Old Ground - Simon Martyn-Ellis & Marshall McGuire

Program

This program, of works old and new, represents a timeline of sublime music from over 400 years, transformed into new forms on these two majestic plucked instruments - the theorbo and the harp.

This concert features works from the heart of the Italian baroque, where these instruments formed the core of the operatic and instrumental bands, and celebrate new works that are connected by a lyricism and soulful soundworld.

From celebrated 17th Century composer Isabella Leonarda’s 'Sonata Duodecima' to a special arrangement of Alice Chance's 'Old Ground' which explores the connections between the baroque form and more contemporary techniques; and from Theorbo titans Castaldi and Kapsperger to Grammy-nominee Mike Marshall's 'Dec 29’, the special resonance between plucked strings is explored.

 

ISABELLA LEONARDA (1620-1704)
Sonata Duodecima

MIKE MARSHALL (b. 1957)
Dec. 29th

GIOVANNI GIROLAMO KAPSPERGER (1580-1651)
Toccata prima

BELLEROFONTE CASTALDI (1580-1649)
Capriccio detto bischizzoso

ALICE CHANCE (b.1994)
Old Ground

About the artists

Simon Martyn-Ellis

Simon Martyn-Ellis began playing the lute after finding the classical guitar repertoire too restrictive for ensemble performance: continuo collaborations remain a mainstay of his activities.

Simon returned to Australia in August 2019 after 17 years abroad, having lived and worked in first Germany for a decade, and then the United States. Intensely grateful for his experiences, he looks immensely forward to working with past, present and future colleagues from home and around the globe. You can hear him working within Pinchgut Opera, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Latitude 37, Van Diemen’s Band, the Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, as a founding member of Notturno and Duo Corbetta, along with other small but special collaborations.

His particular interests are in vocal works, either in opera or intimate recitals, baroque and romantic guitar repertoire, and finding the groove in Early Music. But really, he just has a great time making music with people, exploring the diversity and richness of the sounds of plucked strings from the 16th to the 19th Centuries.

 

Marshall McGuire

Marshall McGuire is one of Australia’s most original harpists, reshaping the instrument through fearless creativity and over 100 commissioned works. Trained at the Victorian College of the Arts and the Royal College of Music, London, he has performed everywhere from the Purcell Room to caves and beaches.

A champion of new music, he is closely associated with ELISION and has directed Ludovico’s Band and The Seymour Group. Marshall has curated major festivals and earned numerous fellowships. His eight albums include Bower with Genevieve Lacey, winner of the ARIA Award for Best Classical Album (2021).