Sydney Conservatorium of Music

Greenway Series
SCM Early Music Ensemble: Re-engaging the Art
of Story Telling in Music

Director: Neal Peres Da Costa

Verbugghen Hall
Friday 8 September 2023, 7pm
Program
J.W. von Goethe (1749-1832) Johann Anton André (1775–1842)
Sound scape: Excerpt from Erlkönig “Liebe” from Lieder und Gesänge
Recited by Moissi Performed by Anna Fraser and Neal
Peres Da Costa
W.A. Mozart (1756–1791)
Symphony No. 25 in G Minor Symphony in E flat Op. 25
Allegro con brio Adagio – Tempo di Recitativo
Andantino moderato, quasi larghetto,
Sound scape: Voi che sapete ma con moto
Recorded by Adelina Patti, 1905,
Craig y Nos, Wales Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760–1812)
Molto adagio con anima ed
“Voi che sapete” from Marriage of espressione from Piano Sonata Op. 70
Figaro Performed by Benedikt Holter
Emulation by Anna Fraser
W.A. Mozart (1756–1791)
J.C. Bach (1735–1782) “Batti Batti” from Don Giovani, Act 1,
“In the Shady Blest Retreat” from Scene 16, No. 12
Cantata Vauxhall Song W.H. 28, Sung by Alexandra McDougall Sharp
Version by Domenico Corri, Emulation of recording by Adelina Patti,
The Singing Preceptor 1905, Craig y Nos, Wales
Sung by Anna Fraser
L. van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Franz Schubert (1797–1828) Sound scape: Symphony No. 5 first
Sound scape: “Aufenthalt” from movement
Schwanengesang Recorded by Friederich Kark and Berlin
Recorded by Lev Sibiyakov, 1912, Odeon Streich Orchester, 1910, Berlin
St Petersburg
Symphony No. 5
“Aufenthalt” from Schwanengesang Allegro con brio
Emulation by Anna Fraser and Neal Emulation by EME
Peres Da Costa

We acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners of the land

on which we meet; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. It is upon their
ancestral lands that the University of Sydney is built.
As we share our own knowledge, teaching, learning and research
practices within this university, may we also pay respect to the knowledge
embedded forever within the Aboriginal Custodianship of Country.

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Program note
What did Beethoven’s famous Fifth Symphony sound like at the first Viennese
performance in 1808? And how did the Italian soprano Dorotea Bussani (1763–
1809) transmit Cherubino’s crazed infatuation for the Countess to the audience,
in Mozart’s aria “Voi che sapete” at the 1787 premier of his opera The Marriage
of Figaro in Vienna? Without a time machine we will never find the answers to
these questions. But, one thing is certain: musicians (singers and instrumentalists)
from the eras of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and other composers of the
18th and 19th centuries delivered music in imaginatively expressive ways that
projected stories to the audience. Through the employment of myriad expressive
devices including inflections of tone and timing, musicians took their listeners on
scintillating journeys, sometimes whispering, sometimes shouting, at times calm,
sorrowful or languid, at others frantic or angry.

These devices are well documented in historical written sources (both theatrical
and musical), which reveal a ‘continuum’—continuous but evolving sequence—over
several centuries of expressive practices, applied judiciously at the will of the
highly-skilled musician. At one end of the continuum we might consider the advice
of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach (1714–1788) who, in 1753, listed the constituents
of successful musical delivery as “the loudness and softness of the notes, their
accentuation, Schnellen [a finger technique on the clavichord], portamento
[audible sliding effects], staccato [shortening of notes], vibrato [audible trembling
effects], arpeggiation [playing notes one after the other which are aligned in the
notation], sustaining [smooth or legato], holding back [getting slower], and pushing
forward [getting faster]. These techniques were seldom marked by the composer
in the score but were expected to be added by the performer. Bach warns that
“Whoever either does not use these things at all or who uses them at the wrong
time has a bad performance style.” At the other end of the continuum we can
look to the words of the German cellist Hugo Becker (1863–1941) who explained
in 1929: “Animato [getting faster] is the marking for that feeling that makes us talk
faster when relating events that affect us very strongly […] Meno or più tranquillo
[less or more tranquil], on the other hand, should check the flow of the narrative;
it can be used either as a calming effect, or to underline the meaning of a
particular place, in order to bring out something musically significant.”

