ACO Reflections on Gallipoli

A most moving fascinating concert http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/australian-chamber-orchestra-reflections-on-gallipoli-at-the-city-recital-hall/#more-19312 With Neil Armfield’s wonderful direction, a great troupe of actors, a magnificent opera singer, and very effective use of multimedia, this concert was a powerful tribute to the fallen on both sides. Each work shared in common an artist’s response and outpouring to the horrific trench experiences Passionately spoken, plainly articulated first hand accounts of those who fought, lived and somehow endured the horrors of those Turkish battlefields were recited by Nathaniel Dean, Yalin Ozucelik and Taryn Fiebig, The concert began with an arrangement of Bartok’s String Quartet No. 2, with brooding , pulsating violins contrasted with somewhat bouncy lines from the other strings and the use of pizzicatto. There was almost mechanical use of repetition. Grainy footage of troops leaving the shores of Australia on giant ships accompanied this, hinting of the story to come. Frederick Kelly’s slow, stately ‘Elegy’ followed, with its expansive unison passages accompanied by enchanting textual shifts and changes of rhythm. Several Turkish works were also included, many of which successfully featured the vocal talents of Taryn Fiebig. One of these pieces: – ‘Mehves Hanim’s Kacsam Birakip Senden Uzak Yollara Gitsem’ – was especially captivating. Nathaniel Dean and Yalin Ozucelik gave eloquent readings about life in the trenches from both sides of the conflict. There was deeply moving, extremely effective use of projections throughout. Strident Turkish marches were included as well as achingly beautiful Turkish laments. Carl Vine’s ‘Soliloquy’, which was written in reaction to the “personal horror, disbelief, anguish and anger evoked by such stark depictions of pointless human suffering’, is a short and striking work which was accompanied by grisly images of swarms of flies. Fiebig, well known for her performances with Opera Australia, was sombrely dressed in black .She acted as reader and singer at times but her featured part was the extraordinary and very poignant world premiere of the Carl Vine work ‘Our Sons’ in the second half, inspired by the inscription on the Turkish memorial, directly addressing the grieving mothers whose sons fell during the battle. Vine transforms this conciliatory inscription, imbuing it with furious anguish and devastated despair . The concert ended with the shimmering, exquisite ‘The Lark Ascending ‘ by Vaughn Williams.This was piercingly, heartbreakingly beautiful. Tognettis’s solo transported us to another world. You could have heard a pin drop at the end before the tumultuous applause. Running time- two hours including one interval The ACO’s Reflections on Gallipoli ran various dates and venues until Friday 27th March at City Recital Hall Angel Place .