www.georgcello.com

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Welcome to the Homepage of

GEORG MERTENS
(Georg Mertens-Moussa 1990-2002)

and the

CELLO CONCERTS IN THE CAVES
inside the
CATHEDRAL CHAMBER
at JENOLAN CAVES
A Blue Mountains World Heritage Venue

with more than 140 concerts in over 12 years
the World longest series of cello concerts

Concerts are held in 2010
regularly every third Saturday of the month - 4pm
in four seasonal programs
(dates below)

Limit per concert are 75 visitors.
Early bookings recommended.

Tickets: $60 / children $35
BOOKINGS 1300 76 3311 or 02 6359 3911

NOW ALSO:

24 HOUR on-line BOOKING:
ph. 136 100

- Click on icon for:

cello concerts

Private groups can also book additional concerts at other times.

After the Concerts Jenolan Caves House offers generously at
6.30pm free Wine & Cheese
for all concert visitors.
A chance to chat with the artists
- all CD's are on display and for sale -

For your Comfort: There is no need any more to bring a cushion or a chair. Comfortable chairs are now provided in the cave for visitors. The Cave is naturally rock conditioned at 15 degrees Celsius, warm in winter, cool in summer. It is recomended to bring a light jumper. Access: Access from Sydney is via (a well sign posted) turn off from the Great Western Highway at Hartley. Total distance is c 175km from Central Sydney (c 3 hrs), 75km from Katoomba (c 1.15hrs).  From Canberra the new road over Taralga has been sealed and takes visitors in only 3 hours to Jenolan Caves.

Program Notes

by Georg Mertens

Sergej Rachmaninov - Vocalise
Originally the Vocalise is written for voice. I though like playing it unaccompanied, as he wrote in some sections pp (very soft) and the piano plays there heavy and full passages, drowning out the very beautiful soft melody. This piece introduces the audience to the cello singing in the cave.

Click to listen (No 16)

.William Henry Squire - Tarantella
There are many stories about the Tarantella, all leading back to the bite of the Tarantula spider of the Mediterranean. Supposed to, once you have been bitten by the big spider you jump (not fall) into a trance which makes you dance the Tarantella. You have not to resist the urge to dance or you will die. If you dance until you get frantic and collapse - you fall into a coma and next morning everything is fine.
Although to a large part a 20th century composer and cellist, Squire (English 1871-1963) writes in a full Romantic tradition keen on brilliance and effect. The Tarantella here takes the listener through the whole Tarantula cycle starting calm and ending up frantic.

Click to listen (No 14)

Johann Sebastian Bach - Suites for solo cello
Undoubtedly the set of the six suites for cello solo is the greatest masterpiece written for cello solo. The original of the Suites has been lost and it is among cellists a big questions, what choice of bowings one has to play - what would Bach have written. I rely in my performance on the contemporary facsimiles as published in the Urtext - facsimile edition by Barenreiter (Bettina Schwemer) and also on the edition of Werner Icking.
By trying to understand Bach's logic in bowing and incorporating the common ideas I came to my own edition.
My cello is of Baroque origin, made during Bach's life time and is still fitted with the original Baroque bass bar.

See Prelude G major live on Youtube (click here)

Click to listen (No 7/8)

.Georg Mertens - Erh Hu Improvisation
Free improvisation. I have a rough concept, but never a particular plan. The improvisation depends on ideas and the mood of the day.
The Erh Hu is a Chinese instrument in a similar range as the cello. One of its particularities is, that its 2 strings are fed through the bow, so that the bow and the instrument can never be separated - a symbolic union. In my performance I dismantel the bow and feed the middle strings (D and G) between hair and stick. This makes it possible to play the outer strings A and C together - which is usually impossible. I play also A and G together - the A from the top / the G from underneath.
In the left hand I use only one finger and glide up and down (when the finger is tired, I take another one). Opposite to the general assumption, the clearness and intonation is by just shifting more accurate as when played with fingers. I am - even as the player - always wrapped into the absolute perfection of harmonies.
Once I played this piece at a private caves concert in front of an audience from Taiwan. They praised my sound and the imitation of the Erh Hu technique, but criricised, that I did not play purely pentatonic (only the notes CDEGA), still strictly used in classical Chinese music. Since then I improvise the frame parts A and C based on the pentatonic C scale, where as in the middle part with the G in the bass I improvise anything entering my mind.
This piece is an extension of what we expect a cello could sound like, making a cello sound really different, something new.

Click to listen (No 10)

Camille Saint-Saens - The Swan
The cello jewel from the "Carnival of the Animals". Originally the whole work though has been composed for 2 pianos, for a childrens birthday party. Saint-Saens took the work never seriously and it was never published in full until after his death. The Swan became famous in the orchestral version with harp and cello - the harp representing the water, the cello playing the swan himself.

