High brow, high quality and at times high octane as well – it was certainly ‘high season’ for classical music at the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery on Sunday 4 August.
More than 50 lovers of fine music gathered for the first classical concert at the gallery since its reopening late last month.
A Collection of Seasons Concert took its name from the theme of the opening art exhibition in the new gallery space.
The concert featured the Occasional Players including players from Stanthorpe, Warwick and Toowoomba along with special guest Alan Smith, associate concertmaster of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
The group wowed the audience with such beloved pieces as the Autumn Adagio from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons along with the atmospheric Winter movement, some of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony (adapted for strings), Voices of Spring by Strauss, the beautiful Mendelsshon Song Without Words (Spring) and the pastoral movement from Handel’s Messiah. A small taste of a more contemporary era was added with Summertime from Gershwin.
Coming concerts this month at the gallery include Song and Dance: A Classical Guitar Recital by Jesse Flowers on 9 August starting 6.30pm and some local ukulele playing by The Graniteers on 23 August at 2pm.
On Saturday 24 August the Stanthorpe Little Theatre will bring some performing arts to the gallery with its Wordscape of Winter presentation starting at 2pm.
The Joan Smith Tribute Recital on Sunday 25 August starting at 2pm will feature the choral groups Granite Belt Choir, Contempo, Hollytops and the Granite Belt Junior Choir.
