BY THOMAS MISSON
‘Typhoon’
Brian Ritchie (shakuhachi and acoustic bass), Michael Kieran Harvey (piano and keyboard), Xie Yu Dan (pipa), Ma Jia Jun (erhu), Zeng Yi Gang (animation), as part of the Tasmanian International Arts Festival
Spiegeltent, Hobart, 17 March 2015
Eclecticism was the plat du jour at the homely yet distinctive Spiegeltent, as four profoundly different virtuosos collaborated to form Typhoon. Throughout the near-two-hour program, the style ranged from traditional Chinese to classical contemporary and jazz erhu (yes, that’s a thing). ‘Watazumi’ was a suitably exotic opening and ‘Tian (Peace)’ was a lovely, tranquil contrast showcasing fine intonation from all. Ritchie’s shakuhachi playing was a highlight even though, for much of the concert, he was difficult to hear – particularly on the lowest pitched of his three instruments.
Next was an excerpt from Kieran Harvey’s recently premiered ‘Putanjabi’, which was a veritable lunge toward the avant-garde and away from conventional notation as Ritchie demonstrated in his intro as he held up a George Crumb-esque sheet of music. ‘Mursaki’ was a beautifully still and meditative 500-year-old offering notated in characters. Although, the harpsichord sound from the keyboard came off as a touch inorganic and perhaps inauthentic.
Written by Xie Yu Dan, ‘Sunshine’ showcased her extraordinary abilities on the pipa. The stamina, speed and clarity all sat convincingly on the right side of astonishing – but never at the expense of communicative expression. This was followed by a jazz erhu piece by Ma Jia Jun (nicknamed JJ by Ritchie), who maintained intonation even through the most chromatic of passages, all while displaying serious improvisation chops. Kieran Harvey and Ritchie (now on acoustic bass) demonstrated that crossing over genres doesn’t phase them in the slightest.
‘Lament’ was a beautiful, outwardly emotional work with impressively florid work from Kieran Harvey. JJ showcased his compositional talents once more with ‘Asian Energy’ – a funky, jazz fusion infused work which was a lot of fun.
The duo between erhu and pipa ‘Mountain Energy’ was a highlight for me. A mountain landscape was evoked by seemingly spontaneous placement of bird sounds (played by soft glissandi in the high registers of the erhu), percussive tapping on both instruments and picturesque melodies. The erhu player breathed new exotic vitality into many of the established extended techniques for string instruments.
‘Breeze’ was a light and easy to listen to ditty, if lacking somewhat in punch, while ‘Dove of Dissent’ was a head-bangy, rhythmic stadium-rock piece that reinvigorated excitement.
Conceptually, the animation was the clear highlight. The players were asked to improvise a soundtrack together over an animation which was new to audience and musicians alike. It represented a visual presentation, a music performance, and a psycho-musicological experiment all in one. This was particularly fascinating in that each and every musical background manifested itself within the spontaneous soundtrack sometimes in conflict, sometimes perfect unity. The animation by itself was lightly eccentric with a curiously antiquated art style and a simple story.
‘Bender’ was cool number ushering a return to the visceral funk and optimism from earlier items, and ‘Haiku’ was an interestingly contemplative finale.
Ritchie gave brief and informative intros for each item displaying gratitude, warmth, and humour to fellow musicians and audience. I believe this is sorely missed in many concerts – particularly the more experimental endeavours – as it further enhanced the open-mindedness and receptivity of the crowd. The experience overall was brimming with variety in style, notation, age, instrumental technique – all shared in an inviting environment.
Image supplied. Credit: Varuni Kulasekera.
