BY KIYA VAN DER LINDEN-KIAN
Meeting Points Series: Leaf and Shadow
Australian Art Orchestra with guests
Arts Centre Melbourne, 22 September
Meeting Points is a collaboration between the Australian Art Orchestra and Arts Centre Melbourne whose goal is “bringing together musical styles from across the globe in unexpected collaborations”. The goal is fairly innocuous: many arts projects state similar values. But, in this case, it was certainly the overwhelming feeling I received while sitting in the audience for this eclectic and fascinating concert.
Perhaps the best way to describe the experience is to discuss its aims. As AAO’s artistic director Peter Knight put it, the aim was to expand “improvisatory language through cultural diversity and variety in instrumentation”. This manifested as a variety-fuelled combination of instruments and musical cultures that still managed to be woven together into a cohesive concert.
There was an equal musical partnership between Korean taegŭm (traditional Korean bamboo flute) player Hyelim Kim, and avant-garde sound artist and trumpeter Peter Knight. The mixed ensemble also included Malaysian violinist Pei Ann Yeoh, and artists from Arnhem Land – Daniel Wilfred, who sung vocals and played the bilma (a type of clapstick), and his brother David Wilfred, who played the yidaki (a type of didgeridoo exclusive to the Yolngu people of North Arnhem Land).
If the goal of the concert was to form relationships across cultures, it was clearly present in the warm connection between David and Daniel and Korean P’ansori singer Bae Il Dong (they even sung a goodbye piece as an encore at the end of the show). All the artists succeeded in blending their sounds and styles nicely.
The most traditional-sounding piece of the night was a duet between Kim and Bae. The timbral relationship between the taegŭm and Bae’s voice was extraordinary. Both delivered lovely lyrical, long lines, which then completely transformed and become airy and harsh in a heartbeat. Kim and Bae played off each other in this kind of dance, sometimes moving together and sometimes in opposition between these two characteristics.
One of the highlights of the evening for me was the way the artists played together while still seeming to maintain their own distinct style. This was particularly evident in a duet between Bae and drummer Simon Barker. The combination of Bae’s vocal quality and technique and the almost jazzy, improvisatory nature of the drums created a truly wacky soundscape that was definitely one of the most engaging pieces of the evening.
With regards to cross-cultural music concerts, it is rare that you see a true blend of two or more music genres: often, the “different” genre is mostly subsumed into another musical style that fits an audience’s expectations (such as most rock and classical collaborations). For this concert, however, it felt as if each musical culture and genre was treated respectfully and equally, and that is a great thing.
Images supplied.
