Irena Morozov
Irena Morozov's viola anchors the Australia Ensemble's chamber sound across Australian commissions, Schubert's C major Quintet and Nigel Westlake's Antarctica film score, holding the middle voices with poise and warmth.
In the Schubert Quintet those middle lines help shape a reading of unhurried eloquence: a tranced Adagio of hushed beauty, outer movements full of spontaneous affection and clear architecture, the whole marked by deep care for every note. On Café Concertino she sits inside a programme the group commissioned and lived with, from Vine's busy Parisian-tinged ostinatos and Westlake's shifting instrumental colour to Whitehead's dreamy Manutaki and Isaacs's glowing close, played with directness that invites the listener straight in. The Antarctica sessions place the same viola within Westlake's film score of yearning lyricism, vivid fauna cues and the sheer force of the ice, music that stands clear of the screen.
Performing as Australia Ensemble
The Australia Ensemble, resident at the University of New South Wales since its founding in 1980, is widely recognised as Australia’s leading chamber music ensemble. Seven principal instrumentalists form its core, joined by guests for standard repertoire and unusual combinations.
Schubert
Schubert's best-loved chamber works: the great String Quintet in C and The Shepherd on the Rock, played by The Australia Ensemble with guest artists Jennifer Bates (soprano) and David Pereira (cello).
Café Concertino
The Australia Ensemble, Australia's foremost chamber group and in residence at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, presents commissioned and core Australian chamber works.
Irena Morozov also appears on
Antarctica: The Film Music
Australia's first IMAX film, scored by Nigel Westlake with music that captures the awesome spaces of the ice and the delights of the local fauna. Soloists include David Pereira (cello), Dene Olding (violin), Timothy Kain (guitar) and Christine Douglas (soprano).