Camerata & Karin Schaupp: Serenade

23 May, 2024, QPAC, Brisbane, QLD

Camerata joined forces with guitarist Karin Schaupp for an evening of sensitive chamber music on Wednesday night in the QPAC concert hall. It was the perfect mid-week escape, carving out a space for reflection in the busyness of life. 

The stage was bathed in soft red lighting and set with a backdrop of flowers, making for an intimate, cosy setting. Camerata began with the first movement, Moderato, from Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings, Op.22. Although all the movements are usually played together, Camerata instead decided to let them stand alone, interspersing them throughout the program like a ‘Dvorak sandwich’. 

Karin Schaupp took centre stage, surrounded by the orchestra, for Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words. Arranged by Sef Albertz for guitar and string orchestra, this was a reimagining of the original piece, giving the guitar a constant dialogue with the strings. Karin’s playing shone through in solo moments, then joined in unison with the strings for a tender ending.    

Then it was time for Camerata’s Wild Card Mystery Guest segment, this time featuring the Bronos Kentet. Comprised of Karin’s former students, this emerging guitar quartet includes Jeremy Stafford, Sidney Brien, Chris Phengrasmy, and Clancy Anderson. They performed Frederic Hand’s Chorale for Guitar Quartet. This was a gentle, rippling piece that gave us a moment for calm contemplation, before ending in silence. 

Carl Vine’s Endless celebrates the life of Jennifer Bates, an architect and environmentalist whose life was tragically cut short by a road accident. Inspired by the Buddhist symbol of the ‘endless knot’, this piece evokes the interconnectedness of all things. Originally commissioned by Jennifer’s mother, Kathryn Bennett, for Musica Viva, this piece has been reworked to suit guitar and string orchestra. Camerata and Karin played this with passion and sensitivity, from the positive opening to the gentle, sombre elegy, and then finishing with a celebratory salsa dance. 

To close, Camerata performed the final movement of Dvorak’s Serenade, with the violins and violas dancing together. This was a fun, sprightly way to finish the concert and send us out into the evening.