This was a kind of perfect Sunday afternoon at the Independent Theatre in North Sydney.
With my friend I joined the throng of people gathered outside the Independent just before half two waiting for the theatre to open its doors. We didn’t have to wait long and we all entered to a beautifully laid on afternoon tea served by theatre staff. There was a lovely selection of cakes to choose from, to be enjoyed with a fragrant tea or brewed coffee.
By the time the clock turned half three we had all gathered inside the theatre to hear the performance. I was simply blown away by the concert by The Nexas Quartet, a quartet of saxophone players. I couldn’t think of anything more enticing. I adore the saxophone!
The quartet, featuring soprano- Michael Duke, alto- Andrew Smith, tenor- Nathan Henshaw and baritone sax- Jay Byrnes , explored the Argentinean tango with their unique and inspiring performance of both arrangements and new works. Featured composers included Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel, Gerardo Rodriguez and Fernando Lerman. The first half also included an interesting original work by Michael Duke.
After interval, they were accompanied on stage by two guest artists, brilliant pianist Dr Daniel Rojas and bandoneon (a similar instrument to the accordion) player Stephen Cuttress which only proved to fire up the Quartet even more as they blazed away on their saxophones.
The concert ended to very generous applause by the audience. The band members made themselves available for a chat in the foyer after the show which was a nice touch.
The next in the Prelude in Tea series will be The Streeton Trio who will perform on Sunday 31 March at the Independent Theatre. Put it in your diary. A lovely afternoon tea and then the pleasure of listening to some beautiful music in one of the finest theatres in Sydney makes for a grand way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
https://www.theindependent.org.au/