Cellist Matthew Lee is excited to be back in Australia and performing with the Australian World Orchestra.
Lee moved to London 35 years ago, but regularly returns to the Blue Mountains to visit his parents Philip and Christine Lee in Leura.
He will perform two concerts with the orchestra at the Sydney Opera House on September 28 and 29, then it’s on to Singapore for another concert.
The orchestra brings together Australia’s finest orchestral musicians from around the world, while also encouraging and developing young talent.
“There’s a fire and enthusiasm that makes everyone play so well. I always leave on a high at the end of it,” Lee said.
“The buzz is fantastic. It’s very invigorating and nourishing.”
The program will include Maurice Ravel’s orchestral tour de force Boléro, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s powerful and romantic Symphony No.5, and the international premiere of Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin’s The Witching Hour, the first concerto for eight double basses in orchestral history.
Lee, 53, has played in the BBC Concert Orchestra for 24 years, and holds the role of sub-principal cello. They have a concert just about every week, and play a variety of music, from classical, to jazz and current pop music. The orchestra also records music for live broadcast on BBC radio and for television – they often feature in David Attenborough’s documentaries, and were in the soundtrack to the movie Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.
Lee has loved playing the cello since childhood, begging his parents for lessons, and taking it up at age 11.
“It was the dark, velvety sound of it that struck me,” Lee said.
Tickets at: www.australianworldorchestra.com.au.