Morton, Graeme

Murphy, Patrick

Pulse Chamber Orchestra

UQ Chorale

University of Queensland eSpace

  
 
ST STEPHEN’S CONCERT SERIES 
2013 
Concert 1 
Sunday May 19 @ 4pm 
The Cathedral Of St Stephen 
249 Elizabeth St Brisbane 
  
University of Queensland presents 
UQ Chorale with the 
Pulse Orchestra 
St Luke’s Church Toowoomba May 11, 2013 
Britten and Friends  
  
 
 
Organist: Ralph Morton 
Vocal Soloists: 
Jane Eadie (IIIc & IV) 
Madeline Gibbs (VI) 
Jessica Taylor (XI) 
Chris Steinmuller Tenor 
Program 
Hymn to St Cecilia – Benjamin Britten 
 
Suite for Orchestra – Frank Bridge 
Prelude, Intermezzo, Nocturne, Finale  
 
The Company of Heaven – Benjamin Britten 
Sveltana Seaman – soprano soloist 
 
Part One: Before the Creation 
I Chaos 
II The morning stars 
 
Part Two: Angles in Scripture 
III a,b,c  Jacob, Elisha, Hail Mary 
V Christ, the Fair Glory 
V War in heaven 
 
Part Three: Angles in Common Life and at our Death 
 VI Heaven is here 
 VII A thousand thousand gleaming fires 
 VIII Funeral march for a boy 
 IX Whoso dwelleth under the defence of the most High 
X Lento maestoso 
 XI Ye watchers and ye holy ones 
 Featured Artists  Company of Heaven 
  
Artists 
UQ Chorale 
The UQ Chorale is an auditioned ensemble and includes students from 
the University of Queensland School of Music's Music degrees, Education 
degrees, Concurrent Diploma, as well as students from other faculties 
across the University.  
Repertoire performed by the Chorale reflects a wide range of genres 
from all over the world, including established masterpieces as well as 
modern compositions. In addition to holding numerous performances 
throughout Brisbane and Queensland, the Chorale regularly collaborates 
with ensembles to perform large-scale choral orchestral works in major 
performing venues. Recent collaborations have been with the 
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's 
Dream), and the Queensland Youth Orchestra. The UQ Chorale is 
directed by UQ's Choral Conducting Fellow, Graeme Morton AM.  
Recent performances include John Rutter Magnificat, Fauré's Requiem, 
Brahms Requiem, and Kodaly Laudes Organi. 
Pulse Chamber Orchestra 
String students at the University of Queensland’s School of Music formed 
the Pulse Chamber Orchestra in 2011. Pulse Chamber Orchestra 
encapsulates the spirit of chamber music by performing without the 
assistance of a conductor. All members contribute equally to the artistic 
direction of the ensemble. UQ’s resident cellist, Patrick Murphy is at the 
forefront of this orchestra.  
 
Pulse's repertoire already spans from early baroque to twentieth century, 
and will be extending into contemporary repertoire in their next season. 
Their current season includes performances at Customs House, the UQ 
Art Museum and St Stephen's Cathedral Brisbane. 
  
UQ Chorale 
Soprano 
Emily Arkosi 
Hannah Avery 
Rebekah Barns 
Hannah Brennan-Silwood 
Siobhan Buttin 
Vanessa Cooper 
Jane Eadie* 
Serena Eakin 
Christina Fern 
Margaret Francis 
Emma-Shay Gallenti-Guilfoyle 
Madeline Gibbs 
Marisol Gray 
Amy Holland 
Laura Manton 
Mairead Matthews 
Madeline McGrath 
Amy Nipper 
Jessica Norup 
Zoe Penman* 
Johanna Rosenthal 
Svetlana Seaman* 
Kirby Shivnen* 
Jessica Skinner 
Rebecca Slade 
Emma Stamp 
Jessica Taylor 
Nickea Warrener 
Adeline Williams 
 
