BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
In Praise of Darkness (as part of Dark Mofo)
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anu Tali and featuring Jacqueline Porter (soprano) and Jun Yi Ma (violin), and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Works by Arvo Part, John Tavener, Morten Lauridsen, Vasks, and Brett Dean
Federation Concert Hall, June 21 2014
Hobart was transformed beyond recognition for the Dark Mofo festival: the waterfront went wild, celebrating the solstice with winter feasts, lights shooting high into the night sky, and massive illuminated bunnies outside historical buildings. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra was not exempt from the celebrations, which were held in the nearby Federation Concert Hall. Estonian conductor Anu Tali took us through a haunting combination of works in the performance, ‘In Praise of Darkness’.
Gregorian chant by candlelight is not a bad way to kick off a Saturday night. The concert opened with Dominus Illuminato Mea, and while a traditional church setting may have provided lush reverberance, there still remained a soothing masculine tone which was immediately mesmerising.
Arvo Part’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten followed with a layering of notes and tension. In the absence of an obvious theme, it appeared the strings were caught in an endless descent. The striking of a bell marked the work’s conclusion, which was drawn out through the resonance of its tone across the hall; the audience holding its breath until Anu’s arms, poised in the air, finally collapsed and released us.
Soprano Jacqueline Porter, who sings as a principal artist with the Victorian Opera, gave an ethereal performance of John Tavener’s Song of the Angel. Dressed in a ghostly white gown, she delivered her charming melody from behind the orchestra. Her song was slow and pure, but the sustained strings that supported her provided an eerie backdrop and an atmosphere of darkness which continued into Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium. I couldn’t tell you where the choir was standing as they performed this chant in the near-pitch black hall – but if I’d known, it wouldn’t have mattered as they had me completely immersed in their song.
Arvo Part returned to the program with Wenn Bach Bienen Gezuchtet Hatte – an angry work in which all members of the orchestra sounded as though they were in disagreement. The grumpy piano plodded along under sinister strings, while Anu conducted with strong and mechanical motions. Almost comically horror, this work epitomised the experience of the Dark Mofo festival.
Jun Yi Ma was, as usual, impossibly brilliant on violin as he performed Part’s Fratres Peteris. Leading us into the work with a solo made up of rapid compound melody, Jun Yi’s passionate performance had me totally engrossed. Honestly, the man looks as though he can hardly restrain his musical energy – and why would he? Unfortunately, the string section did overtake him a bit in the second half of the work – but despite this minor weakness in balance, the players moved together beautifully in their own right.
The concert drew to a lengthy conclusion with Brett Dean’s disturbing Carlo. Ugly and dissonant, the work portrays medieval murder through furious strings and pre-recorded whispers and hissing. A truly chilling finale that sent us out into winter’s longest night.
Image supplied.
