Music remains a constant source of joy, comfort and inspiration, as we journey through life. It has the ability to connect us, evoke memories, and express the inexpressible.
The afternoon performance Of AVE`s THOUGHT IS SURROUNDED BY A HALO banished nature’s wet and grey atmosphere as we ensconced in the Neisan auditorium. AVE` is a Latin word used by Romans as a salutation and greeting, meaning ‘hail’ or ‘being well’
Founded by five-time Aria award-winning artist Dr Katie Noonan is a rare soprano songwriter flourishing in any genre whether that’s in gentle folk storytelling or in the grandiosity of an operatic performance.
Fiona Campbell OAM is a most versatile classical singer, a mezzo-soprano renowned for both her concert and operatic work, she is currently the Creative Director of the Perth Symphony Orchestra.
Andrew O’Conner is a perth-born performer and educator versed in a wide variety of styles and genres, including opera, concert platform and vocal chamber music. ARTS HUB called him a ‘textured, fine-wine bass-baritone. He is an established figure with a repertoire that spans 12th Century Europe to 21st Century Australia with noted interpretations of Schultz, Handel and the passions of J.S Bach.
Louis Hurley, a Sydney-based tenor is a passionate operatic and concert performer in repertoire spanning the Baroque through the 21st Century. He is celebrated in the ensamble singing sphere and is a core member of some of Australia’s premier vocal ensambles.
Today’s performance celebrates the release of AVE’s second album “Thought Is Surrounded by A Halo” and commissioned song cycle, a captivating showcase of Australian composers, singers and collaborators extraordinary talents.
The ensamble infused creativity and magic into each poem, turning words into dreams, moving the audience, stirring our emotions and awakening our spirits. The musicology expressed a constant source of harmonic joy, comfort and inspiration expressing the inexpressible. The performance was flawless in construction while delivering a cappella that found depth and meaning through Gwen Harwood’s poetry of life through song.
The vocal expressions revealed how AVE’s voices can mirror the sentiments and stories embedded in Harwood’s work. Each composer featured on stage has approached Harwood’s texts with their own distinct style and vision, crafting unique soundscapes that were explored in a collaborative approach to storytelling, celebrating the depth in Australian music and poetry of Gwen Harwood herself.
The ensamble began with a refreshing ‘palette cleanser’ for the ear, paying homage to the history of a cappella music. The poems all had the theme “Remember Me”. Here are notable lines.
THOUGHT IS SURROUNDED BY A HALO:
Language is not a perfect game,
and if it were, how could we play?
The world’s more than the sum of things like moon, sky, centre, body, bed,
as all the singing masters know.
MY FATHER’S GUN from ‘BARN OWL’
I fired. The blank eyes shone
once into mine, and slept.
I leaned my head upon my father’s arm,and went, for what I had begun.
REFUGEE
I remember the ocean kicking at lonely piers, and the scavenged food. I cannot remember the faces of father, mother, my sister; only the places that were not home, and the tears.
BEYOND ALL WORDS
Our bitter conflicts are less than dreams, the never ending quest for the self is done. We know the question and answer both meaningless, and then, beyond the symbols, peace: The not-I. The eternal Other.
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
Where nothing has a name, where anyvpage you turn will long have lost its meaning.
Remember me, while music melts you to understand. Sleep, while new planets burn, and i will be your dream.
LIGHT TO STONE
All words except those drowned in the fresh babbling rush of spring. In summer’s dream-filled light one sound echoes through all the whispery galleries of green: Remembrance.
TRISTE
Darkness of sleep and love, And heart from its prison cries to the spirit walking above:
‘Iwas with you in agony, remember your promise of paradise,’
and hammers and hammers, ‘remember me.’
