Theatre and the Church

Rhythm Syndicate did a concert of two halves: the first a series of songs from musical theatre and film; the second various carols and Christmas songs.  I enjoyed the second but was thrilled by the first.  I guess theatre has to sell itself more than religions with millennia of history, although they can do it pretty well too.  Mary did you know was a modern and feminist tune with religious themes and Silver bells and O holy night and the like are classics.  The theatricals had the pretty Memory or the touching Moon River or the rollicking Everything's coming up roses.  I was particularly taken by the harmonies from a group of ~18 arrayed as SSATB.  The parts weren't perfectly clear, perhaps given the gutsy volume in the space, but they were lovely and the sopranos rang out above as they do and Harrison's piano was reliable.  Sarah Louise was up front as conductor and added another level of excitement by prodding emotional energy and associated dynamics from various parts at various times.  A lovely, stirring end-of-year gig from Rhythm Syndicate.

Rhythm Syndicate performed at Wesley under Sarah Louise Owens (director) with accompanist Harrison Whalan (piano).

Jamtime

Family friend Alysa invited me to the jam session at Smiths given her band were the hosts for the night.  It was upstairs and I managed a beer without accidentally joining the life drawing class.  It was pretty quiet at first but then various players joined in.  I didn't chase names this evening but there were several (3?) pianists, two drummers with host bassist Michael as one of them and otherwise Smiths-haunt rock steady drummer Mitch, a few saxes and a clarinet, a few guitarists and singers, including host Alysa.  Thanks to Michael for use of his gut-style bass, strangely fat and soft and pliable under the fingers.  Interesting.  Peter and I did a few tunes with two basses, a first for me: Peter on his intriguing Ibanez SRAS7 fretted/fretless 7-string and me on gut double.  The tunes on the night were mostly reliable standards.  I enjoyed what I played but sadly missed Have you met Miss Jones, a fave for its early Giant steps B-section.  Ballad Lover man appeared twice and was a pleasure.  But all good fun and chatty so thanks to Alysa, Michael, Mitch, Peter and all.  Just some pics.

A calendar and more

Kompactus performed a 1.25 hour work in 24 parts with huge complexity and obviously considerable emotional depth at Wesley.  I got to record it and the quiet passages were almost inaudible and the loud passages forthright and often dissonant and there were even passages where the audience was invited to take part by following repeated lines from the choir.  The lines give away the quiet desperation of the piece and involve the public in the hopeful response: "Let us believe in the resurrection fo the Earth", "Is it impossible to plant change?", "How can we let it all slip through our fingers?", How can we believe these dayes will end?", perhaps one or two others. There's a quiet religiosity to the text, too, and an inverted year of summer and winter which shows this a northern hemisphere and I look later, southern California.  The work was Dale Trumbore A calendar of light with libretto by Barbara Crooker.  Not sure if it's been performed before locally, but it was a challenge, with dynamics aplenty, very edging harmonies in at least a standard 4 parts, perhaps more.  But Kompactus with Olivia were up to it.  This was a totally convincing performance and deeply touching, somewhat beyond the expectations of just a choral work.  This comes from composers with current relevance and this has that in spades.  Just fabulous that Kompactus would take it on, and they did it worthy justice.

Kompactus Youth Choir performed Dale Trumbore A calendar of light at Wesley under Olivia Swift (MD, conductor).

And now for something quite different

I can't say completely different because I know and enjoy spoken word and I've done 10 albums of the stuff anyway, but this was poetry with jazz tune accompaniment from a capable classical player.  So quite different.  Stuart Long played the piano and Rohan Buettel wrote the poetry and performed it and presumably they chose the accompanying tunes to some degree together.  Rohan also sings in a choir so has some songster skills but here it was recitation.  16 songs with 16 short poems on any manner of topic.  First class went with Nice work if you can get it, which seems apt: apparently Rohan once got upgraded.  Electricity wars went with My heart stood still, so two with some thematic relevance.  I hear your voice with Skylark; Fruit bats with Someday my prince will come (?) and This too shall pass with Alice in wonderland.  Plenty of others.  Turnings was about a couple sleeping together intertwined and matched well with Tenderly.  Trace spoke of leaving none and was matched with Suicide is painless; considerably more tragic then Wisteria with La mer and Cicadas with Summertime.  Urban haiku took us back to the 70s with Red Baron, that catchy and popular tune from Billy Cobham's Spectrum album with Jam Hammer, Tommy Bolin, Lee Sklar, Joe Farrell, Ron Carter, Ray Baretto and others.  I didn't catch all the lyrics live but revisited in my recordings.  I was very impressed with joy and playfulness and some seriousness and the general response to language.  The poems were short but Rohan's written more for several journals.  A fascinating and somewhat unusual outing at Wesley.

