BY LILY BRYANT
When I ask Benjamin Dix of the Melbourne Guitar Quartet what it’s like to prepare for a world premiere, he laughs, self-effacingly.
‘World premiere’ is undoubtedly a loaded term. Perhaps it conjures up images of lavishly dressed patrons attending resplendent concert halls in Paris and New York. Maybe your mind wanders to red carpets, and the paparazzi yelling manically at Margot Robbie with cameras flashing.
Whatever the word may mean to you, it carries with it an inflated sense of importance, an element of glitz and glamour, and a world that the every-person is not privy to.
And while it might seem trivial, dispelling this implied standard of fanfare and opulence is a real concern for those interested not only in championing Western art music, but propelling the art form forward.
What better way to pull down those walls than offering audiences a musical experience no one has ever had before, inches away from their faces?
The dynamic Melbourne Guitar Quartet will do just that this June at the Melbourne Recital Centre, where it will premiere Trigram by Melbourne-based composer Sanghoon Lee.
“We’re very privileged to have a piece written for us,” Ben says.
“It’s definitely very exciting.”
Inspired by the four trigram symbols that represent the natural elements on the South Korean flag, this new work is scored for the full family of instruments, with the familiar standard guitars joined by their treble and baritone counterparts.
“Incorporating those two instruments definitely makes a bit more of a spectacle but also changes the timbral elements,” Ben tells us.
“Sanghoon has done his best to bring out the best of those instruments, so hopefully we’ll hear the interplay and the blend of all these instruments working together.”
Founded in 2005, the Melbourne Guitar Quartet has been committed to expanding the repertoire of the genre for nearly two decades through new commissions and arrangements of extant works, two of which will accompany Trigram on this program: Maria Grenfell’s Di Primavera arranged by Hamish Strathdee, and selections from Philip Glass’ string quartet Mishima, arranged by Ben himself.
The ensemble will also perform Opals by Phillip Houghton. But finding music that will translate successfully for the group presents its own challenges.
“Obviously, we can’t play with a bow, so sustain is a bit of an issue, particularly when there’s slower movements. So we do have to be a little bit more creative, and we kind of do take some risks and chances,” he explains.
“I think first and foremost you want to uphold the musical integrity or the spirit and the beauty of what you’re trying to capture, so if it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, then it’s probably best to put it aside.”
The quartet has enjoyed numerous engagements at Melbourne Recital Centre, and this time appears as part of the venue’s Intimate Salon Experiences 2024 series, offering audiences a chance to see acclaimed Australian performers up close and personal in the Primrose Potter Salon.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have performed there on multiple occasions, and hands down it’s an absolute world-class venue. As a concertgoer there as well, it’s absolutely fantastic,” he tells us.
“It’s a very warm, comfortable, and inviting space to perform in.”
And while a warm, comfortable, and inviting world premiere may sound like an oxymoron at first, it’s a perfect example of the Melbourne Guitar Quartet’s dedication to blaze the trail for Western art music in Australia.
Ben says it best himself: “With us, it’s guitar like you haven’t heard before.”
Hear Melbourne Guitar Quartet – Trigram in the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Intimate Salon Experiences 2024. The concert will take place in the Primrose Potter Salon, 7pm June 15.
Image supplied. Credit Brett Scapin.
