Above: Soprano Jane Sheldon joined Ensemble Offspring for this concert event.
There is a particular passion that emanates from dedicated exponents of brand new and recent music. The experts contemporary musicians assembled to present Ensemble Offspring’s latest programme, Light and Matter definitely conveyed an endearing enthusiasm for the intricacies and concepts of the works presented.
In a substantial concert swoop lasting just 65 minutes, the programme of four works included two world premieres, one Australian Premiere and an inimitably gestured chamber work from just a decade ago written by a Finnish expat working in New York.
Instrumentation and compositional style varied nicely on the night as the works by two Australian and two European composers covered the areas of chamber music, programmatic music, works including backing track and ensemble music for wind, strings and voice of up to ten members.
It was hugely satisfying to see the Utzon Room at capacity and the works-especially the imaginitive commissioned pieces from this year (Bree van Reyk’s Remnant Magnetism-and May Lyon’s Do Na Chaill a ‘Noisy Women Commission’) so well embraced by the crowd. A concert including a commissioned work, premiered after being workshopped with the performers always resonates well. To have two such items on the programme is excitement plus, and Ensemble Offspring reaped the rewards of a captive audience doubly treated with world premieres at this concert.
Above: May Lyon’s Noisy Women commission work, ‘Do Na Chaill'(2024) was heard in world premiere at this event.
Soprano Jane Sheldon’s contribution to this intense medley of modernism was special and significant. Featured in three of the works, her voice-as-instrumental-element was highly impressive here. May Lyon’s imaginitive, highly characterised and memorable work in world premiere, Do Na Chaill had a key soprano part in the colourful, complex mix. Sheldon- singing in scot Gaelic language- took the role of a drowning citizen lured to their demise by a sinister version of the will-o-the-wisp character.
Surrounded by descriptive arches of musical and programmatic colour from violin and cello, plus flute and clarinet, Sheldon’s emotive line was finely paced and placed against the harsh taped voice (recorded by Katia Molino) in English of the dark-sprite predator. This, the most theatrical piece, rich in despairing character’s narrative (unfortunartely untranslated in the programme) shone in my listening experience as one of the evening’s most compelling works.
The competition was fierce, however for a highlight on the night. As often is the case with EO concerts, Artistic Director Claire Edwardes OAM gave brief, enthusiastic ‘what to listen for’ preface moments to the works. These clear and engaging intros ably and passionately set the audience up for each constrasting listeneing adventure.
The title work for this concert, Kaija Saariaho’s modern piano trio sonic kaleidoscope impression of sunlight on natural objects (trees in a New York park) was a stunning soundscape/landscape creation by violin,cello and piano. It was a fine introduction to the subtle shimmering of this composer’s 2014 voice. If this was a composer new to the listener, they were inspired to check out more of this Finnish expat’s inimitable oeuvre.
This Ensemble Offspring event launched by hurtling straight into Bree van Reyk’s 2024 commission work, Remnant magnetism for soprano, flute,clarinets, violin and cello. Across the sprawling ensemble voice and a careful, pastiche with fleeting and cleverly combined ingredients. From Madonna thru ancient church musings to gay poetry on love and musicians experimenting from the 1980s and 1990s.
Above: Bree van Reyk’s commission work ‘Remnant Magnetism’ (2024) was heard in world premiere during this concert.
This opening work was performed, with seamless virtuosity and an admirably blend in the space, consistent with all the modernity we were exposed tofollowing it in this concert. This work’s reading set the tone for a very rich palette, tweaked appropriately for each successive character, composer and creative storyline. in this dynamic new music event.
The final work, in Australian premiere featured a large ensemble plus another dynamic vocal performance bubbling away in its centre. It was from a composer of Greek heritage, George Aperghis. Featuring ten ensmble elements, including frenetic utterances from the voice, Wild Romance is programmed to suggest the heartbreak of fear, memory, confusion and contrasts both happy and otherwise found in the tricks of the mind.
The fiendishsly difficult interlocking material from the ten instrumentalists including voice were admirably combined here. The stamina and skill required to deliver Aperghis’ concepts and the innovative brand of utterance here was excellently portrayed by EO players.
The calibre of playing required to convincingly present the concepting and craftmanship of this composer and all others on the programme reinforced why we are lucky to have a group such as Ensemble Offspring in our performance environment. Our new music education and discovering is made an accessible and enjoyably open minded experience in their capable hands. Audience members at this Sydney Opera House concert left the Utzon Room buzzing after this brief but enriching exposure.
Ensemble Offspring at this concert consisted of:
Jane Edwardes and Niki Johson (percussion), Jane Sheldon (soprano), Lamorna Nightingale (flutes), Ben Opie (oboe), Jason Noble (clarinets) Véronique Serret (violin) , Andrew Jezek (viola), Blair Harris (cello), Jack Symonds (piano).
EO perform this programme outside Sydney on Wed 7 August, at The Street, Canberra
