OMEGA ENSEMBLE PRESENTS ENCHANTING TROVE OF EMOTION AND MEMORY, INNER LANDSCAPES
Omega Ensemble is thrilled to present Inner Landscapes, a four-city tour to Newcastle, Melbourne, Sydney
and Penrith, featuring the world premiere of a new work by award-winning Australian conductor Paul
Stanhope from Saturday 11 th to Thursday 16 th July.
In four extraordinary performances at Newcastle City Hall (July 11 th ), Melbourne Recital Hall (July 13 th ), City
Recital Hall, Sydney (July 15 th ) and The Joan Penrith (July 16 th ), Australia’s most dynamic chamber group
presents works by Corigliano, Schubert, and Stanhope, alongside the Australian premiere of Grammy Award-
winning American composer Jessie Montgomery.
Opening with John Corigliano’s tender Soliloquy — an elegy of reflection and restraint, carrying the weight of
memory while seeking solace in beauty and stillness — this performance also includes the Australian
premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Grammy Award-winning Rounds for piano and strings, starting with a single
repeating idea that spirals into intricate motion.
In a world premiere, Australian composer Paul Stanhope brings lyrical depth and human vitality to his first
Clarinet Concerto ‘Paludarium Dreams’ written in his trademark style of poetic narrative and musical
invention.
On this new work, Paul Stanhope said, “My new Clarinet Concerto is written in response to the vitality and
natural abundance of the natural world around Sydney Harbour. The sense of energy and freedom of birds in
flight, the swampy sounds of frogs at night and the quirky character-filled calls of local avian life are elements
the audience will clearly hear in this new concerto. I’m excited to hear David Rowden and the wonderful
musicians of the Omega Ensemble bring this new piece to life.”
Mirroring the composer's own inner turmoil, Franz Schubert’s stirring String Quartet No. 14, “Death and the
Maiden” has long captured the imagination of listeners with its thrilling climaxes, tortured freneticism and
darkly romantic source material.
In an expanded setting for chamber orchestra arranged by the formidable Gustav Mahler, this seminal work
leads a program that ventures into intimate inner worlds, exploring shifting terrains of emotion and memory.
Omega Ensemble’s Artistic Director David Rowden said, “Inner Landscapes is a program about the private
worlds we carry within us — memory, grief, imagination, and the search for beauty through uncertainty.
From Corigliano’s quiet introspection to Montgomery’s exhilarating sense of motion, and from the world
premiere of Paul Stanhope’s deeply expressive Clarinet Concerto to the raw emotional force of Schubert’s
Death and the Maiden, this is music that speaks directly to the inner life. It is also a very special program for
me personally, bringing a major new Australian clarinet concerto into the world alongside works of
extraordinary emotional depth.”
For more information, please visit: https://www.omegaensemble.com.au/inner-landscapes.
PROGRAM
John Corigliano Soliloquy
Frabz Schubert String Quartet No. 14, “Death and the Maiden” Arranged by Gustav Mahler
Jessie Montgomery Rounds Australian Premiere
Paul Stanhope New Commission World Premiere
*Paul Stanhope is commissioned by Omega Ensemble with the generous support of Ian Plater and
Anonymous – In memory of Robert Veel
ARTISTS
David Rowden solo clarinet
Vatche Jambazian solo piano
Omega Ensemble
DATES AND TIMES
Newcastle City Hall 290 King St, Newcastle
NSW 2300
Saturday July 11 th ,
7:00pm
Tickets from $64.00
Under 30s $39.00
Melbourne Recital
Hall
31 Sturt St, Southbank
VIC 3006
Monday July 13 th ,
7:00pm
Tickets from $64.00
Under 30s $39.00
City Recital Hall 2 Angel Pl, Sydney NSW
2000
Wednesday July 15 th,
7:00pm
Tickets from $64.00
Under 30s $39.00
The Joan, Penrith 597 High St, Penrith
NSW 2750
Thursday July 16 th,
7:00pm
Tickets $49.00
Under 30s $39.00
About Omega Ensemble
Hailed as ‘the best classical group in town’ (Sydney Morning Herald) and ‘Australia’s most exciting and
forward-thinking ensemble’ (Limelight), Omega Ensemble is one of Australia’s most dynamic classical
music groups.
The Ensemble has received multiple accolades, including Performance of the Year (2023) and the
National Luminary Award for Excellence (2024) at the APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards.
At the heart of its success is the musical talent it supports including collaborations with guest artists
such as cellist Umberto Clerici, violinist Thomas Gould, didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton and
clarinetist Michael Collins, as well as projects with Sydney Dance Company, Sydney Chamber Opera and
Sydney Festival.
Omega Ensemble proudly stands at the forefront of new musical expression, commissioning and
premiering works by leading composers including Nico Muhly, Holly Harrison, Dr Lou Bennett, Graeme
Koehne, Caroline Shaw, Peter Gregson, Elena Kats-Chernin, Carl Vine, Brenda Gifford, Paul Stanhope and
Ross Edwards.
Collaboration and musical storytelling also define the ensemble’s important work off the stage, including
its flagship CoLAB: Composer Accelerator Program and ongoing projects with young people across
regional and greater metropolitan communities.