But this continuum of expressive devices in musical delivery were all but expunged
during the first half of the twentieth century with the rise of modernism, a time
of unprecedented change across the arts and other disciplines, in which the
‘sentimentality’ of the 19th century was expressly rejected. In classical music
this resulted in styles of delivery which were much more closely bound to the
composer’s score notation and markings (which depending on the era could be
quite scant), leaving little room for improvised musical creativity from the
performer. Thus, the palate of expression available to artists was severely reduced
to the extent that performers became “a disappearing transmitter of canonic
works and [composers’] identities” to borrow the words of Anna Scott. The
development of sound recording at the turn of the 20th century accelerated this
change allowing musicians and audiences around the globe quick and easy access
to a multitude of performances. This together with the effects of globalization
have led overall to a homogeneity in classical music performance; we know
how Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony sounds: it should sound the way we hear it on
recordings, on the radio, and in the concert hall!

Alas, all is not lost! Early sound recordings preserve the artistry of many revered
musicians, some of whom were trained in the middle of the 19th century or a
little before. These recordings allow us to experience how musicians within a half
century of the passing of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert expressed musical
stories. We hear their performance practices “unearthed from a time capsule” to
quote David Kjar. They provide rich opportunity for us to learn from bygone artists
by emulating (imitating) and embodying their interpretations to make them our
own: not for the sake of creating museum performances, but to inspire fresh and
novel approaches, paving the way for reimagining music of the past creatively and
with appropriately improvisatory spirit.

Tonight, for your delectation, we have assembled a program that intersperses a

sound scape of early recordings with live performances. We invite you to listen to
the past while experiencing the present.

The program opens with an extract from a recording of the Austrian actor
Alexander Moissi (1879–1935) reciting Goethe’s Erlkönig (Erlking), a tragic story in
which a child’s life is taken by the terrifying king of the elves. It is truly ear-opening
to hear how a 19th-century actor such as Moissi modifies his sounds and pacing
to characterise the four protagonists—the narrator, the father, the child and the
Erlking—inflecting his speech in myriad ways seldom heard today. Read the English
translation given below while you listen.

Moissi’s thought-provoking recitation sets the scene for the turbulent first
movement of Mozart’s Sturm und Drang (storm and stress) Symphony No. 25.
To enhance the movements syncopations, jagged rhythms and arching figures
portraying extreme unrest, we have experimented with making gruff accents and
ferocious timbres and in changing of tempo (sometimes violently) to emphasise
the alarming nature of the music. Relief from the devilish strains of this movement
comes in Mozart’s delectable aria “Voi che sapete” recorded in 1905 by Adelina
Patti (1843–1927), arguably the most celebrated soprano of the 19th-century.
Patti’s way of expressing the feverish adoration of Cherubino for the Countess is
extraordinary by modern standards. She makes frequent changes of tempo to
underscore sentimental words or to ignite passionate phrases, modifies vocal
timbre to match ever-changing emotions, and employs sliding effects and
expressive tremolo to provide particular poetic colouring. It is tantalising to
ponder that Patti’s singing preserves remnants at least of the style of singing
Mozart heard and expected from a singer such as Dorotea Bussani! Patti’s
recording is followed by our performance of the aria, sung by Anna Fraser who is
currently exploring historical bel canto techniques in her doctoral studies at SCM
as team member on the Australian Research Council funded Discovery Project
The shock of the old: rediscovering the sounds of bel canto 1700–1900. Anna has
emulated and embodied Patti’s style of singing this aria in a very detailed manner
to understand her sound world. Likewise, the Early Music Ensemble has emulated
orchestrally the effects evident in the playing of Patti’s collaborative pianist.

