Brisbane-based Southern Cross Soloists has become one of Australia’s premier chamber music outfits. Their next concert, Wonder, explores the poignant story of the entwined lives of Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms through music, movement and the words of their letters.
From Clara Schumann’s Romances to Robert Schumann’s haunting Ghost Variations and Brahms’ tender Intermezzi, the music traces a journey of heartbreak and enduring inspiration.
In a special collaboration with Australian superstar pianist Aura Go, Southern Cross Soloists and Queensland Ballet’s Jette Parker Young Artist Program, these intimate works of love, grief and friendship are woven with a luminous new composition for didgeridoo and ensemble by Ray Lin and Chris Williams.
We spoke to Aura Go in the lead up to Wonder.
Have you worked with Southern Cross Soloists before?
This is my first time performing with SXS, and I’m really looking forward to it. Ashley Smith (clarinettist and co-artistic director) and I go way back – we were students together at ANAM (Australian National Academy of Music) and later in the US – and it’s such a joy to reconnect through this gorgeous program. We’ve both grown and wandered down our own musical paths since those student days, so it feels very special to come together again now, sharing music that we both love deeply.
As a soloist do you feel much pressure?
You might like
I treat every performance -whether I’m at the piano alone, in front of an orchestra or with an ensemble – as chamber music. It’s always an exchange – between the musicians on stage and between us and the audience. That shared listening and responsiveness is what makes performing so alive and joyful. This SXS program is chamber music through and through, and I’m really looking forward to the connections and conversations the music will open up – among us as performers and with everyone in the hall.
When did you first discover Clara Schumann and what will you be playing of hers in Wonder?
I first discovered Clara Schumann’s music as a young teenager, through her Variations, Op. 20. In Wonder, I’ll be playing two exquisitely beautiful and intimate pieces: the second movement from her Piano Concerto in A minor (a love duet for piano and cello) and one of her Three Romances for violin and piano.
What do you admire about her?
Her artistry, her indefatigable spirit and her strength. Clara managed to sustain a long, extraordinary performing career while raising eight children and navigating immense personal challenges. She was one of the first women to build an international career as a pianist, and she did it entirely on her own terms.
Tell us a little about the other pieces you’ll be playing, and why.
In this program we’re exploring the extraordinary music and intertwined lives of Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. We’ve chosen some of our favourite works by these three composers – pieces that reveal the full spectrum of their artistry, from large-scale chamber music such as Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1 in B major and Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet, to the fragile, haunting intimacy of Schumann’s Geistervariationen.
Where do you live and what is your day job?
Subscribe for updates
I live in Melbourne and I combine performance with my role as head of piano at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music at Monash University.
How far afield have you performed? Do you ever get to see places you visit, or are you always rehearsing?
I’ve been lucky to perform in many parts of the world. I lived in Finland for seven years and loved becoming part of that wonderful musical community. Sometimes rehearsal and performance schedules don’t allow for much downtime, but I love getting to know different places and I’m grateful that my musical life allows me to travel.
Do you have a favourite venue to perform in and can you explain why?
Each venue has its own personality, so it’s hard to pick a favourite. I love places that facilitate a real connection between musicians and audience. UKARIA in the Adelaide Hills is very special in this sense – it’s a place where nature, music and shared listening are all celebrated.
Who was your piano hero growing up?
I had many – Artur Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter, Glenn Gould, Alicia de Larrocha, Martha Argerich, Mitsuko Uchida, Dinu Lipatti … so many more!
What would you say to an aspiring young concert pianist?
Play chamber music! Listen to orchestral music, listen to great singers – and work with singers as much as you can.
Wonder, Concert Hall, QPAC, October 12 3pm, qpac.com.au