Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Event Details

CABARET - CIRCUS - EXPRESSIONISM - JAZZ - MUSICAL THEATRE Sydney’s favourite international chamber music export The Hourglass Ensemble presents breezy jazz standards from Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, headlined by “Prelude to a Kiss” and “Lullaby of Birdland”.

Hourglass welcomes trumpet and percussion for the first time to give that smoky club feel, and some suave silky sounds. Alongside, they premiere Australian Tim Hansen’s humorous, dark, poignant song cycle, The Sharpest Piece: cabaret, circus, melodrama, expressionism, and music theatre fused - chronicling Sigmund Freud’s treatment of a woman suffering the bizarre delusion that she is completely made of glass. She lives in fear of her behaviour upsetting her husband, or of making any moves that might cause her to shatter. There are moments of Spiegeltent magic and epic rock in a mesmerising new work especially for Hourglass.

Next, the third piano sonata of Chopin, his most rich, difficult, and brilliant work of all, and the only piece he wrote in 1844 while his romance with George Sand fractured. Watch Gregory again take total command of the Opera House Steinway! Finally, Hourglass play a funky new piece Canon by Nathan Lam, commissioned by us for clarinet, tenor sax, and piano, and the favourite flute solo Spirit of the Plains by Sally Whitwell.

Performers: Clarinets/director - Andrew Kennedy, Flutes - Ewa Kowalski, Saxophones - Nathan Henshaw, Trumpets - Andrew del Riccio, Percussion - Tim Brigden, Mezzo-soprano - Jo Burton, Piano - Gregory Kinda

Featured non-Australian music: Chopin piano sonata number 3; jazz-blues tunes of Ellington/Fitzgerald

Further information for this event is available online at the event's website or by phone on 0438 787 338 or by email to info@hourglassensemble.com

Featured Australian Works

Featured artists

• Performer Hourglass Ensemble
• Music of Sally Whitwell
• Performer Andrew Kennedy
• Performer Ewa Kowalski
• Performer Gregory Kinda
• Performer Nathan Henshaw
• Performer Andrew Del Riccio
• Performer Tim Brigden
• Music of Nathan Lam
• Performer Jo Burton