Photo: Run in the shadows
This is a concert recorded in Queenstown at the 2024 At The World’s Edge Festival. It was held in the city‘s centre for the creative community Te Atamira. Like all the other concerts of the 2024 At The World’s Edge Festival, it is also inspired by Eastern and Western folk influences. And it includes the world premiere of a string quartet by emerging New Zealand composer Estella Wallace, and a piece by Eve de Castro-Robinson, the composer in residence of the festival in 2024. Also included are works by Bartók, Brahms and Lutosławski.
At The World's Edge Festival Photo: © 2024 Run in the shadows, all rights reserved.
We have a big roster of musicians for a chamber music concert. The idea is that they team up in different groups to play the various pieces. The musicians are:
Julian Bliss - clarinet
Benjamin Baker, Justine Cormack, Alexi Kenney, Marike Kruup, Sarah Lee - violins
Serenity Thurlow, Tal Amoore - violas
Sterling Elliott, Christine Jeon - cello
Daniel Lebhardt - piano
Let’s start with a piece by Polish composer Witold Lutosławski. It’s performed by Benjamin Baker on violin and Daniel Lebhardt on piano.
At The World's Edge Festival Photo: Run in the shadows
The 2024 At The World’s Edge Festival has a programme to foster emerging musicians. So let’s hear them now. They’re going to play emerging composer Estela Wallace‘s string quartet Lonely Peaks. Estella mentioned that the piece was inspired by Queenstown‘s landscape.
Violinist Alexi Kenney is joined by young musicians Sarah Lee on violin. viola player Tel Amoore, and cellist Christine Jeon.
At The World's Edge Festival Photo: © 2024 Run in the shadows, all rights reserved.
Another New Zealand composer now. Eve de Castro-Robinson is the composer in residence of the festival in 2024. Here is an older piece of hers for solo clarinet. It’s called Undercurrents, and it’s played by Julian Bliss.
At The World's Edge Festival Photo: © 2024 Run in the shadows, all rights reserved.
Onto Béla Bartók now, and the theme of the festival in 2024: folk influenced classical music. Bartók wrote a lot of that, so here is a piece for violin, clarinet and piano. Contrasts. It’s in three movements. The first has the subtitle recruiting dance, second is subtitled relaxation, and the third fast dance.
Julian Bliss is on clarinet, Benjamin Baker on violin, and Daniel Lebhardt on piano.
There's time for two more short New Zealand pieces. First, we have American cellist Sterling Elliot with Eve De Castr-Robinson's Commemorations. And then Benjamin Baker and Justine Cormack with Victoria Kelly's Waraki for two violins.
At The World's Edge Festival Photo: © 2024 Run in the shadows, all rights reserved.
There is one more piece in this concert, and it’s a slightly longer one. It’s by Johannes Brahms. Clarinettist Julian Bliss will stay on stage, and he’s now joined by violinists Justine Cormack and Marike Kruup, viola player Serenity Thurlow, and cellist Sterling Elliott.
Recorded on 11 October 2024 at Te Atamira, Queenstown
Recording Engineer & Producer: Adrian Hollay