Click to listen (No 4)

David Popper - Hungarian Rhapsody
David Popper (see C2, 1843-1913) was one of the greatest cellist in history, famous for his big sound, polished performances and his compositions. The later part of his professional life he was professor at the Budapest conservatoir (Hungary) where he wrote one of his most brilliant works, the Hungarian Rhapsody, full of expressive slow melodies, fast runs, very high (the note of the the highest key on the piano!) and very low parts, a masterpiece of cello entertainment.

Click to listen (No 3)

Jules Massenet - Meditation from "Thaiss"
This famous melody by Massenet (French 1842-1912) is from his Opera "Thais" (1884). For the present solo performance I added harmonies and small sections from the accompaniment. Although it is originally for violin I prefer it for cello - the cello has more ability to sing like a human voice.

Click to listen (No 13)

Georg Mertens - Variations on Maytime (Neidhardt)
The song "Maienzeit" or "Maytime" is the oldest song I know. Neidhardt (1180-1240) was a troubadour of the middle ages. This song is still sung in Germany and it has always been one of my favourites. The melody is based on a 6 note scale - the seventh note being missing like often in songs of this time. I limited the Variations on these 6 notes - in different ranges - tomaintain the flavour. Visitors tell me it sounds like very ancient folk music.
(for free score see "sheetmusic")

Click to listen (No 2)

Georg Mertens - Arabian Improvisation
Like most our instruments, the cello has its origin in the Arab world; so has the violin, the organ, the guitar, the lute, the oboe, the clarinet and of course our numbers.
This piece turns out every time differently. Sometimes I start in one way, other times in another. In the main part I employ the open D string as a bordun - which means it sounds all the time. This gives the impression as if the solo part, the higher string - or sometimes lower - is accompanied by a support instrument, the D string. The cello sounds here - I am told - like not belonging to the classical instruments but an Eastern band.

Click to listen (No 5)

Anonymus - Spanish Romance - transcribed from guitar by G.M.
This Romance is one of the most well known classical guitar pieces. It was the theme in the movie "jeux interdit". Supposed to it has first been written down by an Italian source c 1890. On the other hand the "Romance" is a traditional Spanish character piece in 3 beats, and as such older than the Romantic period. I include in my arrangement a free introduction, a little cadenza, and treat the traditional theme rather as a chance to variety than a literal transcription.
(for score see "sheetmusic")

Click to listen (No 15)

Georg Mertens - Tango Celloguitar
Often just to play around I used to play the cello like a guitar - and many friends told me: write a piece like this, I have never heard anything like it. I delayed the plan for a long time, as probably nobody except me would be able to play the piece - you have to play both instruments on a professional level.
But last year (summer 2006/7) I finally wrote it. As a main feature I adopt the tremolo on the guitar (like in "Recuerdos del Alhambra" by Tarrega) and put underneath the melody a Tango bass rhythm.The bow is only used in the middle section, which I based on Eastern scales.What you hear is a cello in a very different way than usual.
(for score see "sheetmusic")

Click to listen (No 12)

Astor Piazzolla - Verano Porteno -- transcribed from guitar by G.M. 2007.
One of Piazzollas (Argentinia, 1921-1992) great Tangos. I have at home a recording with Piazzolla himself & his noneto and a guitar version. My transcription is mainly based on the guitar version with minor changes, where in the guitar version notes are missing, added or put in different ranges to accomodate the guitar technique. I do similar things to accomodate the cello technique and its different sound. The piece has strong rhythmical sections and a very lyrical part in Piazzollas typical dry sweetness with his excessively beautiful melodies. Composed c 1972, edited 1982.
(for score see "sheetmusic")

Click to listen (No 8)

Isaac Albeniz - Leyenda (Asturias) - transcribed from guitar by G.M.
Actually originally this piece is written for piano, as Albeniz (Spain, 1860-1909) was a pianist and did not play guitar. However Albeniz himself praised Francisco Tarrega's rendition for guitar as preferrable. Like many guitarists I performed this piece often and recorded it. I always felt that both, the piano and the guitar can't do justice to the long drawn menlodies in the slow middle section. Here the cello brings out the mournful tune like never heard on the other arrangements.
(for score see "sheetmusic")

Click to listen (No 7)

Georg Mertens playing cello in the Cave
(photo Rob Whyte)

CONTACT :
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Private Group Bookings / Tuition
ph 02 4782 5440

Concert Bookings:
ph. 1300 76 3311 or 02 6359 3911 then dial 2

NOW ALSO:

24 HOUR on-line BOOKING:
ph. 136 100

- or click on icon for:

cello concerts

For Cave Tours visit the website: jenolancaves.org.au

On site Accomodation:
Jenolan Caves House
ph 02 6359 3322
www.jenolancaveshouse.com.au

For more cultural Events in the Jenolan / Bathurst area click here on the site of the:
Bathurst Arts Council

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Concerts in the Cathedral Chamber

Forget the outside world, the stress!
Take a step to relax!
Walk for 10 minutes some steps up and down into the mountain.
Deep in the mountain opens up a grand museum, 54m (150 feet) high.
Beautiful formations, the Cathedral Chamber,
closed from the outer world offering peace and silence combined with visual beauty.
We are transported back - just for an hour - into a much simpler and purer world sharing the mellow sounds of the cello.

