Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra
A prize-winning Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra programme of easy-listening classical works, with guitar soloist Slava Grigoryan and other featured players under Fred Witt.
Slava Grigoryan guitar
Karla Drazenovic cello
Michelle Wright mandolin
Kurt Jensen mandola
Fred Witt conductor
Robert Schulz composer
Yasuo Kuwahara composer
Fred Witt composer
Jürgen Klose composer
Willi Althoff composer
Slava Grigoryan appears as soloist with the Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra on this Move release. Recorded just before he signed with Sony, Melbourne’s guitar virtuoso was already being compared with John Williams.
He joined the orchestra at fourteen and had appeared as soloist on its tours of Japan and Europe.
Captured in the acoustic of Xavier College Chapel, the disc offers approachable classical selections for mandolin orchestra.
Conductor Fred Witt had led the MMO since 1991. Respected worldwide as a conductor, composer and performer of plucked music, in 1993 he took the orchestra to every prize at the First International Mandolin Competition in Belgium, including his own Concertino for Mandola with longstanding member Kurt Jensen as soloist.
Danish-born Jensen, like Grigoryan, began performing professionally young. He appears here as mandola soloist; he had held posts with European orchestras and was a familiar presenter on Melbourne’s 3MBS-FM.
Mandolinist Michelle Wright and cellist Karla Drazenovic also take solo roles.
Under Witt the orchestra plays with a maturity and depth of musicality akin to leading traditional string orchestras.
Reviews
tomorrow's virtuoso with today's attitude ... one of the most exciting classical guitarists to have emerged in years
We should give warm applause to the Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra for its bravery and talent. It is so brave that it dares to survive strongly in a time when many people still do not treat it fairly. And the Orchestra is so talented that it plays virtuosic music without trouble.
Artists
Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra
The Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra was formed in 1967 by Peter Evans and Josef Ruecker to develop and maintain a mandolin orchestra in Melbourne. Besides regular performance it organises summer schools and workshops, trains new players, hosts visiting groups and commissions new music.
Slava Grigoryan
Slava Grigoryan’s classical guitar brings colour, texture and a pleasurable weightlessness to chamber music, whether set against mandolin orchestra shimmer, late-night improvisation, or spare contemporary Australian scores.
Michelle Wright
Michelle Wright is a mandolinist associated with Melbourne’s classical plucked-string scene, appearing as a soloist with the Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra and related ensembles.
Kurt Jensen
Kurt Jensen is a Danish mandolin soloist who performed professionally from the age of twelve. In Australia he featured as soloist with the Melbourne Musicians, Chamber Strings of Melbourne, Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra and Guitar Ensemble.
Fred Witt
Fred Witt (1922–) was born in Dortmund and studied singing, composition, guitar, zither, accordion and conducting at Dortmund Conservatorium, grounding a career in composition and direction.
Audio previews
Tracks
- Largo 1:43
- Allegro :43
- Allegro Molto 2:44
- Largo 1:35
- Presto 1:47
- A Celebration Robert Schulz 8:29
- Song of the Japanese Autumn Yasuo Kuwahara 12:08
- Allegro 1:55
- Andante 3:02
- Allegro 2:27
- Rondo 5:10
- Ostinato 3:51
- Tatry 4:26
- Slow Foxtrot 3:04
- Slow Waltz 3:04
- Foxtrot 4:27
Concerto for Guitar Sylvius Leopold Weiss
Concertino for Mandola Fred Witt
Summertrip Jürgen Klose
Tanz Suite Willi Althoff
Performers
- Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra
- Slava Grigoryan · guitar · tracks 1–5
- Karla Drazenovic · track 6
- Michelle Wright · track 7
- Kurt Jensen · mandola · tracks 8–10
- Fred Witt
Composers
Robert Schulz
Robert Schulz writes for mandolin and guitar orchestra, placing dance energy and open colour beside folk tunes, waltzes and light classical favourites. His Folk Dance, Outback and A Celebration appear on Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra programmes built for shimmering plucked sound.
Sylvius Leopold Weiss
Sylvius Leopold Weiss left the largest known body of music for the lute: late Baroque sonatas, fantasias and concertos of intricate counterpoint and singing line, still claimed by classical guitar and mandolin as well as the period instrument.
Contributors
Graphic design
Kon Euan Wong
Recording assistant
Michael England
Post-production music supervisor
Michelle Wright
Michelle Wright is a mandolinist associated with Melbourne’s classical plucked-string scene, appearing as a soloist with the Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra and related ensembles.
Graphic design assistant
Tony Hofmann
Recording assistant
Vaughan McAlley
Vaughan McAlley is a composer and arranger, alto and tenor, a capable flautist and French horn player, and the recording engineer behind countless Move releases.
Where to listen
Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra is available for streaming through Spotify and Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.
Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.
Product details
- Catalogue number
- MD 3159
- List price
- $25.00 AUD
- Total playing time
- 60 minutes 35 seconds
- Recording Engineer
- Martin Wright
- Venue
- Xavier College Chapel
- Credit
- Kon Euan Wong
Michael England
Michelle Wright
Tony Hofmann
Vaughan McAlley - Release date
- 1994
- Musical work
copyright - © 1994 Move Records
- Sound recording
copyright - ℗ 1994 Move Records
- Categories
- Classical, Cross-cultural
- Genres
- Contemporary Classical, Orchestral & Concerto
- Barcode
- EAN 9314574315929
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