Pearls

Southern Cross Soloists are celebrating their 30th year of musical excellence and so titled this program ‘Pearls’ – for the landmark anniversary, and for the rare musical jewels they have chosen to showcase. And this display certainly sparkled! It is also Reconciliation Week, and so wonderful that this celebration of music included First Nations superstars, both from Queensland – Chris Williams (didgeridooist extraordinaire) and Nina Korbe (soprano, and recent graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium and London’s Royal Academy of Music).

Chris Williams graciously introduced proceedings and took up his didgeridoo for the opening – the spiritual and uplifting 12th century piece, St Hildegard’s ‘Spiritus Sanctus Vificans’, the monophonic melody perfectly fitting the didgeridoo’s haunting tone. The whole group was involved for the next piece – ‘Maninyas: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra’ by Australian composer, Ross Edwards. The nautical images evoked by this piece were enhanced by the appearance of Nina Korbe singing from a balcony over the stage – creating an image of an beautiful figurehead at the prow of a grand sailing ship. She was buoyed by the stunning group of musicians who created rhythmic musical waves – Margaret Blades (violin), Ashley Smith (clarinet), Tim Munro (flute), David Silva (flute), Courtenay Cleary (violin), Chaeeun Oh (violin), James Wannan (viola),György Déri (cello), Dušan Walkowicz (double bass) and Joe Chindamo (piano). It is evident that Edwards was influenced by the ocean when writing this piece so I was not surprised to read that he had composed it when living in a coastal town while struggling with writer’s block. There was such a sense of urgency about this music. Mozart’s delightful ‘Flute Quartet in D major’ was next, parring the music back to a quartet for strings (Courtenay Cleary, James Wannan, György Déri) and flute (David Silva).

Building on Mozart’s sense of melody and drama, Nina Korbe returned to the stage to sing two Bellini opera arias – ‘Casta Diva’ from Norma and ‘Son vergin vezzosa’ from I Puritani, backed by the full mini-orchestra – which received a rapturous reception from the audience. What followed was the most exciting new piece of music I have heard in some time – ‘binung goonj’, the world premiere of a new composition by Joe Chindamo and Chris Williams – created as part of the SXS Didgeridoo Commissioning Project 2022–2032, which will spark the composition of 30 new musical works for didgeridoo and ensemble. ‘binung goonj’ was energetic, bright and inspiring. The title means ‘someone who doesn’t listen’ in Wakka Wakka language and is a tribute to Chris’s Uncle Kevin. The tempo was vibrant, the didge drones and keys keeping pace with jazz-infused percussion beats provided by Chris’s tapping sticks and Joe’s rock-star-like foot stomping, all the while keeping watchful eye on the ensemble. The clarinet and flute joined the strings to glide rhythmically over the bass tones provided by the two composer/players. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a classical pianist smile with delight at the musicians performing in front of him. But perhaps this co-composer was enjoying the piece as much as the audience. Encore please, Chris and Joe! To top off this cinematic number, we were treated to two filmic favourites – Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ (Porgy and Bess) and Bernstein’s and Sondheim’s ‘Somewhere’ (West Side Story) sung to perfection by Nina Korbe. These are the new classics, brilliantly performed by this virtuoso group. If you have the chance to see SXS or any of their guest artists, then snap up your tickets soon! This was a memorable musical afternoon, with many in the audience overheard concurring that the SXS concerts just keep getting better and better. If you missed out, ABC FM will present a recorded version of the concert soon. Also, the SXS Chamber Music Festival at Tamborine Mountain, and Bee Gees Reimagined tour are just around the corner. Stay tuned!

Find out more about SXS: www.southernxsoloists.com

Beth Keehn

Photographer:  Stephen Henry Photography