The Dance by Collectivo

Charles Lisner Studio, The Thomas Dixon Centre

2^nd November, 2024

 

Dr Gemma Regan

 

A remarkable rendition of hand-picked jewels crafted by the artisan Frazer into a beautiful bespoke concert

 

Collectivo is a vibrant new chamber orchestra bursting onto the Queensland music scene with an outstanding inaugural concert of flair and pizazz. Oboist Tania Frazer, the former Artistic Director of the Southern Cross Soloists, has crafted a virtuoso collective borne of her international musical connections to the world’s best musicians.

 

Frazer is focused on bridging the Tasman musical gap in a cross-Tasman initiative by bringing Kiwi musicians to Queensland. Collectivo's mission is to provide “a one-off opportunity to witness the pinnacle of musical artistry.”

 

The Dance is their first concert held in the very appropriate newly renovated Thomas Dixon Centre, home to the Queensland Ballet. The sleek yet cavernous interior is a testament to modern architecture, reinvigorating the original shoe factory to provide a multipurpose contemporary venue for the Arts. 

 

Chamber music was written to be enjoyed in an intimate setting, and the Charles Lisner Studio was ideal. The wooden floors, brick walls, and high ceilings created a lovely, warm resonance to the music. Stands with excerpts of Marc Chagall's blue-hued windows provided an interesting and colourful backdrop for the musicians in the absence of a stage.

 

The five cherry-picked musicians who accompanied Frazer are all accomplished artists, including the youngest performer, violinist Jonny Van Gend, who was recently appointed as the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Associate Concertmaster. He had a fantastic synergy with the firecracker Kiwi violinist Amalia Hall. Both were delightfully dynamic while playing Wienawski’s Études, Caprices for two violins. Whilst Hall’s violin tumbled and soared, Van Gend’s spiralled circuitously to create a delicious frothy milkshake of music ending with a cheeky pluck. 

 

Frazer’s arrangement of the ancient La Folia was fabulous. It incorporated many reimagined interpretations of the dance theme, ricocheting between Moorish and English with a jazzy influence. The mad and frenzied composition highlighted Frazer’s talents as a skilled oboist and musical composer.

 

The show's highlights were the pieces with the New Zealand accordion player Grayson Masefield. He is one of, if not the best, accordion players in the world. He is the first to have won World Championships in all three Virtuoso, Digital, and Classical categories and has a plethora of awards to his name. 

 

His solo performances of Franck Angelis’ Impasse and his Homage à Paco were incredible, with the juxtaposition of the first emotive piece invoking waves of guilt and grief from the composer to then be transported to a Parisian outdoor cafe in Montmartre. 

 

What was also surprising was the range of volume he produced from a humble squeezebox. This was particularly notable in Piazzolla's Libertango when he played voluminously with the sonorous strings.

 

Frazer's vision for Collectivo is to “Create extraordinary performances that captivate and inspire Queensland audiences” by highlighting the exceptional talents of the artists, which she achieved in spades. Collectivo’s The Dance was a remarkable rendition of hand-picked jewels, each musician sparkling with their unique lustre, crafted by the artisan Frazer into a beautiful bespoke concert. 

 

Four concerts from Collectivo in 2025 will feature more maestros, including guitarist Slava Grigoryan and pianist Paavali Jumppanen. Make sure you don’t miss them!