Above: Artwork by Reiko Azuma which inspired the work ‘A Glimpse Into Eternity’ by Keyna Wilkins. Photo credit: Paul Nolan. Featured image: Ironbark Ensemble : (l-r) Edward Wang, Greg Taylor, Alex McKracken, Rowena Watts, and Nathan Henshaw.
Any time new things emerge out of the traditional, existing or typical is a time to relish. Following the challenges for orchestral and freelance wind players during COVID, Australia received a working reed quintet with Ironbark Ensemble.
In the vein of the Akropolis and Chicago Quintets in the USA and the Dutch group, Calefax Quintet, the newer, grainy interlocking of timbres and diverse of colours this all-reed line up affords was a joy to experience in this programme.
Extramusical influences like Mussorgsky’s detailed Pictures at an Exhibition response to a stroll through an art gallery were given sufficient, exciting and successful tweaks during this Ironbark Ensemble event.
As well as Mussorgsky’s famous set of vignettes split into two sets of five pieces when heard in enlightening arrangement for reed quintet, three world premieres filled out the programme.
Composers Keyna Wilkins, Diego Indarraga Duarte and event co-curator Wesley Stormer wrote substantial works in response to three artworks by local artists. The emotional and artistic extension of each selected painting in the works were heard with warm ensemble tones, highly characterised gesturing, challenging articulation and exemplary employment of the possible reed quintet individual colours and combined descriptive hues.
Above : Artwork by Sidney Teodoruk, which inspired the ‘Hades Suite’ by composer Diego Idarraga Duarte.
Some excellent atmospheres and vivid soundscapes resulted from this project coming to capable and thoughtful fruition. Different to the description of art at retrospective distance, we had the luxury of having each painting in front of us as audience, displayed on an easel in the gallery-concert venue for us to engage with as the new music unfolded.
The realisation of Mussorgsky’s original keyboard caricatures by the reed quintet was done so using an impressive arrangement. Contrasts between titled movements or sections of movements were handled with virtuosic stasis of mood as well as knife-edge shifts in atmosphere.
A highlight of the reed quintet voicing is the ability to score for the inimitable voice of the alto saxophone as a melody or higher voice. Nathan Henshaw’s instrument shone through the wind web on many occasions, include some great work in reiterations of the well-known Promenade linking music.
We heard motives in ‘The Old Castle’ movement which sounded like they could only ever work best being scored for alto sax and sympathetic palette of four other reed instrument lines. So too the fast filigree indicating fighting childrens voices seemed to have found a forever home in oboe and clarinet here.
Emerging from the ensemble were melodic fragment on bass clarinet and bassoon accompaniments or instant comedy or shapes required were securely provided in this ensemble and arrangement by the chameleon contribution of Greg Taylor’s cello.
‘Promenade’ passages and assorted other building to climaxes through Mussorgsky’s initial keyboard chordal textures lost no intensity or depth in the redistribution to single line instruments of this talented ensemble.
Above: Artwork by Samuel Quinteros, inspiring the work ‘Scenes From An Illuminant Garden, composed by Wesley Stormer.
This was a cohesive but cleverly woven version with multiple hues heard in the intimate, inspiring gallery space. It’s recreation of shape on a handful of reed instruments only eclipsed for a moment the pictures first recreated for piano, or also the larger scale orchestration by Ravel.
Ironbark Ensemble received a trio of new music for the reed quintet canon in the same concert as their take on Mussorgsky’s famous work was heard.
Above: Composer Keyna Wilkins.
Keyna Wilkins’ writing of A Glimpse Into Eternity in collaboration with artist Reiko Azumi contain all the freshness of expression and technical wow-factors we usually hear from her writing. Following musically the intricate lines of expression in this passionate, moonlit artwork produced a sprawling four movement work with words from an emotional armoury as titles.
This is programme music for the heart, the title of the final movement. Ironbark Ensemble devoured the new-age Promenade like fanfare of the opening movement, ‘Trust’, which included well-delivered verbal repetitions of the title.
The reed quintet structure had the variety needed to depict fragments of emotional ‘Struggle’ in the second movement also. The warmth stretch across the venue for the universal growth-inspired movement 3: ‘Expanse’ by Wilkins and the reed experts was a real heart stopper.
Above: Composer Diego Idarraga Duarte.
Meaty contrasts of gesture, extremes of nuance and full woodwind textures featured in Diego Idarraga Duarte’s Hades Suite-a musical response to the picture by Sidney Teodoruk of a carny character who has seen better days, or maybe is just surviving, in quirky business as usual mode.
This composer approached his assignment with his signature depth of analysis and careful selection of musical material to depict the big picture, however tortured. His three movement work with analytical titles relating to the portrait’s shock value. He had plenty of material to highlight Ironbark Ensemble’s solo and group voices. The players delivered this vivid musical commentary in clear broad strokes and exciting busy detail.
The concept of the reed quintet as ideal vehicle for a successful soundtrack was beautifully demonstrated by Wesley Stormer’s work, Scenes From An Illuminated Garden, based on artwork by Samuel Quinteros.
Above: Composer Wesley Stormer.
This final premiere was a triumphant crystallisation of the previously heard warmth, well-articulated effects. It demonstrated once more exquisite combination of the reed instrument tone colours Ironbark Ensemble could supply. Stormer’s engaging, colourful work sat well with the audience and musicians alike. It glowed, breathing new life into its chosen picture.
This work with all the other premieres and the Mussorgsky arrangement extended our appreciation of this newer chamber music genre, making us crave its versatile sound more in local recordings, music venues or indeed small and imitate art galleries.