BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
What does classical music look like?
The Melbourne Youth Orchestras have teamed up with Melbourne design studio Jacky Winter to find an answer, and they’re sharing it with concertgoers through a series of visual guides.
Through the Visualising Classical Music project, four classical works are reimagined as visual listening guides. But the result is nothing like looking at sheet music. Instead, it can be enjoyed by people of all ages and musical skill levels, as these original illustrations invite the listener to engage in the works in an entirely new way.
In this series, we interview each of the four artists involved in the project. First up, we heard from Ellen Porteus, who illustrated Verdi for a performance in February. Now, we introduce you to Eirian Chapman, who worked on the visual guide for the upcoming Death and Transfiguration performance this 7 April.
Eirian’s design portfolio includes clients the likes of Screen Australia, The Arts Centre, The Big Issue, Broadsheet, and Mercedes-Benz. For Visualising Classical Music, Eirian illustrated Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.
Hi, Eirian! Tell us how you got involved with the MYO and why you liked the sound of the project.
I was contacted by my agent The Jacky Winter Group about an interesting and unusual brief from the MYO. They wanted a selection of artists to illustrate a visual interpretation of a piece of classical music. I said ‘Hell Yeah!’ straight away, because it sounded difficult and I love being challenged.
I was given Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture to play with and create a visual language for the audience to follow along whilst watching the performance of the piece.
What do you feel is the relationship between music and art?
I feel art and music are closely linked, as they allow you to escape from reality.
I grew up playing guitar and harmonica, and liked how music used a different side of my brain (a more mathematical side), but still felt like you could get lost for hours in practice.
I always listen to music whilst illustrating, and find that it calms me and keeps me focused.
How did you choose to “visualise classical music”, and what does the illustration offer to the viewer?
I started off with watching the [Tchaikovsky] on YouTube; a heart-pounding rendition by the London Symphony Orchestra led by Russian maestro Valery Gergiev. I also watched the 1968 film of Romeo and Juliet for visual cues; like doves, roses, and religious iconography.
There are a lot of contrasting themes between love and conflict in the music, as well as allusions to death, which are broken up into scenes that create a narrative of the Romeo and Juliet story.
Beginning with a forbidding introduction by the Frier Lawrence, and ending with a soaring homage to the lovers, I hope that the audience will follow along with the visual guide like it is an illustrated theatre play.
Check back in again soon to meet more of the artists behind the Visualising Classical Music project!
The next MYO concert featuring illustrated guides will be Death and Transfiguration, 7 April at the Melbourne Recital Hall.
You’ll even be able to pick up a FREE copy of CutCommon print issue #2 at the event!
READ NEXT: Illustrating classical music: Ellen Porteus
Images supplied.
