Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra collaborated with classical guitarist Karin Schaupp for Serenade, a strings concert that showcased contemporary Australian work, brought new perspectives to classics, and highlighted emerging Brisbane artists, all threaded through with serenades by Dvořák.
Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings was sprinkled throughout, beginning with his warm and glowing Moderato as the concert opener. Speaking to the audience before Serenade began, Artistic Director and violinist Brendan Joyce commented that Camerata were treating the five movements of the work as a series of miniatures instead, interspersing them between the other pieces on the programme.
Karin Schaupp then joined Camerata onstage for a selection of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, arranged for guitar and string orchestra by Sef Albertz. Schaupp played the guitar in an upright position, with the neck of the instrument over her left shoulder, and the use of a guitar as the solo instrument (rather than piano) gave the works a different flavour.
The second and third movements of Serenade for Strings were played together – the second movement, Tempo di Valse, was celebratory and cheerful, shining with moments of high drama, and the third movement Scherzo (Vivace) was leaping and energetic. In the scherzo, it was fascinating to see the music moving between and around the musicians’ formation, circling one way and then the other.
Marian Heckenberg, Camerata’s Principal Bass, then introduced the wild card mystery guest segment which is a feature of all of Camerata’s concerts. Schaupp and Camerata were joined for Serenade by Bronos Kentet, a quartet of emerging classical guitarists who first connected as students of Schaupp at the Queensland Conservatorium. The quartet performed Frederic Hand’s soft and gentle Chorale, and all four musicians played with feeling.
The fourth movement of Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings followed Bronos Kentet, a sweet larghetto of slowly building emotion, and then a return to the guitar for Carl Vine’s Endless for solo guitar and strings. Vine was commissioned by Kathryn Bennett to compose this piece in honour of Bennett’s daughter Jennifer Bates, who was killed in a tragic accident. Karin Schaupp introduced the piece and read from the composer’s notes to explain that Jen was personified by the guitar in the piece’s opening. This was followed by an extended, mournful elegy to represent the grief of her family and friends, then a joyous and playful dance movement inspired by salsa, which Jen loved. Endless finished on a calm and contemplative note with an epilogue inspired by the endless knot, a Buddhist symbol of interconnectedness that fascinated Jen during a year of volunteer work in Bhutan. Endless premiered in February 2023, performed by Schaupp and the Flinders Quartet in Sydney, and the version that Camerata performed for Serenade was a newly created one for string chamber orchestra.
Serenade concluded with the pulsing and passionate Finale (Allegro Vivace) of Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings. Camerata’s concerts are consistently filled with passion, personality, and the unexpected, and Camerata & Karin Schaupp: Serenade was no exception.
Camerata & Karin Schaupp: Serenade was performed at the QPAC Concert Hall on 22 May 2024 and at Armitage Centre, The Empire, Toowoomba, on 24 May 2024
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