Alto 
Ivana Berberic* 
Tamara Browne 
Kathy Chen 
Madeline Dorland 
Samantha Flohr 
Alexandria Gain* 
Carmel Hedger 
Dana Henley 
Rachael Jory 
Emma Killey 
Madeline Kinraid 
Ellen Lamprecht 
Maddie Lawler 
Isabel Manfield 
Georgia Martel 
Eloise McIntyre 
Zoe Mollenhauer 
Luisa Morosin 
Libby Myers 
Kaitlynne O’Reilly* 
Maja Puseljic 
Sarah Stranger 
Christabel Turnbull 
Jean Wong 
Mimi Xu 
Chun Yen 
 
Tenor 
Lawrence Agar 
Klayton Brisby 
Samuel Buckley 
Dave Campbell 
Spencer Chapman* 
Daniel Dempster 
Joseph Fallon 
Xuanlu Hu 
Daniel Little 
Thomas Marshall 
Francisco Martell 
Campbell Robinson 
Alexander Rodrigeus 
Selwyn Smith 
Chris Steinmuller 
Nick Turnbull 
Rollin Zhao 
Mak King Wang 
 
Bass 
Connor D’Netto 
Louis Dooner 
Benjamin Ellerby 
Harry Fitz-Walter 
Peter Harvey 
Greg Hasking 
Chris Healey 
Ben Heim 
Charl Hung 
Oscar Jemmott 
Brenton Kanowski 
Benedict Leong 
Andrew Morgan 
Luke Moxey 
Samuel Muller 
Tristan Murray 
Enoch Pang 
Dominic Retschlag 
Josh Rivory 
John Rotar 
Zachariah Schuurs 
Nathan Smith 
Alex Takoushi 
Ben Turnbull 
* Members of the 2013 UQ Chorale Committee 
 
  
Narrator:  Blair Martin 
. 
Pulse Chamber Orchestra 
Violin 1 
Ann Patrick 
Rollin Zhao 
Tilly Watkins 
Rachel Yip 
 
Violin 2 
Sam Andrews 
Tess McLennan 
Jacqueline Webber 
Stephanie Fox 
 
Timpani 
Michael Stegeman 
 
Viola 
Sariah Xu 
Chrsitine 
Cheng 
 
Cello 
Tim Andrews 
Georgia Shine 
Amy Naumann 
 
Bass 
Katryn Strong 
Patrick Murphy 
Award-winning cellist Patrick Murphy holds a Bachelor of Music from the 
University of Western Australia where he studied with Gregory Baron and 
Michael Goldschlager, and completed his Master’s degree at the University of 
Christchurch, studying with Alexander Ivashkin and Natalya Pavlustskaya. 
Murphy's was a founding member of the Tankstream Quartet (now Australian 
String Quartet) who were the winners of the 2002 Osaka International 
Chamber Music Competition, the 2nd National Chamber Music Competition in 
Melbourne 2001, and third prize and audience prize at the 2003 Melbourne 
International Chamber Music Competition. He was also the cellist of the 
Grainger Quartet, the Whitely Trio and Nexus-2MBS Virtuosi and has toured 
with the Australian String Quartet. Murphy has toured throughout Europe, 
Japan and Canada, where he was an Artist in Residence at the Banff Centre for 
the Arts with the Halcyon Quartet. 
  
	
 
Graeme Morton 
Graeme Morton is one of Australia’s eclectic choral musicians, with a 
wealth of experience as a conductor, teacher, composer and broadcaster 
of choral music, and as an organist. Graeme holds the position of Choral 
Conducting Fellow at the University of Queensland School of Music.  
Graeme is also Director of Choral Music at St John’s Cathedral, and 
Director of the Brisbane Chamber Choir, which is also the Chamber Choir 
of St John’s Cathedral, which maintains a vigorous performance schedule 
of traditional and new choral works.  As Co-Founder and first Director 
of The Australian Voices, Graeme helped further establish a new 
awareness of Australian choral music. 
 
Graeme has conducted several Australian premiers, including Morten 
Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, Benjamin Britten’s The Company of Heaven 
and The World of the Spirit, Andrew Carter’s Benedicite and Missa Sancti 
Pauli, Javia Busto’s Requiem and Dominic Argento’s A Toccata of 
Galuppi’s. 
 
Graeme has commissioned many pieces that have become Australian 
choral classics – including Past Life Melodies and Ngana – from 
composers such as Paul-Antoni Bonetti, Ross Edwards, Iain Grandage, 
Sarah Hopkins, Michael Knopf, Stephen Leek, Matthew Orlovich, 
Vincent Plush Paul Stanhope and Joseph Twist. 
  
