Australia Ensemble Subscription Concert: Slipstream 2021

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The final program of 2021 opens with Franz Schubert's remarkable first movement of the unfinished twelfth String Quartet.

Composed at a time of mixed receptions to his work and the successful premieres of his beloved songs Erlkönig and Die Forelle, this quartet is characterised by an intensity of emotion that was new in Schubert's output.

Holly Harrison's Slipstream, commissioned by the Australia Ensemble UNSW, will receive its premiere performance in this concert. This piece manifests different kinds of movement such as turbulence, within a framework of songlike melodies. Dmitry Shostakovich spent much of his career negotiating the line between creative expression and survival in a politically treacherous environment.

The Piano Quintet shows the influence of Bach, embracing the ambiguity of contrapuntal artistry and leaving subversive interpretation to the listener.

Despite the seriousness of the Piano Quintet, the program ends with Russian music on the lighter side with Waltzes by both Prokofiev and Shostakovich, delivering wit and humour even during the depths of Stalinism.