Since her passing in 2000, many of Dulcie Holland’s works have fallen through the cracks of time. A talented Sydney composer whose compositions were overshadowed by her gender and educational work, some of her once-published works have since gone out of print; many remain unpublished, sitting in archives.
One such work is her 1983 unpublished masterpiece Concertino for Piano and Strings – a large-scale work that stands out in her miniaturist collection. With only one handwritten score and a program from 1991 as traces of its existence, this virtually-forgotten work was revived through transcription and performance in 2022 by firebrand pianist Ronan Apcar (with help from Leonard Weiss).
Now, Ronan Apcar joins the trailblazing Ensemble Apex, conducted by Sam Weller, to give a rare performance of Holland’s unheard masterwork that epitomises her sophisticated craftsmanship and distinctly personal sound in three punchy movements.
Along with some of Holland’s unpublished solo pieces, hear local legend Dan Rojas’ groovy homage to Astor Piazzolla in La Gran Salsa, and the exhilarating tour-de-force out of the blue by the iconic composer Nigel Westlake.
"...it is a crime we have never heard [Holland's Concertino] until now..." – Limelight Magazine
Dulcie Holland was a long-time resident of the Willoughby LGA. Thanks to support from the Willoughby City Council and the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, concession tickets are available for residents of Willoughby LGA
PROGRAM
DULCIE HOLLAND Serious Procession
DAN ROJAS La Gran Salsa
NIGEL WESTLAKE out of the blue
DULCIE HOLLAND Conversation for Piano
DULCIE HOLLAND Concertino for Piano and Strings
- 75 mins (no interval)
