The Firm to Present Final Concert of the Year, 11/4

The Firm will present its final concert for the year on Monday November 4, 8pm, Elder Hall with a performance of Franz Schubert's last piano sonata D.960 together with works by Philip Glass and Adelaide composers Quentin Grant and Raymond Chapman Smith.

Leigh Harrold, one of Australia's busiest and most sought after pianists, returns to his home state for the concert. Composer Director Quentin Grant says "we're fortunate to have worked with such a fine young pianist on many occasions. Leigh has played a great deal of Schubert and new music with The Firm, in addition to his work with the Syzygy and Kegelstatt ensembles".

The concert concludes this year's focus on Schubert, particularly his last three piano sonatas written in the final months of his life in 1828, together with a side serving of selective pieces from Philip Glass' Metamorphosis Cycle written in 1988.

The similarities between Schubert and Glass, born exactly one hundred and forty years apart, although not immediately obvious, are evident in the way both composers build their work from the "accretion of tiny units" explains Harrold. "Both the Metamorphosis and the mighty B-flat sonata are gigantic structures"

"The repetition of small motifs and figures has an almost hypnotic effect in the Glass, whereas in the Schubert it eventually builds a mighty cathedral around us - a safe and humbling space from which we can contemplate the deepest of life's mysteries."

"Because of this steady and relentless accretion, the works are all very demanding of a pianist's stamina and concentration - it's a difficult mix of constantly coaxing the music forward while always giving it the space to speak for itself."

The Firm's composer directors Quentin Grant and Raymond Chapman Smith have written new pieces infused with elements of both Glass's minimalist style and Schubert's Romantic genius.

Grant's 'Every Sunrise' was written during an intense period of early morning composition, between 5 am and 8 am over a week. Chapman Smith's "Over Your Cities Grass will Grow" alludes to the work of Anselm Kiefer as celebrated in the documentary of the same name by Sophie Fiennes.

The concert will be followed by complimentary drinks and tortes by Gabrielle.

Tickets: $12 or $7 concession available at the door or through www.trybooking.com/cwcs

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