BY JOEL ROBERTS
A Tasmanian Requiem
Gap in the Fence
Music by Helen Thomson
Written by Greg Lehman, Frances Butler, and Jim Everett-puralia meenamatta
Voices: Madelena Andersen-Ward, Zoy Frangos, Lotte Betts-Dean, Helen Thomson, Amelia Jones, Tom Buckmaster, Stephen Grant
Island Brass Quintet conducted by Gary Wain
Theatre Royal, 13 April
Creating a musical work in the spirit of a long tradition can be a challenge for a composer. Knowing that there are many outstanding examples that precede your own work can be a burden. If you add this to the challenge of creating a work that thoughtfully and inclusively acknowledges the deadly conflicts between colonial and indigenous Australians, then you may begin to understand the effort that has gone into the creation of A Tasmanian Requiem.
Forged as a collaborative work between composer Helen Thomson and writers Greg Lehman, Frances Butler, and Jim Everett-puralia meenamatta, A Tasmanian Requiem references a traditional Latin mass for the dead; while taking a more contemporary approach of using this form to acknowledge and grieve for a colossal human tragedy.
Regarded an act of genocide, the atrocities British settler-invaders committed against indigenous Tasmanians are referred to as the Black War. This saw the destruction of more than 90 per cent of the island’s original inhabitants. Part of the intention of the work is simply to bring this horrific past into the light. Thomson is quoted in the event’s program: “How can we grieve; how can we heal – how can we move forward in the midst of denial?”.
The work’s nine movements each have a dual title: one in Latin, and another referencing the Aboriginal experience. The work is performed onstage at Hobart’s historic Theatre Royal by seven singers, and a brass quintet led by conductor Gary Wain. The text interweaves Latin, English, and a hybrid of historic indigenous Tasmanian languages known as Palawa. A tableau of projected images from Julie Gough and Michael Gissing above the stage creates a powerful and moving counterpoint that reinforces the gravity of the work.
The seven voices are arranged into three groups to represent the various perspectives of the drama. Two are named Palawa Voices, and four form a chorus expressing the European experience. Lotte Betts-Dean is outstanding and engaging throughout as the Earth Voice, the “sublime foundational voice of nature”, which echoes and comments on the other voices.
Fusing mid-20th Century dissonant harmony with textures and forms found in early sacred music, Thomson’s rich musical palette creates a level of expression that matches the depth and pathos of the text. At times, her use of cluster harmony and micro-polyphony are reminiscent of Ligeti’s Requiem from the mid-1960s.
All vocalists are outstanding in their roles as soloists, or as part of the ensemble. A clarity of vocal production throughout the work reflects a significant investment in the singers’ preparation time.
While the requiem has been established as a musical tool for marking tragic events in European culture, I was troubled by the use of this overtly Christian form. There are examples of Christianity being used as a tool for cultural oppression in colonial Tasmania.
The theatrical presentation of the work left me a little confused as to whether I was a participant in a cathartic expression of community grief, or an audience member attending a concert for the purposes of entertainment. This was reinforced by the atmosphere of the audience preceding the work, which seemed more like that before any other theatre performance, rather than one you’d find at a community memorial event. I also felt unsure about the decision to stage the requiem within the Theatre Royal, a venue which was built for colonial entertainment around the time of the Black War.
A Tasmanian Requiem is an ambitious work; musically, and in terms of its community significance. It succeeds in addressing deeply painful issues in a powerful, profound, and sensitive way. While the work has the ambition of being a vehicle for acknowledgement and grief for the whole community, it is simply not able to be all things for all people.
It is a positive step along the path of acknowledgement and healing.
Images supplied. Credit: Alastair Bett.