Stuart Long (piano) accompanied Rohan Buettel (poet) at Wesley.

As a period continues

We often use the term chamber music for smaller groups playing older music in smaller spaces but when I heard Austral Harmony at Sally and Peter's Greenaway studio I felt it like never before.  They played earlier music, Bach with original instruments, as a trio in a small space and the intimacy was immense, if intimacy can be immense.  It's not as if there was not a decent audience and a few mic stands, but the closeness and the tone of these instruments, baroque oboe/recorder/oboe da caccia, baroque violin, harpsichord, and the immediacy of performance and casual interactions were different.  Austral Harmony was on a tour of various Australian cities while Jane is visiting from the UK and Canberra got a weekend of Bach performances.  I caught Jane at Wesley on Wednesday, but only one performance over the weekend.  This was called Bach Obbligato and they performed selections that they had workshopped just hours before.  I'd learnt something of obbligato, the necessity of the obbligato parts and presumably a flexibility with parts not so defined.  It's a pointer to improvisation practised in that era, with figured bass and basso continuo and maybe more.  All fascinating and prompted by the immediacy of this chamber music experience with these knowledgeable exponents.  But a note on the performers.  These were confident in interplay, aptly solid and throaty in tone, at least for the violin and oboes -  the harpsichord was more tinkly - and all confident in interplay.  Capable proponents of period music and deeply satisfying and informative for that.

Austral Harmony performed Bach at the Greenaway Studio.  AH comprised Jane Downer (baroque oboes, recorder), Margaret Caley (baroque violin) and Phillip Gearing (harpsichord).  An attendee from the preceding workshop played flute on an opening piece from St Matthew Passion but I missed his name.

Busy-ness

It was a busy musical weekend, what with 2 jazz gigs and a Beethoven 7 rehearsal and later a concert and a committee meeting.  No pics for the two gigs, but a big thanks to Hugh who sat in on drums for one and who was playing the second when I was sitting in.  My sit-in was with Simon Halabi at Blue Eyes, that intimate cocktail bar.  Simon sings, too, so not just the standards as instrumentals but also a few borderline jazz songs, like Peggy Lee's take on Fever.  Nice and well received.  Not an easy lug and only more demanding given ongoing works in Garema Place (more ongoing works...) and rain and a very confusing parking station.  But two gigs much enjoyed.  But no pics on either night...

Tilt Alt played Dickson Taphouse on Friday night with James Woodman (piano), Eric Pozza (bass) and Hugh Magri-Bull (drums).  Simon Halabi (piano, vocals) played Blue Eyes on Saturday night with Eric Pozza (bass) and Hugh Magri-Bull (drums).

The visiting troubadour

What is it about early music that's so welcoming.  Do we have it in our bones the memory of the occasional troubadour visit?  They didn't have the Berlin Phil online to listen to and watch any instant.  Their experience was a visiting musician for a dance occasionally with baroque or earlier instruments but so earthy and so welcomed.  Austral Harmony visited and they were somewhat like that.  AH is Jane Downer with her fellow musicians in each town, in Canberra with Ariana Odermatt.  We heard the whistle tones of descant and tenor (alto?) recorders and the reedy tone of the baroque oboe along with the plucky harpsichord.  Lovely.  There's always a tune by that most prolific composer, Anon.  Here it was the story of a storm downing a wind vane on St Paul's Cathedral.  Then some Handel sounding unusually early and William Babel and two tunes of considerable imagery by Geminiani, Sleepy body and Auld Bob Maurice.  The troubadour's visit was much appreciated.

Austral Harmony performed at Wesley.  AH comprised Jane Downer (recorder, baroque oboe) and Ariana Odermatt (harpsichord).

