A clarinet melody ascends like the sun from shimmering strings. Featuring five of Australia’s most exceptional musicians, this performance showcases both cherished and fresh works from an era of discovery, emotion, and light.
This winter, the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra (ARCO) embarks on a Queensland tour, presenting an intimate and luminous chamber music concert series. Tickets are now available for performances in Brisbane, Caloundra, Noosa, Maryborough, and Bundaberg from August 29 to September 5.
Education and community involvement are key aspects of this tour. ARCO will collaborate with local partners to provide school concerts, youth and community orchestra workshops, and free Talk and Tea conversation sessions before or after each performance.
‘The Sunrise’ concert will feature five principal musicians from ARCO, including co-artistic directors and long-time friends Rachael Beesley (violin) and Nicole van Bruggen (clarinet). They will be joined by Alison Rayner (violin), Stephen King (viola), and Natasha Kraemer (cello), all of whom are nationally and internationally acclaimed experts in historically informed performance.
The program includes a range of classical quartets, such as Mozart’s buoyant K.157, the poignant Cavatina from Beethoven’s Op.130, and a dramatic Finnish piece by the lesser-known Bernhard Crusell.
The highlight of the program is Haydn’s ‘Sunrise’ quartet, arranged for clarinet by Vincenzo Gambaro, an Italian clarinetist and entrepreneur. Gambaro’s arrangement, which emphasizes the clarinet’s rich tones, was created to showcase pieces by his contemporaries Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart.
The Haydn/Gambaro ‘Sunrise’ quartet holds a special place in ARCO’s history and heart. It was recorded on CD in 1999 by Van Bruggen and Beesley with their Dutch group Kwartet André, marking their first professional recording together and the beginning of their friendship and the formation of ARCO.
“We had both just graduated from the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague,” says Van Bruggen, who stayed in the Netherlands for 17 years as a prominent performer and educator in historical clarinet. “When we moved back to Australia, we co-founded ARCO in 2012. Revisiting the Haydn/Gambaro quartet, which started everything, is truly special.”
During the tour, ARCO will engage with each community through education and outreach. In Brisbane, Sunshine Beach, Maryborough, and Bundaberg, they will present their acclaimed Voyage of Musical Discovery programs—a 90-minute concert and demonstration pairing classical music with a new commissioned work by Brisbane composer Nicole Murphy.
Additionally, ARCO will conduct workshops with the Bundaberg Youth Orchestra, Cooloola Community Orchestra, Bella Canna Quintet, and the Maryborough High Strings, who will perform alongside ARCO in their respective towns. Each concert will also feature a free Talk & Tea session, offering the audience a chance to interact with the musicians and explore the instruments up close.
Immerse yourself in the luminous sonorities of rare historical instruments and music. Connect deeply with a spectrum of emotions. Experience ‘The Sunrise.’