Graeme also hosts a weekly radio programme of choral Music titled The 
Choir Room on radio 4MBS. 
  
 
About the Music 
‘Benjamin Britten’ is a name that will be encountered frequently this 
year. The centenary of Britten’s birth gives us a wonderful opportunity 
explore the vast and extraordinary output of England’s most significant 
composer of the twentieth century and, arguably, the most important 
since Purcell. Born in Suffolk, November 1913, Britten showed 
extraordinary musical gifting at a remarkably young age. His mother was 
convinced he would become one of the ‘great Bs’ in music, which is ironic 
considering his later dislike of Beethoven and Brahms. A month before 
his 14th birthday, by which stage he had already produced a significant 
number of startlingly mature works, Britten began lessons with 
composer Frank Bridge. As much a parental figure as a musical mentor, 
Bridge set young Ben on the path to technical mastery through long, 
grueling lessons and rigorous compositional exercises while still 
encouraging him to be nothing more, nor less, than himself. ‘You should 
try to find yourself and be true to what you found’ was how Britten later 
summed up what Bridge had taught him.  
*** 
It is unfortunate though that Frank Bridge seems to only be recognized in 
the context of Britten’s well-loved early work for string orchestra, 
Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge. He was, however, far more than a 
talented pedagogue but a highly gifted composer in his own right. He 
achieved almost instant recognition when he entered the Royal College 
of Music in 1899 with his highly expressive, lyrical style united with firmly 
  
 
controlled counterpoint. Following the First World War, his music took a 
great turn toward greater intensity and austerity approaching that of the 
‘atonal’ Second Viennese School. Quite possibly motivated by his own 
pacifism, his music moved far beyond what his audiences expected of 
him, perhaps explaining his fall into obscurity. These wonderfully 
original later works are thankfully starting to receive long overdue 
attention. 
The Suite for Stings (1909-10) reflects his poignant lyricism of his 
early years. The sonorous effects are the result of Bridge’s 
thorough familiarity with the strings and their possibilities. The 
‘Prelude’ sets the gentle and delicate mood. It is in no sense an 
overture, filled with lively outbursts, but rather contemplative 
invitation. The ‘Intermezzo’ is a touch lighter, with hints of graceful 
conversation and even a suggestion of occasional dance steps. The 
‘Nocturne’ is particularly hushed, with a sustained elegance of 
exceptional beauty. Following this, the rollicking bounce of the 
‘Finale’ serves the same function as the Gigue in Baroque suites.  
*** 
On the occasion of Michaelmas 1937 (the feast day of St Michael 
About the Music 
  
 
and all Angels), the BBC was somewhat dumfounded when 
Britten returned with the score of The Company of Heaven, a 
full-scale cantata for two soloists, chorus, orchestra with 
interpolated readings. For this, being his second essay in the 
realm of radio incidental music, Britten collaborated with 
Richard Ellis Roberts who compiled biblical passages with the 
words of Milton’s Paradise Lost, Gerard Manley Hopkins, 
Christina Rosetti, Emily Bronté, William Blake, John Bunyan, 
Theodosius and others. The work plunges us into the middle of 
the war between the Angels and Satan. Part One relates the fall 
of the Angels, their ejection from Heaven, and the battle with 
Lucifer. The second part comprises of biblical stories of angels 
culminating in the second war between Michael and Satan, 
referring to the famous text found in Revelations beginning 
with ‘And there was war in heaven.’ The final section deals with 
stories and poems on the manifestation of angels to modern 
men and women.  
Although initially annoyed with the idea of writing a work with 
such overt religious themes, Britten must have found the 
opportunity to work with the BBC’s excellent singers and 
instrumentalists rather appealing. His diaries show great 
About the Music 
 