Radiant performance

We expected a rush but NCO finished early enough and we relaxed.  Nice, because the next outing was something particularly special.  Guitarist Harley Coleman was staying with us while rehearsing and touring with Luminescence Chamber Singers.  Now, these are a seriously professional group; what they do is worthy of your time.  They had played Andrew Ford Red Dirt Hymns at CIMF and they were touring it through NSW.  We got to see it at The B in Qbn. Luminescence were 6 singers (3 female voices, 3 male) with instrumental accompaniment from Harley on guitar and Freya Schack-Arnott on cello.  Later, a combined children's choir joined for some hymns.  Andrew Ford had written the music, bass line, chords and melody, from the little I've seen.  Roland Peelman worked with the performers to develop presentation and wonderfully rich harmonies while leaving space for improv from the musos.  Roland also conducted the children's choirs on the day.  Andrew Ford was there highlighting the exceptional work on the hymns done by Luminescence.  Suffice to say it was work of the highest artistic achievement to my ears.  I was stunned by the skills and musicality and glorious arrangements; by Harley's understanded chordal interpretation and one pretty rock-dirty solo and Freya's bass lines and atonal plays on sound; by the solo presentations of some songs, then then ensemble performances of others; by the playful drumming on garden pottery, by the reverent singing of the children's choir.  The work comprises 16 shortish songs with lyrics volunteered by invited poets, so a range of themes, but presumably all around issues of Australian relevance.  I caught some lyrics, not all; the richness of performance mostly took my attention on the day.  So I still have a worthy task to read these poems and hopefully a future opportunity to hear a recording or view a video.  Just a stunning performance and a fascinating project.

Luminescence Chamber Singers performed Andrew Ford Red Dirt Hymns at TheB in Queanbeyan.  Luminescence are AJ America, Rachel Mink and Josephine Brereton (sopranos), Dan Walker (tenor), Lucien Fischer (baritone) and Alasdair Stretch (bass-baritone).  Roland Peelman (MD, arranger) arranged and conducted the children's choir from Luminescence Children’s Choir and Music for Canberra.  Accompanists were Harley Coleman (guitar) and Freya Schack-Arnott (cello) and Sammy Hawker (visual artist) provided the backdrop.

Broadway

Last year NCO's modern popular concert was film music and it was a roaring success.  This year it was musical theatre and again the audience loved it and so did I.  Wicked was new to me but West Side Story is a particular fave and we played selections, along with Wicked.  Otherwise single songs from Cats and Candide, My Fair Lady and Les Mis and Phantom of the Opera. Some are real tear jerkers and were particularly so with a 70+-piece orchestra and some decent singers, 2 men, 2 women, one only 14 (15?) and singing her heart out.  Alira Prideaux, soprano, seemed to feature a different garb for each tune.  Otherwise the young Zahra Zulkapil was warmly welcomed, as were the two tenors, Joe Dinn and Jared Newall, one being of the touring Ten.  The first act was a bit touchy for me, having missed some practices for family duties out of town, but act 2 just settled and swung, with touching cuties like Do re mi and Over the rainbow and a singalong called and even Louis leading unexpectedly with a mic.  The waltz from Carousel was a dear sweet thing and the whole rose to a finale with rousers from Phantom of the Opera and Les Mis.  Huge amount of fun on mostly pretty sightreadable music and the lure of romance and song.  Great fun and hugely well received.

National Capital Orchestra performed music from Broadway at Snow under Louis Sharpe (conductor, occasional vocals) with vocal soloists Alira Prideaux (soprano), Zahra Zulkapil (soprano?), Joe Dinn and Jared Newall (tenors).

