JAZZ
Lauren Tsamouras / Old Country, New Country + Sandy Evans ★★★★
Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival. The JazzLab, December 14
Saxophonist Sandy Evans.Credit: Shane Rozario
This year’s Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival ended on an especially strong note, with a double bill featuring two Sydney artists in first-time collaborations with Melbourne-based musicians.
After a brief opening set by emerging saxophonist Bernie Ramos, Sydney pianist Lauren Tsamouras took to the stage with local players Harry Birch (on bass) and Theo Carbo (electric guitar).
Tsamouras presented a program of new compositions written during a three-month visit to Greece, where she explored the region’s traditional music and culture and connected with her own Greek heritage.
These ravishing new works shimmered and danced in the hands of the pianist and her empathetic bandmates. Lyricism, subtlety and close listening were key to the music’s elegant ebb and flow, allowing the focus to shift seamlessly among the players and their instruments. Graceful melodies drifted on waves of rippling piano and tremolo guitar, or sashayed across asymmetrical meters anchored by Birch’s wonderfully supple bass playing.
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For the evening’s final set, Melbourne trio Old Country, New Country (Paul Williamson on trumpet, Peggy Lee on cello and Dylan van der Schyff on drums) were joined by Sydney saxophonist Sandy Evans. Williamson and Lee had composed an entirely new repertoire especially for Evans, and Sunday’s concert marked the debut performance of this challenging and captivating material.
Evans (on soprano sax), Williamson and Lee frequently united in three-part harmonies that moved between consonance and dissonance with striking precision. Instrumental lines converged and diverged; tones and timbres blurred as players incorporated split tones, breath effects and quivering harmonics. Van der Schyff’s drumming was equally inventive, producing ever-shifting textures (using sticks, brushes and bare hands) to complement or contrast with the prevailing mood of each piece.
Throughout, the quartet’s conviction and empathy imbued even the most abstract passages with a quiet warmth – especially on the convivial Love Nurture, which offered a wordless message of hope as another turbulent year draws to a close.
Reviewed by Jessica Nicholas
MUSIC
Handel’s Messiah ★★★★
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Hamer Hall, December 13
As popular as ever, this year’s Christmas outing of Handel’s Messiah by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was reinvigorated by Swedish-born conductor and choral specialist Sofi Jeannin. Clarity and elegant assurance hallmarked her direction, underpinned by her constant encouragement of the performers.
This year’s performance of Handel’s Messiah was reinvigorated by Swedish-born conductor and choral specialist Sofi Jeannin.Credit: Laura Manariti
Using Handel’s orchestration, the MSO was pared down to some 30 players, matched with about 80 singers from the MSO Chorus. From the opening notes of the Overture, Jeannine cultivated a historically sensitive approach to the playing in the context of manageable tempos to which, on the whole, the orchestra responded well under acting associate concertmaster Tair Khisambeev. Jeannin was a sensitive accompanist, ensuring that the vocal elements were never overwhelmed.
Amongst the soloists, baritone Morgan Pearse stood out for his dramatic stage presence. Impressively singing all his solos from memory, he stole the show with a riveting account of The trumpet shall sound (thankfully presented in its entirety) matched with master trumpeter Shane Hooton.
Tenor Andrew Goodwin’s honeyed tone, as ever, was a delight, especially in an affecting performance of Behold and see. The sweet voices of soprano Samantha Clarke and mezzo-soprano Ashlyn Timms proved well matched in He shall feed his flock.
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Jeannin’s extensive vocal experience bore excellent fruit in the chorus work, eliciting fine diction and emphatic ensemble, particularly in the second and third parts of the oratorio. Apart from the usual choral highlights such as Surely he hath borne our griefs and the celebrated, triumphant Hallelujah, an added bonus came with a memorably intense rendering of He trusted in God.
Even though the concert lasted over 2½ hours, time seemed to pass quickly. Responding with an enthusiastic ovation, the audience not only acclaimed one of the more enjoyable presentations of this evergreen classic in recent times, but Handel’s engaging, enduring creativity. Hallelujah!
Reviewed by Tony Way
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