BY WENDY ZHANG
Beethoven and Beyond
James Morley & Friends
Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, 6 August 2023
Switzerland-based Australian cellist James Morley gave a unique performance at the Utzon Room with soprano Jane Sheldon and pianist Erin Helyard that combined contemporary Australian works with Beethoven’s sonata featuring a fortepiano. I was intrigued by the wide range of dynamics and speed that James expressed on his cello, and the various experimental cello techniques, which I witnessed for the first time. It was indeed a “wild, challenging and atmospheric ride” as the program notes predicted.
James began his performance with Trois Strophe sur le nom de Sacher — three cello pieces written by French composer Henri Dutilleux for Swiss conductor Paul Sacher’s birthday. It was quite experimental as the whole set required the lowest strings of cello to be turned lower. The first piece began with soft-and-fast trills, and plucking the strings. James was calm and confident in his delivery. The contrasting third piece was fast, electrifying, and atmospheric. James delivered it all and ended abruptly, which the audience loved, judging by the cheers and applause.
Brett Dean’s Eleven Oblique Strategies was one of my favourites, surprising me with the wide dynamic and speed range James demonstrated. The term “oblique strategies” refers to musician Brian Eno and visual artist Peter Schmidt’s creative process of developing printed cards that would spark inspiration. The piece opened with the soft, tentative sound of cello punctuated by short phrases, and grew progressively louder as the phrases became longer. James then played trills rapidly with the notes doubling up. The piece was atmospheric: sometimes so quiet that it was barely heard but mostly felt. James’ dynamic building was excellent.
There was a 5-minute pause as James tuned his cello and prepared for the next piece — Josephine Macken’s Unsettled Hold with soprano Jane Sheldon. It started with Jane humming, and James — instead of accompanying the voice — took on the unusual role of contributing to the unsettled mood through plucking the strings and treating the cello almost like a percussion instrument. James then took out a rope, which was attached to the cello, and Jane slowly walked it backwards to produce a long sound like a conveyor belt. He then started beating the cello board and plucking the strings whilst the rope was further pulled. It was an unusual piece and appropriately unsettling.
Beethoven’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in A major featured a beautiful mahogany fortepiano, and Erin Helyard’s playing was precise and fluent — clearly a master of the instrument. James, on the other hand, was passionate in his playing — contributing a fresh and modern interpretation to the piece. In many ways, the collaboration between James and Erin reinforced the intention of the composer to give equal importance to both instruments, instead of giving the cello merely a supporting role. The second movement sounded like a spirited Pirates of the Caribbean theme with piano taking the lead first, joined by cello, which was equally powerful and inserted a fresh twist in dynamic and execution. A beautifully tight and unique collaboration, I truly enjoyed the performance.
The last piece, Cello Playing – as Meteorology by Liza Lim, was again experimental, even with the setup: James inserted a cloth at bottom of the cello between the board and the strings, and stood up to perform while holding two bows. Bows moved in all directions — first up and down, then left and right, and in circular motions — and the result sounded like a whole string section instead of just one cello. James then started humming a calm and low voice, contributing to the uneasy mood. The music sped up before an abrupt conclusion, and the audience loved it.
James, Jane, and Erin gave an exhilarating performance. The works chosen were ambitious and challenging, but delivered superbly and with flair.
Images supplied. Credit Cassandra Hannagan.
