SAT 27 Jul 2024
ACO Pier 2/3, SYDNEY

Alchymia

“… LIKE tendrils growing towards the sun AND down into darkness”

— The Guardian (on Thomas Adès’ Alchymia)

Paradise lost and found

Program

SAMUEL ADAMS
New Commission (World Premiere) *

THOMAS ADÈS
Alchymia (Australian Premiere)

MISSY MAZZOLI
Dark with Excessive Bright

CHRISTOPHER CERRONE
Nervous Systems (New Version) **

Approx. 90 mins without interval

* Samuel Adams commissioned by Omega Ensemble.

** Christopher Cerrone's Nervous Systems is presented in a new arrangement by the composer commissioned by Omega Ensemble.

About the music

— A new generation in an American musical dynasty, Samuel Adams’ music has been described as ‘mesmerising’ (The New York Times) exploring the space between directness and implication, silence and resonance, and emotional aftermath. In a world premiere commissioned by Omega Ensemble, Adams delivers a striking work of light, shade and ever increasing intensity.

— Hailed as ‘one of the composer’s finest recent achievements’ (The Guardian), Thomas Adès’ captivating new clarinet quintet Alchymia is constructed of careful and delicate lines emerging like tendrils that grow towards the sun and down into darkness. This Australian debut marks an important addition from one of the world's indisputable leading contemporary voices.

— Titled after a phrase from Milton's Paradise Lost, Missy Mazzoli's Dark with Excessive Bright is a surreal and evocative work. Loosely based in Baroque idioms, the music slips between techniques from across centuries, twisting a repeated musical statement from delicate simplicity to pandemonium beyond recognition.

— Originally commissioned and premiered by Omega Ensemble in 2022, Grammy Award-nominated composer Christopher Cerrone reconstructs Nervous Systems in an expanded new arrangement that takes the work to new heights of arresting textures and gripping tension.

  • David Rowden, clarinet & Artistic Director
    Peter Clark, violin
    Natalia Harvey, violin
    Neil Thompson, viola
    Paul Stender, cello
    Jaan Pallandi, double bass
    William Hansem, double bass
    Vatche Jambazian, piano

  • SAMUEL ADAMS | COMPOSER

    Samuel Adams music weaves acoustic and digital sound into “mesmerizing” (New York Times) orchestrations. Sought after by orchestras and contemporary ensemble alike, he has received commissions from a broad range of organizations including San Francisco Symphony, Carnegie Hall, New World Symphony, The Australian Chamber Orchestra, and Spektral Quartet, and has collaborated with performers and conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, David Robertson, MTT, violinists Anthony Marwood, Jennifer Koh, Karen Gomyo, and pianists Emanuel Ax, Sarah Cahill, David Fung, and Joyce Yang. Adams was previously Composer In Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Composer in Residence with Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

PERFORMANCES & TICKETS

  • Sydney

    Sat 27 July 2024 — 2:00 PM
    The Neilson
    ACO Pier 2/3

    Tix: $39.00-$89.00

  • Sydney

    Sat 27 July 2024 — 7 PM
    The Neilson
    ACO Pier 2/3

    Tix: $39.00-$89.00

WE ABIDE BY THE LIVE PERFORMANCE AUSTRALIA (LPA) TICKETING CODE OF PRACTICE. WHERE TICKETS ARE SOLD THROUGH A VENUE BOX OFFICE OR AUTHORISED TICKETING AGENT, PURCHASES ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE VENUE OR AGENT.

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