Specially in this issue...

Australia Ensemble – always fresh, always rewarding

After 28 seasons of bringing challenging works to new audiences, artistic chair Emeritus Professor Roger Covell and principal flute Geoffrey Collins talk to Phil Vendy about the group’s dynamic and its longevity
 
On the origins of the Australia Ensemble, Roger Covell recalls, ‘when they were starting out, the object was to make them into the best: a multi-purpose ensemble that can play a very big range of music, far beyond the normal.’

As artistic chair and co-founder of the ensemble, Covell has brought them all the way through their 28 completed seasons, an amazing achievement for an Australian group. ‘That’s rather pleasing,’ Covell concedes. ‘I had no thought of it still being in existence in 2008. I’d have been delighted if somebody could have told me!’

A history to be proud of: but principal flute Geoffrey Collins adds a note of caution about being carried away by sheer longevity. ‘There’s a certain predilection in Australia for newness, and that makes it quite hard for a group like us.’ He imagines a music fan faced with the choice of programs on offer asking, ‘What’s the new group in town? Who are we going to see? We suffer a little bit from that these days.’
 
So how is the Australia Ensemble to maintain the loyalty of both long-standing and potential subscribers? Certainly not by offering only traditional fare. ‘When we started, we had quite a number of performances of, say, works by Bach, Mozart and Haydn. Those naturally continue to appear.’ Looking at recent concerts, however, Covell sometimes surprises himself to see that the whole program has maybe nothing earlier than 1920. But perhaps he should be the last person to be surprised – ‘I’m the one who comes up with the initial proposals!’ Covell decided that artistic planning would be his role with the Ensemble, rather than taking on performing responsibilities. That has always left him free to bring challenging works to new audiences. As long ago as 1969, he directed the first Australian performance of Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea, which would have been unfamiliar to most people. Many operas and works have had their Australian premiere under the auspices of the University of New South Wales, to which the ensemble is attached. When it comes to delivering the actual performances, Covell is happy to leave it in the more than capable hands of...

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