  
delight in the results: “My side of it goes marvelously- & I do like 
some of it. People are enthusiastic (the orchestra are affirming that 
it’s the best incidental music they’ve ever played!).” The disparate 
narrations were delivered by three well-known actors of the day- 
Felix Aylmer, Ian Dawson and Stewart Rome.  
He was also writing for two leading soloists- Swiss soprano Sophie 
Wyss, whom Britten recommended after his dissatisfaction with 
the initial soprano soloist, and Peter Pears who was, at the time, a 
member of the BBC Singers. It is perhaps one of the most 
significant aspects of the work that is contains Britten’s first music 
written specifically for Pears, who would become his life partner 
and muse. The lasting relationship between Britten and Pears 
proved to be one of the most artistically fruitful partnerships 
throughout history and we see its very beginnings in The Company 
of Heaven.  
*** 
Britten was very fond of the image of St Cecilia for a number of 
reasons and long wished to write a work dedicated to her. Firstly, 
she is the patron saint of music and Britten was rather aptly born 
on St Cecilia’s day, November 22nd. There was also a long lasting 
About the Music 
 
  
 
About the Music 
tradition of English composers writing odes to St Cecilia, 
including Henry Purcell, George Frederic Handel and Hubert 
Parry. The first evidence of Britten’s desire to write such a work 
was in a diary entry in 1935 where he wrote “I’m having great 
difficulty in finding Latin words for a proposed Hymn to St 
Cecilia- spend morning hunting.” 
Britten received his desired poem from W. H. Auden whom he 
met while working for the GPO Film Unit. It was a fruitful 
partnership resulting in a number of large-scale works, including 
the operetta Paul Bunyan. It was, however, a complicated 
relationship. Britten often found Auden overbearing and 
demanding and he did exert a substantial, arguably unhealthy, 
influence on the composer. There are also many speculations of 
unreciprocated love, which was further complicated by the 
Britten’s growing relationship with Peters Pears in the late 
1930’s. Throughout 1940, Auden sent Britten sections of the 
poems, which would become his Hymn to St Cecilia along with 
some rather frank advice on how to be a better artist. According 
to Pears in 1980 “Ben was on a different track now, and he was 
no longer prepared to be dominated– bullied – by Wystan… 
Perhaps he may have been said to have said goodbye to 
working with Wystan with his marvellous setting of the Hymn 
  
 
to St Cecilia."  
Britten began setting the words in late 1940 in the United 
States where Britten, Pears and Auden had exiled themselves 
as open objectors to the second world war. The work was 
finished on the Atlantic crossing while returning to England in 
1942. New York customs had confiscated the manuscript of 
the first section, thinking it may have been some sort of code 
and so Britten reproduced it from memory. The first sketch of 
A Ceremony of Carols was finished on the same journey. The 
three poems by Auden are full of lines that Britten would have 
found irresistible to set to music. The moment in the third 
poem where the soprano separates herself from the lower 
voices (O dear white children casual as birds, Playing among 
the ruined languages) as an image of vulnerable innocence 
was a stunning musical moment clearly laid out by the poet. 
Auden evokes musical instruments, which is typical of St 
Cecilia themed works, of which Britten chose the trumpet for 
the tenors to fanfare the final plea for the Saint to come down 
and startle composing mortals with immortal fire. Variations 
of this invocation close off each of the previous movements. 
  
 
First, simple and timeless, and second a pattering scherzo 
coming to rest on the final cry ‘Love me.’ As Michael Oliver 
describes, “It is a masterpiece that always seems to occupy 
more space than the mere eleven minutes it takes to sing.”  
- Sam Mitchell 
 
  
 
UQ Chorale 
For further information about 
courses at the University of 
Queensland or the chorale please 
contact the School of Music. 
 
University of Queensland 
School of Music 
Ph: +61 7 3365 4949 
Email: music@uq.edu.au 
www.uq.edu.au/music 
  
In 2013, St Stephen’s Concert Series presents its 
twelveth season of fine music concerts in the 
delightful and pleasing acoustic of the historic 
Cathedral of St Stephen, which opened in 1874. 
The Series will again present to Brisbane music-
lovers a variety of choral and instrumental 
concerts performed by artists who enjoy 
international, national and local recognition.  
Items chosen will be drawn from the vast 
repertoire of traditional western music, both 
sacred and secular, with a carefully balanced 
selection from different periods of music history. 
Concert Enquires 3336 9104 
 
We are proud to be associated with Rosies 
Youth Mission and congratulate the 
organisation on achieving its Jubilee Year – 
twenty five years of service to the community.   


Concert 1: Britten and Friends

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Concert 1: Britten and Friends

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