Inventiveness

I had the inside goss as tenor Jack Jordan was staying with us for a few days to prepare and perform the first Living Collection session at the National Library, this one for the music of Aussie/Brit composer Luke Styles.  Luke was in house for the event; it was his archive that had been accessioned into the collection of the NLA and we were here to hear of it and to sample some of his music.  The event opened with a children's choir in the Library foyer, then a move to the NLA Theatre and several further performances and discussions.  Marie-Louise Ayres, NLA DG, opened the session.  We saw images of hand-written manuscripts on screen.  We heard discussion back and forth between Luke and Toby on Luke's history at Glyndebourne, the Foundling Museum, Covent Garden and more; his donation, his music and how he thinks on creation and composition; his first instruments (flute> e-bass>double bass); the joy both Luke and Tobias have in working on music with kids; the importance and implications of vocals; Shakespearean sonnets and the work we were to hear, Vanity, setting Sonnets 2,18,137,138.  The music in the theatre was some young-themed songs from the children's choir (out of Vocal Fry and Canberra Children's Choir) under Tobias, vln/vla duo and vln solo (Slogan 1 and Bound) from Brad and Pippa, and those 4 sonnets (Vanity) from Canberra Singers, tenor Jack and bass Andrew with accompaniment from violin Brad with Tobias conducting.  The youth pieces were amusing and playful and not at all rollovers.  The other pieces were hugely challenging to learn, to hear, to understand, at least at first hearing, but fascinating for a prepared, informed audience.  Suffice to say, part of the event was playfully child-centred and influenced, part was a difficult adult listen and a demanding performance, part was a fascinating discussion around this significant addition to the NLA collection.  And you can see all this: it was streamed live and is on YouTube with the title "Living collection: The music of Luke Styles".

Luke Styles (composer) and Tobias Cole discussed Luke's donation and history. Tobias Cole (conductor) led several groups in performance of some music of Luke Styles.  Performers were Canberra Children's Choir, Vocal Fry (choir), Kimberley Steele (piano), Canberra Singers (choir), Brad Tham (violin), Pippa Newmann (viola), Jack Jordan (tenor) and Andrew Fysh (bass).

Living collection : The music of Luke Styles

Revisits

I'd seen Jennifer Hou play only days before when she performed for Michael Dooley and his revisit to his compositions in Anachronisms.  That was a collection of original compositions in the styles of various periods of music.  Jennifer had played a meditative work in Reflection and a picturesque etude with mirth and virtuosity called In pursuit of the mouse.  Hearing it a second time was revelatory beyond the first day and had me chuckling in my seat, with Jennifer playing it faster and perhaps more confidently that the first time.  The rest of the program was of the anachronisms approach, different styles over time, and also highlighting more unusual works from each composers, a Ravel prelude, a Debussy ballade, a Chopin etude and a more common nocturne.  So, a range of styles and that sometimes quirky Dooley sense of invention and influence.  Maybe something like my take in The Pots, where Megan suggested film music one time, then electronica over quotes, then...  Playing with the range of musics and themes but not locked to any.  I like this and I very much liked Jennifer's concert of fabulous playing and intriguing insights to introduce each work.

Jennifer Hou (piano) performed Ravel, Debussy, Dooley and Chopin at Wesley.

Gai Paris

C'est vrai!  Paris is strong on jazz and, as I understand, also on earlier jazz styles and we have our own authentic Canberra-cum-Australia reps in the midst of that scene.  This weekend they were home to visit family and we caught them at Smiths, upstairs, in McGregor Hall.  Leigh Barker is the leader and also the Canberra person but now in Paris with Heather; otherwise Melbourne, the Coast, another Canberran and Latvia.  Latvia?  Well pianist Max Teakle was genuine Latvian on tour and he recognised local sit-in Valdis Thomann for his Latvian roots.  Paris can also be quite mixed and bohemian.  Whatever, this was hugely fun, inviting, joyous music.  Leigh leading with his gut strung bass; Heather with the most apt voice for this style and a good bit of playful pleasure and, to boot, violin.  Eamon just the part with an Elvis lick and overall presence and wonderful trumpet and Valdis hugely impressive as the trom offsider so comfy he seemingly had had a life lived in this very band.  And not least, Mark down the back setting and syncopating the tempo.  Just lovely.  Often slow, always rock solid steady, sometimes toungue-in-cheek implications, through a string of standards of Ellington and Frankie Valli and Billie Holliday and June Carter Cash and plenty of originals from Leigh and perhaps others.  All from their album that Leigh was indulgently spruiking on the night, Cross Street, in all formats (although only 7 vinyls available on the night).  Just great fun and great entertainment from a very professional outfit playing the era.

Leigh Barker (bass) led his band with Heather Stewart (vocals, violin), Eamon McNelis (trumpet), Valdis Thomann (trombone), Max Teakle (piano) and Mark Sutton (drums) at McGregor Hall, upstairs at Smiths Alternative.