The Cathedral Chamber is an extraordinary inspiring space, not only stunningly beautiful, but also reputed for its perfect acoustics, the world's finest.
The Concerts in the Cave allow us to side step from our normal speedy, noisy and stressful environment and invite us to sit back.

In difference to most concert halls,
the distance to the performer is only 3-12 meters.
Also you have no problems hearing clearly:
the acoustic is so brilliant, you hear everywhere as if you sit just in front of the performer.

No car, plane or any artificial noise from our high tech environment enters this space, not even the sound of wind, mobile phones don't work here.

It never rains in the Cave,
if hot or cold outside,
in the Cave it's always 15 Degrees
(bring a light jumper)
No weather forecast is necessary to plan visiting a Concert in the Cave.

 

 

 

 

 

Cello Favourites (2008)

Georg Mertens (cello) and Gavin Tipping (piano)

(click on CD cover to listen)

(You find the program notes for this CD in this column below the CD displays)

TRACKS

1 Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonatina in D minor
2 Jean Babtiste Breval: Sonata in C major: I. Allegro
3 Georg Friedrich Handel: Aria in F major
4 Domenico dalla Bella: Sonata in C major: II. Giga
5 Henry Eccles: Sonata in G minor: I. Largo
6 - II. Allegro
7 J.S.Bach: Suite No. 1 in G major, Prelude
8 - Suite No. 1 : III. Courante
9 Bach - Gounod: Meditation - Ave Maria
10 J.S.Bach: Arioso from Cantata BWV 156: Adagio
11 Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata E minor RV 40: I. Largo
12 - II. Allegro
13 Giovanni Baptista Pergolesi: Nina - from the opera Tre Giorni
14 David Popper: Happy (Fond) Recollections
15 Gabriel Faure: Sicilienne Op 78
16 Cesare Cui: Oriental from Le Kaleidoscope
17 Piotr Ilyich Tschaikovsky: Chanson Triste
18 Gabriel Marie: La Cinquantaine
19 Piotr Ilyich Tschaikovsky: Valse Sentimental
20 Bernhard Romberg: Sonata E minor Op. 38: I. Allegro non troppo

Georg Mertens (photo by Peter Adams)

Gavin Tipping (photo by Diane Tipping)

 

Program Notes for the CD " Cello Favourites"

I mention the version I play, although I alter bowings and fingerings. This is an overview of the recommended changes.

1 - Beethoven, Sonatina. (Peters/Stutschewsky) I play virtually all bowings and fingerings recommended. Like in all Beethoven, the articulation is extremely important. A clear distinction between staccato and slurs brings life to the phrasing.

2 - Breval, Sonata C major, Allegro. (Schott/Stutschewsky). Editions by e.g. Schroeder or Suzuki simplify passages, which are not the difficult ones and miss out important musical content. I use the recommended bowings except the slurs in the triplets, which seem rather arbitrary to me.

3 - Handel, Aria (Schott/Rapp from "Alte Meisterweisen"). The melody should sing like a voice. The printed dynamics don't make always sense to me; the middle section line 5 needs to be stronger, not piano. Line 7 should instead be p. The parallel melodies bar 7 and 13 could have the same fingering. (I start bar 15 with down bow again).

4 - Dalla Bella, Giga (Nagels-Baerenreiter/Upmeyer). One of my favourites as a child, also a fantastic study for positions. I slur all triplets (except the 3 before the end note). I also play V V for all crotchets (1/4) plus quavers (1/8) (they always occur in V). This bowing supports the rhythmical weighting and musical phrasing.
[click here for free sheetmusic]

5 & 6 - Eccles, Sonata g minor, Largo and Allegro (Schott/Cahrnbley). I don't know any other edition. Edited 1918, Carnbley lived before the time anyone cared about originals and not much was known about Baroque style and performance. All bowings are here in order to impress in a Romantic manner. I changed virtually all bowings to my own intuition and general knowledge about Baroque music.
In the Allegro I play in the theme bow direction units of quavers (1/8).
I recommend for a Baroque sound to hold the bow a few cm more inwards than usually, even allowing to touch the hair, and play the bow very light; also to create a forte by rather playing a faster bow than pushing.
[click here for free sheetmusic]

