Category: General news

Opera Queensland’s forthcoming production of St Matthew Passion, J.S. Bach’s Oratorio, tells a tragic story about betrayal and forbearance, says Tobias Cole.

“You know I have a personal fascination with the mob. St Matthew Passion looks at mob mentality. You have a group of followers and a group of dissenters. It’s about how individuals belonging to either group deal with peer pressures. It’s how young men behave like dorks on a Saturday night then wake up wondering what on earth they did the night before and suffer the consequences on Facebook.

“It’s just that, the protagonist in this show, happens to be called Jesus”, says Cole.

Cole sings five arias and a duet with the much-feted soprano Sara Macliver in OQ’s staged version of St Matthew Passion later in the month.

“Jesus doesn’t play the group game but sticks to his guns. Some deny knowing him because of peer pressure and Bach writes amazing stuff for this denial, taking the music to a very spiritual level. There’s dance and flight in the score.”

The countertenor is an enthusiast with a soaring reputation. Friendly, informative, pragmatic and passionate about classical music, there’s not a shred of stuffy thinking, no airs or graces despite his international success as a soloist. He has performed all over Australia, in America and the UK. Queenslanders may have heard him sing the role of Nireno in OQ’s production of Julius Caesar.

And, his ideas about the interpretation of J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion are refreshing. It’s a work Cole knows inside and out because he has been a soloist in this Oratorio on numerous occasions when based in the UK.

“There are choral societies all over England. At Easter Time, there’s a proliferation of St Matthew Passions. This will be the first time I’ve ever sung it in Australia”, he says. It’s also the first time OQ has collaborated with Camerata of St John’s who will be on stage. According to Cole, the leader Brendan Joyce adores the music.

Brendan plays from his heart. The violin sits under his chin so he plays a beautiful legato (smooth) line yet he can really bite into the strings when necessary as in the duet Sara and I share when the chorus interject with jumpy exclamations. Leave him. Find Him Not”.

Lindy Hume’s staged production of St Matthew Passion has a contemporary look and vibe. First presented at Perth International Arts Festival to favourable reviews in 2005, I ask him, over the phone in a rehearsal break at OQ headquarters, whether he thinks purists can enjoy Hume’s production?

“I’m not really interested in people who merely hold onto an idea. An idea they’ve been told about and cling to without ever thinking about it. The performers are the ones with the experience and knowledge about how to present a work. Bach isn’t around anymore. In his day, St Matthew Passion had a purely religious context. What is authentic anyway? I’m so bored with it.”

“We should be taking people on a journey, lifting them out of their prejudice and make the experience uplifting, something transformative. Such reverence for the rules of the Gods of Classical Music makes people doubt that they should even go to a concert. It makes them question their behaviour, whether they can make a noise or clap in between movements. It stops them from coming”.

Apparently, Cole’s favourite is the mournful, challenging aria “Erbame Dich, Mein Gott.

“Harmonically, Bach takes you on a journey away from the home key. You have to be clear about the direction and the underlying harmonies in outlining the tune. Whatever he does is for a reason and will have something to do with the text. But, it mustn’t sound as if its programmed into the computer, it’s about timing. Sometimes, Bach hangs around in the same key. There’ll be a reason for that too.

“Bach’s music is emotional. He deploys a descending phrase for the lament, creates dissonance to express pain and there are sudden harmonic surprises like a fantastic jazz chord. Baroque used to write melismas, singing more than one note on key words, which sum up the piece. Bach gives melismas to “my tears” and “weep”. Melismas are heard a great deal in pop music nowadays. Guy Sebastian and others use melismas frequently in their singing to stress key words.

“One of the conductor Graeme Abbott’s specialisms is Baroque repertoire. Graeme and Lindy have worked together a lot and make a great team. It’s a strong cast. Leif Aruhn-Solen sings the role of the Evangelist who is the narrator and Paul Whelan is Jesus. Andrew Collis sings bass.”

“I think it was Neil Armfield who said that when people come to a show they come in as individuals and leave as an audience because they’ve experienced something fantastic together. And that’s the goal driving this show”.

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St Matthew Passion
21, 22 & 23 March 2013
Queensland Performing Arts Centre
Qtix: 136 246

Photo credit: Bridget Elliot

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Fifteen people died in the firebomb attack on Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub on March 8, 1973, in one of the biggest mass murder in Australia at that time. Three days later John Andrew Stuart and James Richard Finch were arrested and later convicted for murder, after what is now believed to be manufactured evidence and a concocted confession by Finch.

Family, friends and those who wanted to pay tribute to those affected by the death of the fifteen killed at Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub gathered on the corner of Amelia St and St Paul’s Terrace in Fortitude Valley.

Rev Len Donaldson had sent out an invite for the memorial service where he warmly welcomed anyone who wanted to come pay tribute to everyone affected by this tragedy. He was joined by award-winning true crime author Tony Reeves and health care professional Danny Stuart, the authors of a book that will shed new light on the murder conviction of John Andrew Stuart and James Richard Finch.

