Each year Sydney’s Vivid LIVE program delivers an eclectic and diverse program of innovative live music. While billed as a contemporary music festival with acts this year ranging from UK legends Underworld, to R&B songstress Teyana Taylor, its reach extends to some incredibly moving orchestral performances that meld sound worlds together.
Vivid LIVE 2019 brought three highlight works to the Sydney Opera House. Each provided a mesmeric and immersive experience with lush textures and soundscapes of orchestral strings paired with stunning visuals from projections and lighting design.
Keaton Henson – ‘Six Lethargies’ [star rating=”3.5″]
Performed by the Opera Australia Orchestra and conductor Paul Fitzsimon, ‘Six Lethargies’ is the culmination of three years work by UK folk-rock musician and poet Keaton Henson.
Henson’s own personal struggles with anxiety (often extending to his inability to perform in public) formed the core of this work. He sought out to evoke the trauma of his anxiety with a string ensemble, and with no lyrics – a change from his usual poetic songs.
It was incredibly intriguing how beautiful anxiety can sound musically. Henson noted in a post-show Q&A (offstage via mic due to the overwhelming nature of the public appearance) that it was the third movement in particular that he wanted to make the audience feel the same anxiety that he feels daily.
Despite its jarring harmonies and tension, accompanied by changing intensity in the lighting design and underscoring sound effects, the piece always seemed to be continually searching for and eventually landing on some sort of peaceful resolution. And it was spine-tingling and beautiful in getting there!
A big disappointment was the constant audience disruption throughout the show. Sydney Opera House ushers let ticketholders in as late as 20 minutes before the end of the performance. The noisy shuffling and banging around through to their seats really impacted the immersion into the music – especially the moments where the musical tension emerged from the most subtle and quiet notes from the violins.
It may sound prudish, but it didn’t give Henson’s efforts the true justice of an attentive audience they deserve. I was surprised that the Sydney Opera House staff didn’t manage this better.
Watch: Keaton Henson: ‘Six Lethargies’ full performance at Vivid LIVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueXo2CqfS4I
Jóhann Jóhannson – ‘Last and First Men’ [star rating=”4″]
‘Last and First Men’ is one of the final works written by the late Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannson. In an Australian exclusive, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and conductor Benjamin Northey brilliantly accompanied black and white projections of a dystopian sci-fi film directed by Jóhannson himself and inspired by Olaf Stapleton’s visionary 1930 sci-fi novel of the same name.
The orchestra was hauntingly beautiful, alongside pre-recorded narration by Tilda Swinton. Live amplified vocals by Else Torp (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds ‘Distant Sky’) and Kate Macoboy (Theatre of Voices) added an intentionally bleak sense of unease through the unusual vowel formations and vocalisations called for in the score.
The film projected above the orchestra – slow-moving black and white abstract close-ups of stark and minimal architecture, added an appropriately subtle but effective visual element. Sometimes orchestral gigs performed live to a film can feel like you’re just watching the movie and ignoring the live performance.
In this case, it subtly enhanced the performance without causing a distraction and while keeping the talented performers front and centre.
Jónsi and Alex Somers – ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ [star rating=”5″]
This was a truly magical night at Vivid LIVE. Jónsi (Sigur Rós) and partner Alex Somers marked the 10th anniversary of their debut album together. And they celebrated with all of us, along with the Sydney International Orchestra and Choir in a world premiere live performance of the album, end-to-end.
Jónsi and Alex kicked off with a quick intro to the audience, expressing their excitement in sharing this experience with us for the first time ever live on stage. They began with All Animals, serving as an appropriate warmup and prelude to Riceboy Sleeps.
Both works were expressive and beautiful. Stirring drone soundscapes carried across the strings and choir. Seemingly spontaneous ‘escapes’ in light arpeggios from the harp, mallet percussion and piano added delightful accents.
The percussion section included some objects not often seen in an orchestra: an amplified plastic bag contributed a swirling layer of static to the mix, and the light popping of bubble wrap into the mic created a subtle popping texture throughout sections.
With the choir close-miked on delicate high vowels, you could hear every delicate detail, creating a beautiful touch of vulnerability. Jónsi and Alex joined on a platform in the middle of the orchestra, taking turns on bowed guitars and piano throughout.
The track ‘Boy 1904’ was a standout moment, featuring the choir in their prime and accompanying Jónsi’s haunting voice a cappella.
The performance concluded with ‘Sleeping Giant’ and all performers exiting the stage one by one while the music continued and petered out, leaving only a single violin and the rumble of the SFX track underneath.
The audience cut in with rapturous applause before the sound completely faded out – a sign of their eager appreciation for a stellar performance.
PHOTO GALLERY: Jonsi & Alex Somers @ Sydney Opera House