7 & 8 - Bach, Prelude and Courante from Suite No 1, G major (from Werner Icking Music Archive - WIMA). For original bowings the new Baerenreiter edition is the only representative one. I worked out my own edition after comparing all the early manuscripts with the logic of Bach's bowings in his own works for violin solo of which the original survived. To my surprise I found my bowings to be identical with the Werner Icking ones, who also compared the cello with the violin works. -

9 - Bach-Gounod, Ave Maria (Williams/Squire). I start with V. Like a controlled voice we need to control the beginnings and ends of the bow: that the start is gradual, the end not rushed - especially not towards the nut; a bow can finish just where it ends, anywhere, when the time is right, without acceleration.
[click here for free sheetmusic]

10 - Bach, Arioso (Fischer/Isaac). It is important to watch, that the first and last note in a slur of quavers (1/8) is played fully out, not rushed in timing or bow speed.

11 & 12 - Vivaldi, Sonata e minor, Largo & Allegro (Baerenreiter/Hoffmann). It is refreshing to play Vivaldi with original bowings and no fingerings written in (there is a simple logic in his fingerings, which occurs by just playing a few times through; it is amazing how artificially complicated and the music contradicting our editions are. I thought always something is wrong with the works until I found this version (edited 2003).

Track to the Cathedral Chamber (photo GM)

 

13 - Pergolesi, Nina (Schirmer/Deri). Four bars before the repeat it sounds better and is easier to shift from the high G on D with 3 back to A, ready for 2 on Eb. The pause in the Coda needs to be taken seriously; I like to put a comma between Eb and D, as you do it in a recitativo.

14 - Popper, Happy (Fond) Recollections - In Memory of my Parents (Several editions). The music is a peaceful dialog between the deep voice of the father and the soft high voice of the mother, sometimes dramatic, sometimes telling just little stories.

15 - Faure, Sicilienne (IMC) This piece is originally written for cello and dedicated to Squire. I always wondered about the frequent repetition of G-D, and I imagine a conversation like this preceding the composition: the young talented Squire demonstrated how well he could stretch without difficulty from G to D and even with vibrato!; Faure answering: I write you a piece with x stretches from G to D (9x), Squire answering: please don't! But Faure promised to give the stretch a fancy dressing, sounding really not so bad! - - For me there is always a question and answer game in the theme, the 5th bar ending in a strong D major, where as the following answer in bar 9 should end in p (I start the upbeat D in bar 5 with down bow).

16 - Cui, Oriental (AMEB/Allans) The series of VVV is not meant as a staccato towards the nut, but as a bumping bow at the tip imitating a drum (always, even if there are only 2 notes). In bar 36, most players might find it easier to start in 4th position with 3 (then the recommended 1).

17 - Tschaikovsky, Chanson Triste. There are many editions and many bowing varieties, impossible to relate to. Here are some details: I play all high Bb with down bow (in the outer sections in a slur). I prepare the high Bb every time with a 1 on G. - The middle section should be noticeably more moving ahead and have a freer feel.

18 - Marie, La Cinquantaine. This piece, is dedicated to the 50th birthday ("cinquantaine") of Monsieur E.Binon, cellist of "the opera" (?). This means, although transcribed for virtually every existing instrument, this piece is originally written for cello.
In my old edition the repeats are not written out, and I prefer not to play them. I didn't like the piece for a long time, until I changed the bow direction found in all editions. Many phrases go towards the F in 4th position, which are V; the note tends to sound choked, the harmonic reminds of anything else except lightness. All these F's need to be down bow, the bowings leading to it need changed. Suddenly this piece turns to not boring any more (I start even with a down bow).
[click here for free sheetmusic]

19 - Tschaikovsky, Valse sentimental (IMC/Rose) In bar 1 I go already for the A# with 2 in the 4th position; be careful not to tilt the bow inwards for the change to A string or the sound will not be clear. I start bars 30 & 62 with V and start a new bow on the high B to enable a full sound in f; to prepare I play the D# in bars 28 & 60 with V. - For me the outer sections are a slow valse, in a sentimental mood, where as the Piu mosso sections I feel should be noticeably faster.

20 - Romberg, Sonata e-minor, Allegro non troppo (IMC/Jansen) I play most fingerings and bowings. In this movement it is essential to add dynamic markings and not play everything mf. P2 - I start every 2 bar phrase and line 2 with V. In line 5 & 6 it is important to remain for the quaver (1/8) passages before the semibreve (1/1) in the upper half of the bow.

G.M.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The old entrance in the Cathedral Chamber (photo GM)

 

 

 

 

 

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