Danny Stuart, who was thirteen at the time of the attack and is the nephew of John Andrew Stuart, told everyone at the service that his father, Daniel Stuart, was known by the police and because of that was an easy target to make him give an alleged false testimony to pin the firebombing of the nightclub on his brother. Danny, thanks to having a good memory for detail, has been able to assist Tony Reeves with the research for their book, seeking the truth of what really happened at the nightclub that day.

Tony Reeves talked about the evidence that he has come across regarding the event, which will be further discussed in their book. When the book is published it will hopefully re-open the case to allow the truth to come forth.

Tony Reeves understands that it might be painful for those involved, but hopes that the truth will have a healing effect on the family and friends of those fifteen whom died, finally knowing what truly happened.

Rev Len Donaldson gave a service where he read out the names of the fifteen people who died from this tragic event, releasing a white dove for each name read out.

The book by Tony Reeves and Danny Stuart is under consideration by a publisher, and it is hoped it will be released later this year.

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Monday 11th March 2013 – Media Release from the Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy.

The three warriors from the Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy, arrested last December for defending the sacred fire, were found not guilty today in the Brisbane Magistrates Court.

Police offered no evidence against Wayne Wharton, Boe Skuthorpe-Spearim and Hamish Chitts. This was in stark contrast to the period since their arrest where police first imposed draconian bail conditions, which prevented the three from participating in cultural and religious ceremonies, and then wasted court time and tax payer money trying to keep the bail conditions in place.

Eventually, after three court appearances, the bail conditions were dropped.

Today’s finding is a vindication for the Embassy and a silent acknowledgement by the colonial authorities that the Embassy does have the support of the community and does have the support of the tribes on whose land Brisbane stands.

The Embassy will proudly continue the business of raising the question of First Nations Sovereignty, a question with which all people who call this country home must ask.

The Embassy is expecting a big turn out for a corroboree in Musgrave Park from 12pm, March 24. This ceremony will reaffirm permission under First Nations law for the Embassy to conduct its business.

More info: https://www.facebook.com/brisbaneaboriginal.embassymedia?ref=ts&fref=ts

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The 198 “Hail and Ride” Bus service has been cut.

The 192 University, Highgate Hill, West End service has been cut.

Helen Abrahams says that the residents of Highgate Hill have no bus service along Dornoch Terrace. Residents already have to walk up one of the steepest hills in Brisbane but now they have to walk even further to a bus service.

The Hail and Ride service links the West End Peninsula to the Mater and Princess Alexandra Hospitals. It provides a vital service to the residents in West End, Highgate Hill and South Brisbane who do not own a vehicle to have direct public transport access to hospital. This route was reviewed previously but retained because of the high need for the elderly and those with reduced mobility.

It is not acceptable that patients have to travel to the Cultural Centre to then travel outbound to the hospital and then a similar indirect route home.

3,072 dwellings (18.2%) in The Gabba Ward have no car. compared to 9.5% for Brisbane. Highgate Hill has 17.7% private dwellings with no car.

Many of these residents rely on public transport as their form of transport. They will be left with no service along one of the main roads in Highgate Hill. The Gabba Ward is over-represented with people without a car, that is why these cross suburb services are so important.

The review has focused on commuter travel and ignored the needs of the elderly, those people with reduced mobility and those people needing to attend hospital regularly.

Further, the loss of these two services in the West End Peninsula means 21 streets in Highgate Hill are more than 400 metres from a bus route and even further to the bus stop with this change. The State Government’s own policy is 400 metres between bus stops so a distance of 200 metres for passengers to walk to a public transport service.

“I have already had elderly residents contact me about their concerns about getting to the hospital and their shopping centre if this service was reduced. I am sure they will be horrified to hear it has been cut,” said Helen.

The 109 service from the CBD to the University across the Eleanor Schonell Bridge was the first high frequency service. Additional services were introduced in the second week of operation due to demand for this route. Now it is extended to the Kelvin Grove Campus. The review does not clarify the frequency, but it may be 15 minute services rather than the 5 minute or 10 minute service delivery at the moment. So a successful bus service becomes twice as long, and passengers may have to wait twice as long for a bus.

The 230 and 235 routes that service East Brisbane residents will have generally the same frequency.

A petition to save our local bus services is available at Helen’s website: www.helenabrahams.com

TransLink Transit Authority Public Transport Infrastructure Manual
2.1.2 Principles of bus stop placement

It is important to ensure that all stops along a bus route are accessible to an acceptable standard to maintain equitable access for all passengers. Failure to implement accessible bus stops will reduce the quality of the public transport experience for passengers and may consequently hinder the development of a high-quality public transport system that is easy to use. The concept of providing a quality journey from decision to destination (as outlined in the TransLink Network Plan) must be recognised for a passenger catching a bus who is also a pedestrian at each end of a bus trip. As a result, a bus stop is not interpreted as simply a location for boarding and alighting a bus, but instead as the key connection between the surrounding land use and a public transport service (i.e. as a point of interchange between a pedestrian trip and a public transport trip). Additionally, bus stop planning and design is to be done in conjunction with appropriate pedestrian planning to ensure a highly-accessible environment.

