BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
The year 2020 has changed the way music is presented, shifting live performance into a digital future. So where does this leave musicians who build their careers around historically informed performance practice?
After all, centuries-old music was never intended for recording or broadcast. But according to early music expert Erin Helyard, HIP still has a surprisingly strong role to play in our futuristic era of streaming and digital sound.
“I discovered HIP through recordings and not through performances, so hopefully another generation will do the same,” Erin says.
Erin studied harpsichord at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, graduating with the University Medal before going on to co-found Pinchgut Opera and Orchestra of the Antipodes.
If you read through his biography, which is flooded with achievements from Helpmann Awards to research grants, you’ll see Erin has certainly “forged new standards of excellence in historically informed performance in Australia”. And he’s done so through live music, yes – but also through his deep exploration into recorded works.
“Recordings are a great way for me to hear other ensembles and groups from around the world, so in a way they now contribute to a burgeoning body of research-led practice,” Erin says.
“We can evaluate the experiments that are made in historical performance.”
This November 16, Erin will play into the microphones for Musica Viva: Reconnect. The performance, which also features baritone David Greco and guests, will be live streamed from Sydney’s City Recital Hall to homes across the country.
Under the guidance of experts like these, broadcast techniques can still capture and distribute beautiful sounds through modern technology – even boosting what we’re capable of hearing.
“Period instruments sound great through recording, as we often hear the small details of the instrument itself – like the sounds of the keys clacking, which I love,” Erin says.
“I do think that the higher quality of recording – both audio and visual – will give us a better appreciation of the beautiful tone colours of the copies of the older instruments, and voices will continue to sound glorious through microphones.”
Erin’s Musica Viva: Reconnect program features eight composers spanning the Baroque period, from Bach to Buxtehude; Handel to Krieger. Today, we have the means to record, archive, and distribute their works in real time. And despite the distance we’ve travelled since they were first composed, we can grow closer to the many musicians who have dedicated their lives to sharing these sounds.
“The birth of recording at the beginning of the 20th Century certainly brought about a change in performance practice as singers and instrumentalists could hear themselves for the first time in history.”
Arguably, no matter the era, the goal has always been the same: “To immerse yourself in the glory of this repertoire, and commune in the joy of musicians making music together.”
As for what a composer like Bach might have to say about music performance in 2020, Erin speculates with positivity.
“I think Bach would be absolutely surprised and humbled that his music would continue to be studied and performed so long after his death.”
Listen to the Erin Helyard & David Greco Live Stream at 7pm November 16. The concert is presented in the Musica Viva: Reconnect series.
Visit the website for the full program and line-up, or click here for tickets to the socially distanced events at the venue on 7 November and 16 November.
Images supplied.
