clunes. At the former Wesleyan Methodist Church the programme of Vivaldi, Telemann and Haydn concertos revealed not only a strong understanding of the clarity and rhythm of the styles but also an awareness of the relationship between the fast and slow movements in the overall structure. As soloist and continuo player Anthony Halliday was outstanding.
The final weekend of performances for the festival this year will be held today in Daylesford and in Ballarat tomorrow at the Mechanics’s Institute at 3pm and St Patricks Cathedral at 8pm.