Join us for a musical 'Tour de Force'... A day of music and art at Handmark

For our third concert, expect a musical ‘Tour de Force’ where wonderful music and art collide in an intimate concert at Handmark Gallery. A life-long devotee of Bach, James will be performing the composers six Cello Suites on viola, which he has been obsessively playing since the age of eight: “These are the greatest works, by the greatest composer. It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” he states.

James will pepper this musical odyssey with unforgettable tales and Bach insights. It would be near impossible to find a more charismatic and entertaining person. James proudly describes himself as “an eccentric musical personality” sharing his home west of Sydney with peacocks, ostriches and two poodles, which he regularly serenades.

Surrounded by the wonderful paintings of Max Mueller, the musical adventure begins at 11am, with James performing four Suites. After a break - where you are encouraged to enjoy lunch at Salamanca - we reconvene for the final two Suites. Finish an unforgettable day with a glass of bubbles in hand, sharing stories with James and Max.

We hope you can join us for this special event.

Allanah Dopson,
Director

Program:

11:00am Suites 1 & 2

11:45am Suites 3 & 4

12:30pm Break for lunch in Salamanca

2:00pm Suites 5 & 6

2:45pm Enjoy a glass of bubbles with James and Max

James has devoted over 30 years of his life to understanding Bach's extraordinary works. This concert is a celebration, of one of the musical canon's greatest human achievements. James began the journey in the 1st decade of his life and it is only now, in his 5th decade that he says he has significant insight to present a full cycle.

Bach’s Suites are the ultimate synthesis of the secular and spiritual. It is believed that Bach conceived these works as a whole entity, and, performed together, they take the listener on a profound journey through the entire scope of the human experience. There is no surviving manuscript in Bach’s hand. This inherent ambiguity adds significantly to the interpretational challenge these works present - even their instrumentation is ambiguous. They were originally written for the cello, but Bach himself arranged the 5th Suite for lute and the 6th is written for a 5-stringed instrument.

James says “Bach loved the viola and therefore approaching them on my instrument totally assured that he would give his blessing and quite probably would perform them himself on a viola, means that I can share them with you. Johann Nikolaus Forkel’s almost contemporaneous book on Bach gives us the following insight: “

“In musical parties... he (Bach) took pleasure in playing the viola. With this instrument he was, as it were, in the centre of harmony, whence he could best hear and enjoy it on both sides."

Biography:

Violist James Wannan is a member of Southern Cross Soloists and an Artistic Associate of Sydney Chamber Opera. He currently teaches chamber music and viola at the Sydney Conservatorium’s Rising Stars program.

James has appeared as a soloist with many of Australia’s orchestras including the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, ACO2, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

He studied viola with Alice Waten and Caroline Henbest in Melbourne; Janet Davies in Sydney; and viola d’amore in Vienna with Marianne Rônez. He explores his passion for music from ancient to contemporary on a number of instruments.

James enjoys exploring the possibilities of other instruments: in the Melbourne Festival he performed the violin solo in Elliott Gyger's opera 'Fly Away Peter' and at the Sydney Festival he played the Oud solos in Dusapin's opera 'Passion'. He has worked, for many years, with Winsome Evan in the Renaissance Players, specialising in the vielle and rebec.

As a viola d'amore soloist he has championed the full diversity of its repertoire from Ariosti to Haas with a special passion for Hindemith's concerto. He has influenced many new works, including a concerto for viola d’amore and percussion by Jack Symonds that was premiered at the Bendigo Festival of Experimental Music and he inspired the onstage viola d'amore solos in the opera 'Notes From Underground'. He collaborated intensely with Mary Finsterer in her work ‘Ignis’, this piece went on to win APRA’s best instrumental work of the year.