Llewellyn Series – Infinite Possibilities

Conducted by Jessica Cottis, this program opens with a new CSO commission by Leah Curtis, a Los Angeles-based composer with Canberra roots. Curtis is well known for her film scores and soundtracks, collaborations she describes as ‘work of the head, the heart and the gut; work of instinct, of intellect and of curiosity…to create a memorable emotional journey.’ Then, we return to the seemingly infinite imagination of Stravinsky. Petrushka narrates the escapades of three puppets in a traditional Shrovetide fairground. This is one of the composer’s most colourful and wide-ranging scores, steeped in the Russian folk tradition yet suggestive of the emerging film medium. Like Stravinsky, Sibelius draws extensively on folk traditions, his Violin Concerto – performed here by Markiyan Melnychenko – described by the critic Olin Downes as ‘bardic songs heard against a background of torches…in some wild Northern night.’ It’s a work of striking contrasts: hypnotic, darkened hues electrified by blinding lights. The opening stillness reflects the calm of a Finnish lake; time stands still in the ambiguous harmony. There’s something inherently organic in Sibelius: he responds with an exceptional intensity to the natural world, as though its changing moods and seasons inspire not only the content of his music but also its form. LEAH CURTIS Infinite Possibilities – world premiere, CSO commission SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D minor STRAVINSKY Petrushka (1947 version) Entry Cost Adult $54 Concession $48 Student $15 - $30 Under 30s $15 Student rush