Heroic Tales, Dreams & Stories: Storytelling with Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Storytelling has always been one of humankind’s most prominent forms of entertainment and community. A group of travellers sharing their adventures by campfire, an old legend told from parent to child at bedtime; sharing stories has always been rooted in our minds and imaginations. But, before the days of printing presses and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stories were told through different methods: the magic of music!
This August at QPAC, Queensland Symphony Orchestra shares the storytelling power of music through two exquisite concerts with Heroic Tales and Dreams & Stories. Two concerts that showcase how music has shaped storytelling for thousands of years; may it be through tone poems, ballets, movie scores and incidental music and beyond!
Heroic Tales: 2 + 3 August
Coming to the QPAC Concert Hall on 2 & 3 August, Heroic Tales brings together two beloved pieces of classical music to Brisbane. Enjoy Richard Strauss’ self-referential masterpiece, Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) and Maurice Ravel’s Shéhérazade for Voice and Orchestra from The Arabians Nights.
R. Strauss was best known for his tone poems, which are orchestral music that illustrates or evokes a poem or story. Strauss wrote Ein Heldenlebel at the same time as one of his other most famous pieces, Don Quixote, and saw the pieces as complementary. Ein Heldenlebel, or “A Hero’s Life,” has been long believed to be about Strauss himself and “The Heroes Adversaries” represented in the piece are considered to be a jab at his critics! And while they wrote scathing reviews (no doubt angered by being labelled the villains of the story), this piece remains a standard part of an orchestra repertoire over 100 years later.
Ravel’s Shéhérazade is a piece inspired by the character of the same name from the Middle Eastern Folktale, The Arabians Knights (also known as A Thousand and One Nights). The story follows Shéhérazade, the vizier’s daughter and newest wife of a tyrannical king who, due to his first wife’s infidelity, vowed to marry a succession of virgins and execute them at dawn on their wedding night.
Shéhérazade outwits him by telling him a thousand stories, leaving each at a cliffhanger as dawn came, prolonging her life each time. The expressive voice of Shéhérazade will be brought to life through Australian soprano, Siobhan Stagg, as she sings three fantastical tales.
Heroic Tales will be sharing these symphonic epics at the QPAC Concert Hall on August 2 at 11.30am and August 3 at 7.30pm. Book your tickets to Heroic Tales and hear these majestic tales brought to life through a live symphony orchestra.
Dreams & Stories: 18 August
The magic continues as Queensland Symphony Orchestra brings to life a collection of beloved pieces from across storytelling and the dreamtime, with Dreams & Stories on Sunday, August 18.
Our delightful Music on Sunday’s Host, Ashleigh Denning, will guide you through six fantastical pieces, along with guest conductor Katharina Wincor and guest didgeridoo superstar, William Barton.
Enjoy well-known gems like John William’s Harry’s Wondrous World from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Felix Mendelsohn’s Overture from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Explore Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe’s ode to a national landmark with Kakadu, and swim among the sky and stars with William Barton’s Sky Songs.
Then discover J Strauss Jr’s waltz, Tales in the Vienne Woods, and three movements from Igor Stravinsky’s composition for the ballet, The Firebird.
Dreams & Stories is the ideal concert for families and those wanting to enter the world of classical music. Make sure to book your tickets to Dreams & Stories, Sunday 18 August at the QPAC Concert Hall.