Science and mythology and time

It's a work of art and myth but I find it difficult to think of the planets other than in a sense of astronomy, that being a hobby of mine in the past, and in doing so, Holst Planets also reveals its age.  It was written 1914-1917, the time of WW1 and after Jules Verne War of the Worlds, that novel of an invasion of Earth by Martians.  So the military 5/4 theme of Mars, which is the first planet pictured, is relevant, and the title Mars: the bringer of war.  But then Venus: the bringer of peace seems a bit odd given its impossible hot, cloudy, thunderous surface.  Famously Venera 9 finally landed on Venus, took the first photos of the surface and operated for 53 minutes.  Not that we could live free on the surface of Mars, but it's a bit more forgivable.  Mercury the winged messenger speaks of the Roman God with flighty flute, glock and harp.  Then out to Jupiter and jollity, Saturn and old age, Uranus the magician, Neptune the mystic and no Pluto which was not discovered until 1930 but then maybe here Holst is up-to-date, given that Pluto is now considered only a dwarf planet, not the real thing.  But this is art and the music was a pleasure.  The dynamics from the CSO were massive and hugely effective if there were some very minor issues otherwise, but this was a mighty performance and mightily well received by a full-house crowd.  Amusingly, I'd passed the crowd the night before and only just then remembered our booking, given an auto entry in a wrong calendar and seemingly limited options making me use Google Wallet for the first time.  What do you do if you drop a phone these days, I wonder.  But there was more and it was all cleverly themed with the Planets.  First up, Benjamin de Murashkin Logos, all filmic and vast, from shimmering textures to violent stellar eruptions.  Benjamin was there and took to the stage to receive applause.  And Josef Strauss Music of the spheres, a collection of several waltzes depicting spinning couples orbiting a ballroom, so apt.  And it was a mighty orchestra.  I measure by basses: there were 5.  And off stage, women of the CSO chorus who appeared on stage in black for their recognition.  And lively, mobile Jessica Cottis up front to bring it all together.  Impressive and entertaining and often loud... even from the very back row upstairs...

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra and Women of the CSO Chorus performed de Murashkin, Josef Strauss and Holst the Planets under Jessica Cottis (conductor).

Breathtaking

The Evans  Robson Quartet were on tour and they are royalty in Australian jazz and I was lucky enough to be free for their Smiths gig.  This was the last of their tour and it showed.  They are always capable and correct but this was the neatest and most precise that I could imagine.  I was in awe, hearing tightness and accuracy that seemed above any norm.  I noticed a quiet start from Hamish on drums, exploratory and informed by rudiments and that was a theme to continue through the night, so bass was equally perfectly timed and intoned and adventurous in phrasing, and those two matched saxes, Sandy on tenor or curved soprano and Andrew on alto or bari, just spelling harmonies but not chords as in piano or guitar, and always aware and responding to the other.  One interaction just caught my breath, but many more deserved it.  This was the final night of their tour, so we heard skills and seriousness but also inventiveness combined to explain the perfection, all with a joyous stage presence.  Complex heads of interweaving lines, not showy and sometimes understated but always satisfying and telling.  Do I have to say I was enamoured by this concert?  Perhaps not.  Just beautiful works of a deep musical maturity.

The Evans Robson Quartet toured thei latest ablum Zenith and appeared for the final performance at Smiths for Geoff's Jazz.  Evans Robson Q comprises Sandy Evans (tenor, soprano saxes), Andrew Robson (alto, baritone saxes), Brett Hirst (bass) and Hamish Stuart (drums).

Just another Canberra lunchtime

Robert Schmidli has other work but an abiding interest in music and his piano performance and an impressive history in younger days of performances in NZ and Australia and I remember him as one of my early classical recordees.  This was a powerful, intense, outspoken and Chopinic concert of chops and immense demands and he did it with his usual aplomb.  Mozart Sonata no.13 Bbmaj was his opener and the longest work.  An early Mozart work with his trademark lyricism and maybe early, unexpected phrasings and 3 movements.  Then Brahms Rhasody op.79 no.1 Bmin and an especially virtuosic finale with Chopin Andante spaniato and Grande polonaise brillante.  There's awe and considerable stun-factor in such playing and Robert did it with comfort and joy.  And this for just another concert on a weekday afternoon in Canberra.

Robert Schmidli (piano) performed Mozart, Brahms and Chopin at Wesley.