BY SAMUEL COTTELL
The Philosophy
Translucent Duo are breaking new ground on the Australian new music scene. They are young, energetic, and passionate musicians with several commissions and international performances already to their name. The duo, founded on the philosophy of “engaging audiences through virtuosity and energy”, was formed in 2012 by saxophonist Bernard Lagana and marimba player David Lockeridge. The duo was founded on a mutual love for new, high energy music and a desire to perform it to a wide range of audiences.
“Dave and I grew up in regional towns, and we grew up doing regional music camps,” Bernie says.
“At university, we tutored on music camps and we decided, based on the fact that we get along and both love music, to perform some music.
“We trialled some of the music at various performances, and it was then that we realised there was a lack of repertoire for this combination.”
Their regional tour to areas around New England will see them taking to the country to bring new music and high energy performances to audiences in remote areas. Part of their philosophy is also education through performance, and it is in this capacity that they tour to regional areas. Translucent Duo are well aware of the difficulties in presenting new music that is accessible, interesting and engaging to audiences, especially younger ones. “We want to bring something new to new music,” Dave says.
“Australia is very good at producing new music, but it is very much streamlined into specific areas, such as the avant-garde market, which is great. But a lot of listeners might find this difficult. Matthew Orlovich’s piece ‘Whirled Music’ follows a very lyrical melody with a leitmotif. I remember when it was played on the radio in Wagga and a listener remarked that they thought it was film music,” he says.
“[Regional students] deserve to hear new Australian music as much as city audiences. I mean, this ensemble is unique to metropolitan audiences, so you can imagine what it is like for audiences in regional areas. We are going to a town called Emmaville and it’s safe to say that many of those audiences will have never seen this combination of instruments.”
New Music
The commissioning of new works is an essential aspect of Translucent Duo. When Bernie was on exchange in Colorado, he performed Matthew Orlovich’s ‘Crazy Logic’ as part of his recital. Bernie posted the video on YouTube and Matthew got in touch with him and said, ‘thank you for playing my piece, you did it very well’. Bernie then asked Matthew to write a new work for the duo, which would premier at the 2013 Clarinet and Saxophone Conference. “We got some funding from the NSW Arts Council and we were able to premiere the new work ‘Whirled Music’ at the conference,” Bernie says.
The rare combination of saxophone and marimba means Translucent Duo are able to break down barriers and perform music in different styles and contexts. This means the music they commission and perform is always fresh, new and exciting.
“The cool thing with our duo, since I specialise in marimba and mallet playing, is that the marimba doesn’t have specific connections to specific genres, whereas the saxophone has been around a lot longer and is heavily associated with jazz,” Dave says.
“The marimba is such a visual feast, and a fairly new medium for composers to write for, especially in Australia. It adds to the visual; [audiences] are seeing something that they haven’t seen before,” Dave says.
A key feature of the duo is their coalescence of individual voices within the duo setting. “We don’t treat the ensemble as one where the marimba plays the piano style accompanist role to the saxophone,” Dave says.
“We don’t go down that path. We go down the path of two virtuosic lines meeting and tangling with each other. I think this has helped the audiences embrace and enjoy what we play.”
Bernie adds: “In order to play specific repertoire, we have to have an energy on stage. There is a personal connection that translates into the music.”
Working with the composers helps the duo to commission and workshop new pieces for performance. In doing so, they are able to give feedback to the composer about what works best for each instrument. “For example, we have just commissioned a new work by Diana Blom who wrote ‘Smoke and Mirrors’,” Dave explains.
“She is a very established composer and educator, but she has never written for marimba, nor had Matt [Orlovich]. This means that we get to work with the composers in writing for the instruments, specifically the marimba. It’s helpful to work with the composers as you can try and inform them on the nuances of writing for marimba.”
The Project
Translucent Duo recently launched a crowd-funding campaign through Pozible in a bid to raise funds for a recording project called ‘In Sync’ and commission three emerging Australian composers to write works for the pair. Two of the commissioned works will be recorded on ‘In Sync’ and the third is a concerto for live performance and recording in 2016 with Woollahra Philharmonic Orchestra. These recordings will ensure that they have documented their unique repertoire base they have built, as well as making this new music for this combination accessible via the recording to the largest possible array of audiences.
“Besides getting new works of emerging composers out there, we also want this recording to be a chance for people to hear what we do and give us the exposure to demonstrate this new repertoire for this new ensemble,” Bernie says. “We are constantly adding to our repertoire. We started out with one piece and now we have some great music to our names.”
The Composers
Translucent Duo have selected three emerging Australian composers to write works for their upcoming recording and performance project: Alex Chilvers, Danielle Barry and Steven Kreamer.
Alex is currently studying his Masters of Composition at Sydney Conservatorium and is already thriving as a composer, having had his works played by such groups as the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Soundstream Collective. Alex is about to head over to Poland for a month to study with acclaimed Polish composer Aleksander Lason. Alex’s composition will be featured on the ‘In Sync’ recording.
Danielle holds a Bachelor of Composition from Sydney Conservatorium, and has studied under some really prominent composers including Matthew Hindson and Ivan Zavada. Danielle already has many performance credits to her name and international interest in her work including having pieces performed in New York and at the Sydney Fringe Festival. Danielle is going to introduce the duo into her prime medium – electro-acoustic music. Her composition will also be featured on the ‘In Sync’ recording.
Steven holds a Bachelor of Composition from Sydney Conservatorium, where he studied under acclaimed Australian composer Paul Stanhope. His performance credits include work with the Golden Quartet, the Sydney Conservatorium Modern Music Ensemble and the Kurin-gai Philharmonic Orchestra. Steven will compose the double concerto for the duo.
Translucent Duo are also expanding their own horizons by including Danielle as a composer who specialises in electro-acoustic music, an area in which they have not previously worked.
“Danielle is very much in the electro-acoustic realm, which is a genre the duo have yet to explore,” Dave says. “It’s almost like having a third member to your ensemble. The computer program becomes an integrated part as it applies its own thought processes in the performance. This collaboration allows us to meet on ‘mutual ground’ when were we can discuss how both of our mediums can enhance each other.”
The Recording and the Concerto
The recording project ‘In Sync’ will include the works by Alex and Danielle, Matthew Orlovich’s ‘Whirled Music’, as well as the duo’s most recently commissioned work, Diana Blom’s ‘Smoke and Mirrors’.
“We have nearly two hours of duo repertoire, which is great, so we have to decide on the music and make sure it all ties together in a way,” Dave says.
“The third piece, by Steven Kreamer, will be a double concerto for symphony orchestra and the duo. We will premier this concerto with the Woollahra Philharmonic Orchestra,” he says.
“We are really excited about this work. We are also going to create a backing track of sorts, so that we can take the concerto to regional areas and offer them to the opportunity to hear the work. This is, as far as we know, the first Australian concerto for this instrumental combination. It is also the first concerto for the duo.
“It’s a very scary, yet rewarding experience having your name on a concerto. It’s an honour to break new ground, especially here in Australia.”
This is an exciting project for the duo, who have taken two unusual instruments and combined them together. Add to that their philosophy of making accessible music for all audiences and you have a dynamic pair of musicians who are making a positive impact on the Australian music scene.
Check out the links below for enthralling performances by the duo and to get further information and donate to their Pozible campaign: http://www.pozible.com/project/195155
Translucent Duo performing ‘Urban Turban’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52nzqYqPD3A
Translucent Duo performing ‘Whirled Music’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUjqDuFxGOo
Image supplied.
