Whether it was the promise of the intriguing combination of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach with that of contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, or the possibilities offered by the combination of the musicians of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and dancers of the Sydney Dance Company, this concert drew a capacity audience to Llewellyn Hall.
And as the title promised, for the 75 minutes it took to perform this concert, that audience, responding to the request to withhold its applause until the end, sat quietly both in silence and rapture.
So scrupulously curated that one could be forgiven for mistaking all the music as being the work of the same composer, and uninterrupted by an interval, Silence & Rapture was divided into three chapters, each set in a biblical garden and bookended by a prelude and an epilogue.
As the excellent printed program explained, this follows the Lutheran metaphor of the world as a pendulum swinging downward from the natural world of Hope and Temptation (Garden of Eden), down to Tragedy and Passion (Garden of Gethsemane), then upward again to Resurrection and Redemption (Garden of Heaven).
Directed by Richard Tognetti, with an exquisitely refined sense of theatre, this performance was presented on an uncluttered stage with 10 virtuoso musicians forming a static semi-circle framing the performance area. The five violinists occupied one side, with the violists, cellists and bassist on the other. In the centre, separating the two groups of strings was Chad Kelly, seated at a harpsichord and organ.
For the prelude, two Sydney Dance Company dancers, Emily Seymour and Liam Green, were positioned on tables on either side of the semi-circle, with UK countertenor, Iestyn Davies, seated towards the back.
As the work progressed the dancers and vocalist performed in misty areas defined by Damien Cooper’s atmospheric lighting design, surrounded by the musicians. Other than the outline offered in the printed program, there was no attempt at a storyline, allowing individual audience members to respond to the exquisitely presented music in their own way.
Complex and beautiful, Bonachela’s stunning abstract choreography echoed the inspiration of the music. His intricate solos, duets and unison sequences were performed with rapturous elan and commitment by the dancers, complimented the music by providing an endless stream of inspirational images, among them, a moment when the extraordinary countertenor, Iestyn Davies, joined the dancers for an elegantly choreographed rendition of Pärt’s My Heart’s in the Highlands.
Elsewhere, the spellbinding concert was packed with memorable performances like Timo-Veikko Valve’s riveting rendition of Bach’s Suite for Solo Cello No. 3 in C major, and Richard Tognetti’s masterful account of Bach’s Sonata for Solo Violin No.2 in A Minor, or absolutely any of the exquisite ethereal solos from Iestyn Davies, providing a huge temptation to defy the request for silence and break out into rapturous applause.
Thankfully, everyone one respected the request until the very final section when the dancers continued their movements in complete silence. The audience could contain itself no longer and burst into thunderous applause in appreciation of a concert for which every aspect was designed to showcase the beauty of the music, and performed with fastidious attention to every facet of the performance. Bravo!
Silence & Rapture
Llewellyn Hall, William Herbert Place, Canberra
Performance: Saturday 17 August 2024
Information: www.aco.com.au
Image: Emily Seymour, Liam Green and Iestyn Davies with Artists of the Australian Chamber Orchestra in Silence & Rapture – photo by Daniel Boud
Review: Bill Stephens OAM