MELANCHOLY melodies synonymous with early 20thcentury Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich will resound in Bacchus Marsh this weekend when Trio Anima Mundi launches its 2012 subscription series.
Cellist and Ballan resident Miranda Brockman is no stranger to the stage, having been a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for more than 12 years.
She says the performances are a great way for people to listen to music usually heard only in Melbourne.
Ms Brockman says playing in her own community is important to her.
“Most of my professional life as a musician is spent presenting concerts in Melbourne to large audiences, but in Bacchus Marsh and Ballan I have the opportunity to be
amongst my own people and share with them music I love.”
The Bacchus Marsh performance, at Bacchus Marsh Grammar’s Wilson Hall from 7.30pm Saturday, is the first of two Moorabool recitals. The other is in Ballan on October 13.
Concerts will be held in Melbourne, Ballarat and Geelong as part of a ‘Russian odyssey’ three-part subscription series.
This weekend’s program, Story and Allegory, features Shostakovich’s monumental Piano Trio No. 2 as the centrepiece, plunging audiences into “the heart of Stalinist Russia during World War II”.
“This music expresses such deep sadness and desolation that the listener cannot fail to be affected,” Ms Brockman says.
The performance begins with Franz Joseph Haydn’s energetic Hungarian dance in the Gypsy Trio, and the mood and tempo will be lifted again with Bohuslav Martinu’s playful composition Bergerettes.
“The Gypsy is one of four trios Haydn wrote in London and is dedicated to women he met and taught there, full of sparkle and charm,” Ms Brockman says.
The trio includes Monash University lecturer and pianist Kenji Fujimura and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra violinist Rochelle Ughetti.
Tickets: $35 adults, $25 concession, $10 students. Reduced-rate subscriptions are available.
Bookings: 53682325 or
