BY ANGUS DAVISON
The Surrealists
Paul Gerard and Alan Gogoll
Peacock Theatre, 4 June
Tasmanian guitarists Paul Gerard and Alan Gogoll joined forces this year to form The Surrealists. Each contributed five compositions to the concert, and there was one co-composition. The evening was recorded to become their debut CD. With contrasting influences and training, Paul and Alan’s compositional styles are very different: Paul’s compositions are influenced by Spanish and flamenco music, whereas Gogoll’s compositions are constructed from intricate, often rhythmic, figurations using diatonic pitch material.
Alan’s ‘Poems’ opened the concert, the composer providing an accompaniment over which Paul played the melodic line. In ‘The Moroccan’ the harmonies were organised around a low drone reflecting Paul’s interest in non-Western music. It employed a non-conventional guitar tuning to allow for different harmonic possibilities. For ‘Momentum’, Alan played with both hands over the fretboard, opening up a range of sounds not accessible through normal guitar technique. It also produced a distinctly rhythmic sound. The one co-composition was not noticeably different to the rest of the program, with Alan providing the accompaniment whilst Paul, in his vibrato-rich style, played the melody.
Attempting to blend different styles like The Surrealists have can be hazardous. The result isn’t automatically greater than the sum of the parts. However, Alan and Paul’s obvious musical chemistry made the fusion of their differing styles feel completely natural. The concert was an enjoyable evening of accessible music executed with technical assurance and great musicality.
I did have reservations about the way the concert was promoted. The program stated: ‘The Surrealists are about dismantling the known and then expressing the music in a new and unique way’. That’s a big claim and I didn’t feel it was substantiated by the concert. The music was enjoyable but not adventurous – and I was left wondering why the concert was pitched as something it wasn’t. All that’s gained by doing this is an audience who are hoping for something they won’t receive. Musicians and artists of all types must take the utmost care when writing about their work – lest a reviewer take them at their word!
However, the concert should be assessed for what it was, not what I expected it to be. And for what it was, it was of high standard.
Image supplied.
