By Jenel Hunt
On Sunday 14 January, Stanthorpe was the scene of the world premiere performance of an extensive piece of music composed and played by Professor Gilbert de Greeve from Belgium and the internationally acclaimed Canadian chamber group, the Borealis String Quartet.
Director Emeritus of the State Music Academy of Antwerp and Professor Emeritus of the Royal Conservatory of Music of Antwerp, Professor de Greeve is known for his outstanding piano playing as well as his long career as a teacher and composer. Within the unassuming title of Piano Quintet was a wartime story of drama and movement, which kept fingers flying over keys and strings during the performance at the Stanthorpe Civic Centre, hosted by the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery.
The composition will go on to larger stages at international venues including an upcoming performance in Singapore, but how it came to make its debut in Stanthorpe can be traced to just one person – Dr James Cuskelly OAM.
Internationally known for his work in Kodály methodology and choral conducting, Dr Cuskelly has never allowed his position of celebrated music educator and lecturer to overtake his love of, and deep involvement in, community music.
Dr Cuskelly is the director of the Cuskelly College of Music and its flagship winter and summer schools as well as teaching music locally at St Joseph’s School. He has brought his breadth of knowledge and his many contacts from around the world to the Cuskelly College of Music. This year’s summer school in Brisbane featured everything from opera singing to jazz, music education courses, instrumental classes, choral and orchestral opportunities and master classes under the tutelage of nearly 30 respected Australian and overseas musicians and lecturers.
Professor de Greeve tutored in the piano section of the program and the Borealis String Quartet were artists in residence for the event, so Dr Cuskelly asked them to travel to Stanthorpe following the summer school to perform in the town where he teaches during the school year.
The music was resoundingly popular with the audience. Following the world premiere, the Borealis String Quartet performed a number of pieces including the first movement of the Aurora String Quartet by Michael Conway Baker. If light and colour could be turned into music, this would have been the perfect example. It was a fittingly titled piece for a group with a name reflecting the northern lights. The Borealis also played a Dvorak piece that took the audience on an aural stream train trip inspired by a magical mix of Bohemian folk music, Czech dance tunes and even a sound bite from a melody that might have emanated from a country chapel within listening distance of a railway track that the music seemed to follow. An encore piece, a lively tango by Carlos Gardel, was also well received.
The title of the concert was Aurora Borealis meets Aurora Australis. One thing was very clear: Australis was very impressed with the Borealis.
