Enchanted by chamber music

May 31, 2005
Some of the Southbank Players, a chamber music group that
specialises in arrangements with unusual instrumentations.

Some of the Southbank Players, a chamber music group that specialises in arrangements with unusual instrumentations.
Photo: Supplied

A popular group of chamber musicians is an ensemble like no other, writes Anna McAlister.

In 2001, cellist Virginia Kable started the Southbank Players because she wanted to play Mendelssohn's Octet properly, for a change. The Octet is scored, unusually, for double string quartet and because of the logistics of getting eight people together it's not often performed.

"Everyone's played it after a glass of wine sitting around with friends," says Kable, who admits it's a challenging work and those tipsy soirees don't do it justice.

The Southbank Players is a pool of musicians, mostly from the Melbourne Symphony, who perform chamber music in various combinations. Their focus is on presenting works for medium-sized ensembles, often with unusual instrumentations. "A lot of people, when they think of chamber music, think of string quartets or a chamber orchestra," says Kable. "They don't realise that there's great repertoire for ensembles in between."

Often the most detailed and profound chamber performances come from long-term groups whose members have established intimate artistic relationships. The trouble with works for unusual instrumentations is that performers come together temporarily and don't have time to develop the depth of understanding shared by musicians in a permanent ensemble. The Southbank Players aim to present the best of both worlds: rare instrumentations from musicians who have spent years working together in different groupings and know each other's playing inside out.

Their first concert for 2005, on Sunday, is a cello fest. It includes Sardana by cello virtuoso Pablo Casals and two of Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras: number one, for eight celli, and the steamy number five for celli and voice, with soprano Antoinette Halloran. She will also sing Melbourne composer Calvin Bowman's Three Night Songs for soprano, string quartet and organ.

Although the Players aren't funded to commission new music, their personal connections with composers have led to works being written especially for them. Their third 2005 concert, on October 2, will feature Australian composer Padma Newsome's Oboe Quartet with his sister, oboist Eve Newsome. And the chance to write for a flexible professional ensemble is extremely valuable for local composers such as Rob Cossom, whose String Sextet the Players premiered last year.

The Southbank Players is by no means a money-spinner. Finances have grown since the inaugural concert when everyone performed for a bottle of red, but Kable says funding is fickle. With 2004's Australia Council grant not renewed this year, the Players' success relies on ticket sales and the enthusiasm of musicians who are prepared to play without the guarantee of a professional fee.

Most of the Players hold full-time orchestral positions and many teach, yet they cram chamber music into their hectic schedules. Kable says that chamber music can provide an important artistic antidote to orchestral playing. "There's a certain musical autonomy that you don't get with orchestral playing."

She says orchestral players need the chance to think independently as musicians. "Having your own musical voice and being able to shape the interpretation; that's a big part of it," she says.

The Southbank Players at St Johns, Southgate, on Sunday at 3pm. For details, tel 0408 197 911, or email sbankplayers@hotmail.com


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