The following section highlights the foremost considerations when locating bus stops in the early planning and design phase.

It is intended that stop spacing on a bus route is ideally between 400 metres and 800 metres for most services. In the case of inner city or densely built up areas, a spacing of less than 400 metres may be warranted along a route while express services may range greater than 800 metres between stops.

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A lifelong love of books has certainly paid off for Kat Mulheran. As a young University student – studying, of course, Creative Writing – she started working part-time at Bent Books in Boundary Street.

Eleven years later, she and her partner Beau Taylor own the business, and Kat couldn’t be happier.When she heard that the previous owner Sean McKinnon was thinking of selling, she decided to buy the bookshop herself, with assistance from Beau.

Beau, by they way, is also of a decidely bookish bent. He has worked at Pulp Fiction in the City for some years.

Kat paid tribute to Christy Patton & Ros McConnel for starting this wonderful shop and giving her a job all those years ago, and to Sean Mackinnon for carrying the Bent Books torch for the last 9 years, and all the wonderful folks who have supported Bent Books over the years.

Kat has decided she Will change very little about Bent Books. She’s opened up the door to the courtyard to let in more light, and is considering holding a few events in the courtyard. As Kat says, she was very influential in arranging the layout and look of Bent Books over the years.

Kat was studying creative writing at Uni and, when she got the job with Bent Books, decided that selling books was infinitely more appealing and rewarding than writing them.

She’s a voracious reader with broad tastes. She’s just finished Jeffery Euginides’ Middlesex, and says shelikes reading fiction and learning about history at the same time.

Kat says she is enjoying a good response from customers, who are relieved that the bookshop will continue as before.

Kat loves buying and selling books, and talking about them. She’d love you to drop in for a chat anytime. Kat will help you find rare books or out of print editions. If she can’t find the book you’re looking for, she’ll point you in the right direction.

The WESTENDER welcomes Kat Mulharen to Bent Books and, like her other customers, is relieved that no wholesale changes are planned.

(By the way, aren’t we blessed to have so many bookshops in one suburb, including Eclectica, Avid Reader, Code Words, Open Minds and The Little Bookshop Round The Corner?)

You can folow Bent Books at www.bentbooks.com.au or “Friend” them at https://www.facebook.com/bent.bookerinos?fref=ts

The Helping Hands Program, brought to Australia’s shores by Matt Henricks has seen 411 prosthetic hands built for less fortunate people and over 100 more have already been ordered.

48 Australian companies have been involved so far and the response has been very encouraging.

“One of our goals with this project was to build 1000 prosthetic hands to distribute to landmine victims by the end of 2013. We are now halfway towards achieving that target and it is incredibly satisfying to see how much Australian companies have embraced our program. With over 100 million active land mines all over the world this is one of the major global challenges of our time and this program is making a small but important difference”, said Matt Henricks, Founder the Helping Hands Program, Australia and Director of Henricks Consulting.

The Helping Hands Program is a unique team building and experiential learning activity which can be used with groups of any size, normally in a corporate environment. Although the activity only takes a couple of hours, participants go on quite a journey. Initially, they are given an opportunity to experience what it must be like to lose a limb (by having one of their hands bound). Then, they build a working prosthetic hand with their team-mates and decorate the container that the hand is shipped in. Finally, the activity culminates with each participant having an opportunity to strap on and write with the hand they have made. In that way, each participant doesn’t only get a chance to make an incredible difference to someone’s life, but they also have an opportunity to experience how amazing this life-giving gift is for recipients.

Once the activity is completed a range of stringent checks are performed prior to shipping the hands to the parts of the world where they are most needed.

Matt Henricks even visited Cambodia recently to personally ‘hand out’ 50 hands to children who had lost their hands.

“Seeing people of all ages lift a spoon to their mouth to eat cereal, hold a pen in their hand for the first time in many years or be able to ride a bike like their friends, was incredible. The sheer joy on their face of being able to perform such normal and simple tasks made being a part of this program completely worthwhile.

“Together, we have changed the lives of 500 people and I can’t wait for Australians to surpass our 1000 hand goal later this year,” Henricks concluded.

So far a wide range of groups have gotten involved in this unique opportunity including organisations such as Siemens, American Express and the Reserve Bank of Australia. A number of charities such as the Catholic Church and World Vision have taken their employees through the program as well. Even a number of kids have been involved with two separate high schools answering the call to get involved.

This activity is a rare opportunity for employees to experience a deep sense of connection with their work and is far more than just a nice thing to do. So far companies have used the activity to great effect in a variety of ways; as part of their leadership training, to help accelerate large-scale change and to improve team effectiveness.

For more info, check out: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Henricks-Consulting/204948412871211

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