From Mozart we are transported into the magical world of a forest grove in J. C.
Bach’s (1735–1782) gentle aria “In the Shady Blest Retreat”. For the performance
tonight, Anna Fraser brings to life a 19th-century version of this aria marked
up by the renowned singing teacher Domenico Corri (1746–1825), littered with
expressive indications and ornamental figures that are eye-opening about ways
in which singers of the era enhanced text and story. We hear next an extract
from Schubert’s brooding song “Aufenthalt” (Resting Place) from his song cycle
Schwanengesang in a stirring rendition replete with noticeable changes of tempo
and rhythm, and other expressive devices by the Russian singer Lev Sibiyakov
(1869–1942) recorded in St Petersburg in 1912. Anna Fraser and Neal Peres Da
Costa perform an emulation of Sibiyakov’s (and his accompanist’s) interpretation
followed by a beautiful little song called “Liebe” (Love) from the third book of
Lieder und Gesänge (1818) by Johann Anton André (1775–1842), best known for
being Mozart’s publisher. “Liebe” takes us into a fascinating world of expressive
possibilities. André’s extensive markings provide a treasure trove of information, a
veritable masterclass in methods of storytelling in musical delivery with frequent
changes of tempo, a plethora of accent, crescendo and diminuendo signs that
underscore the words and their meaning. For example, the first stanza has three
changes of tempo in the space of 5 bars (see translation below):

“Strong is the rough hand of death” crotchet = 54

“but stronger still is love” crotchet = 66

“and tightly embraces the band of the grave,

but firmer hearts love” crotchet = 76

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 Such changes of tempo to enhance the increasingly positive message of the
text would hardly have been envisaged but for this information. We follow it
immediately with the beautiful second movement from André’s little-known
E flat Symphony (1805), an instrumental recitative and aria to which we are
applying the principles of expression discovered in “Liebe”. This is likely to be
the first time André’s “Liebe” and his symphonic movement will be heard in
Australia.

Next, we are transported to an intimate European salon of the early-

19th century (in Paris, London or Vienna) in a highly expressive solo piano
movement Molto adagio con anima ed espressione from Jan Ladilav Dussek’s
(1760–1812) Piano Sonata Op. 70. Several historical accounts attest to the
highly-sophisticated style with which Dussek applied expressive techniques.
Describing Dussek’s flexib ility of rhythm in song like passages, the French pianist
Henri Herz, explained that he “produced a hazy and melancholy tint on certain
sequences by letting the right-hand sing in a vague and nonchalant manner,
whereas the left executed the arpeggiated chords [in the accompaniment]
rigorously in time.” In his piano sonatas Dussek used the word espressivo
to indicate this style. In this performance given by our exchange student,
the Viennese pianist Benedikt Holter, we experience effusions of brooding
emotion vividly brought out through his experimentation with 19th-century
piano techniques (arpeggiation, tempo fluctuation and rhythmic freedom), all
given special colouring by the varying timbral qualities available on SCM’s c.1819
Viennese grand piano. This piano is a replica of an original by Conrad Graf
(1782–1851) sporting a single and double moderator (a stop producing veiled
sounds by causing felt to come between hammer and string) and a truly una
corda shift pedal in which the hammers engage a single string, evoking a ghostly
sound world.

A scene change, and we are back in the world of Mozart, this time a coquettish
aria “Batti Batti, o bel Masetto” from his opera Don Giovanni (in which Zerlina
mocks Masetto while imploring him to beat her). For this performance, Honours
student Alexandra McDougall Sharp has courageously emulated and embodied
Adelina Patti’s 1905 recording. Our concert concludes with an extract from
the first-known recording of the well-known Allegro con brio movement from
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony recorded in Berlin in 1910 by the Grosse Odeon
Streich Orchester directed by Friederich Kark (1869–1939). In this rendition,
Beethoven’s fate knocking motive, and the inherent anger and despair of
the music are expressed through wild and dramatic shifts of tempo and
rhythm. We’ve had enormous fun adopting these ways of telling story into our
interpretation of this powerful work.

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The use of gut-strung stringed instruments, period wind instruments, timpani
and a Viennese piano add historical colours that help in our story telling efforts.
Our singers, too, are experimenting with the raising and lowering of their larynx
position and soft palette to attain myriad hues ranging from clear and light to
dark and heavy as was the expectation in bel canto before the 20th century. We
hope you enjoy our story telling.

© Neal Peres Da Costa, 2023

Song Texts
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1842)
Erlkönig (English translation: Richard Wigmore)

Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Who rides so late through the night
Wind? and wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind; It is the father with his child.
Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm, He has the boy in his arms;
Er faßt ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm. he holds him safely, he keeps him
warm.

Mein Sohn, was birgst du so bang dein ‘My son, why do you hide your face in
Gesicht? fear?’
Siehst, Vater, du den Erlkönig nicht? ‘Father, can you not see the Erlking?
Den Erlenkönig mit Kron’ und Schweif? The Erlking with his crown and tail?’
Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif. ‘My son, it is a streak of mist.’

Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir! ‘Sweet child, come with me.
Gar schöne Spiele spiel’ ich mit dir; I’ll play wonderful games with you.
Manch’ bunte Blumen sind an dem Many a pretty flower grows on the
Strand; shore;
Meine Mutter hat manch’ gülden Ge- my mother has many a golden robe.’
wand.

Mein Vater, mein Vater, und hörest du ‘Father, father, do you not hear
nicht,
Was Erlenkönig mir leise verspricht? what the Erlking softly promises me?’
Sey ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind; ‘Calm, be calm, my child:
In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind. the wind is rustling in the withered
leaves.’

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Willst, feiner Knabe, du mit mir gehn? ‘Won’t you come with me, my fine lad?
Meine Töchter sollen dich warten schön; My daughters shall wait upon you;
Meine Töchter führen den nächtlichen my daughters lead the nightly dance,
Reihn,
Und wiegen und tanzen und singen dich and will rock you, and dance, and sing
ein. you to sleep.’

Mein Vater, mein Vater, und siehst du ‘Father, father, can you not see
nicht dort
Erlkönigs Töchter am düstern Ort? Erlking’s daughters there in the dark-
ness?’
Mein Sohn, mein Sohn, ich seh’ es ‘My son, my son, I can see clearly:
genau;
Es scheinen die alten Weiden so grau. it is the old grey willows gleaming.’

Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne ‘I love you, your fair form allures me,
Gestalt;
Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch’ ich and if you don’t come willingly, I’ll use
Gewalt. force.’
Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt faßt er ‘Father, father, now he’s seizing me!
mich an!
Erlkönig hat mir ein Leids gethan! The Erlking has hurt me!’

Dem Vater grauset’s, er reitet ge- The father shudders, he rides swiftly,
schwind,
Er hält in Armen das ächzende Kind, he holds the moaning child in his arms;
Erreicht den Hof mit Mühe und Noth; with one last effort he reaches home;
In seinen Armen das Kind war todt. the child lay dead in his arms.

Lorenzo da Ponte (1749–1838)

“Voi che sapete” (English translation: https://www.liveabout.com/voi-che-sapete-
che-cosa-e-amor-lyrics-and-text-translation-724036)

Voi che sapete che cosa è amor, You who know what love is,
donne, vedete s’io l’ho nel cor. Women, see whether it’s in my heart.
Quello ch’io provo vi ridirò, What I am experiencing I will tell you,
è per me nuovo, capir nol so. It is new to me and I do not understand
it.
Sento un affetto pien di desir, I have a feeling full of desire,
ch’ora è diletto, ch’ora è martir. That now, is both pleasure and suffer-
ing.

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Gelo e poi sento l’alma avvampar, At first frost, then I feel the soul burn-
e in un momento torno a gelar. ing,
And in a moment I’m freezing again.
Ricerco un bene fuori di me, Seek a blessing outside myself,
non so chi’l tiene, non so cos’è. I do not know how to hold it, I do not
know what it is.
Sospiro e gemo senza voler, I sigh and moan without meaning to,
palpito e tremosenza saper. Throb and tremble without knowing,
Non trovo pace notte né dì, I find no peace both night or day,
ma pur mi piace languir così. But even still, I like to languish.
Voi che sapete che cosa è amor, You who know what love is,
donne, vedete s’io l’ho nel cor. Women, see whether it’s in my heart.

Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803)

“Liebe” (English translation: Anna Fraser)

Stark ist des Todes rauhe Hand, Strong is death’s rough hand,
Doch stärker noch ist Liebe; But love is even stronger;
Und fest umarmt des Grabes Band, And tightly embraced the grave’s band,
Doch fester herzt die Liebe. But love is stronger.
Die Kohle glimmt, das Feuer sprüht, The coal glows, the fire sparkles,
Doch höher flammt und tiefer glüht But higher flames and deeper glows
Die Wonne süßer Liebe. The bliss of sweet love.

Kein Wasser löscht ihr Feuer aus, No water quenches their fire,
Kein Strom ertränkt die Liebe. No river drowns love.
Böt’ ein Verschmähter Hof und Haus Offer a scorned farm and house
Für ungeschminkte Liebe, for unvarnished love,
Umsonst wär’ alles Gut und Geld, Everything would be good and money
for free
Denn fern von Kauf und Gold und Welt, Because far from purchase and gold
and world,
Bleibt ewig frei die Liebe. Love stays free forever.

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Lorenzo da Ponte
“Batti Batti, o bel Masetto” (English translation: https://lyricstranslate.com)

Batti, batti, o bel Masetto, Beat, beat, oh handsome Masetto

la tua povera Zerlina: Your poor Zerlina;
starò qui come agnellina I’ll stay here, as a little sheep,
le tue bòtte ad aspettar. To wait for your blows.
Lascerò straziarmi il crine, I’ll let (you) lacerate my (horse) hair,
lascerò cavarmi gli occhi; I’ll let (you) take out my eyes,

e le tue care manine And your dear little hands

lieta poi saprò baciar. I’ll be then be happily able to kiss.
Ah, lo vedo, non hai core! Ah, I see that, you have no heart!
Pace, pace, o vita mia! Peace, peace, oh my life,
In contento ed allegria In happiness and in gaiety
notte e dì vogliam passar. Night and day - we want to spend,

With Thanks
With special thanks to Rachael Beesley and Daniel Yeadon who have tutored the
strings, and to Nathan Cox for fortepiano preparation and maintenance.

Fortepiano: Viennese Grand Piano after Conrad Graf (c.1819) made by Paul
McNulty (Divisôv, Czech Republic)

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SCM Early Music Ensemble
Vocalists Clarinet
Anna Fraser Andrew Doyle
Alexandra McDougall Sharp
Bassoon
Violin 1 Max Huang
Jared Adams Shengbo Zhao
Miranda Ilchef
Beverly Kwan Horn
Hugo Hui Bridget Darby
Chris Peters
Violin 2 McKenzie Robinson
Lucy Clarke-Randazzo Emily Hackney
Catherine Jang
Rachael Beesley (tutor) Trumpet
Jude MacArthur
Viola Liz Dawson
Justin Chen
India Culey Fortepiano
Joseph Clemmit Benedikt Holter
Liam Green
Cello
Harry Wagstaff Timpani
Belvina Bai Bryn Wood
Rachel Lee
Daniel Yeadon (tutor) *Correct as of 8th September

Double Bass
Sascha Bakker

Flute
Ruth Crosby
Jacob Lawler

Oboe
Kirsten Barry
Hamish Spicer

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What’s On at the Con | September
Student Concert Trumpet Masterclass
Too School For Cool Jeroen Berwaerts
Saturday 9 September, 10:00am Tuesday 19 September 11:00am
Ampitheatre, Royal Botanic Recital Hall West, free - online
Gardens Sydney, free entry registration

Sydney Secondary College Staff Recital and Chamber Series

Instrumental Music Program French Connections
Showcase 2023 Tuesday 19 September 7:00pm
Saturday 9 September, 11:30am Recital Hall West, Adult $25 Conc
Vebrugghen Hall, Tickets $25.30 $15

Open Academy Lunchbreak Concert

Rising Stars Classical Guitar
Saturday 9 September, 11:00am, Wednesday 20 September, 12.30pm
2:00pm and 3:00pm Verbrugghen Hall, free - gold coin
Recital Hall East and West, free donation
entry
Lunchbreak Concert
Staff Recital and Chamber Series Harp
Australian Piano Trios Reborn Thursday 21 September, 12:30pm
Tuesday 12 September 7:00pm Verbrugghen Hall, free - gold coin
Recital Hall West, Adult $25 Conc donation
$15
Greenway Series
Lunchbreak Concert SCM Wind Symphony
Piano Division Friday 22 September 7:00pm
Wednesday 13 September, 12.30pm Verbugghen Hall, Adult $25 Conc
Verbrugghen Hall, free - gold coin $15
donation
Conservatorium Festival
Lunchbreak Concert Festival of Art Song 2023
Vocal Division Saturday 23 September -
Thursday 14 September, 12:30pm Wednesday 27 September
Verbrugghen Hall, free - gold coin Recital Hall West, Passes $50-$150
donation
More information and tickets
Contemporary Music Series available online now:
Noise in the Café sydney.edu.au/music/boxoffice
Friday 15 September, 1:00pm
Music Cafe, free entry

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