Special and precious gifts from MSO First Voices Showcase

MSO | First Voices Showcase

May 26, 2023, Iwaki Auditorium, Melbourne

The warmth and excitement inside the Iwaki Auditorium, as members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Ensemble Dutala got ready to perform world premieres by First Nations artists, was in direct contrast to the cold rainy night outside. 

Thanks to an MSO education program, Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara singer/songwriter, Vonda Last and Yuwaalaraay, Gamilaraay, Yorta Yorta & Yuin artist, composer and sound designer, James Henry, have spent the past few months working to develop and present their own orchestral compositions. 

Vonda and James are established and successful musicians outside of the world of classical orchestral composition with careers encompassing a variety of musical genres and styles.

Our affable, proud and playful host for the evening was Allara Briggs-Pattison (who I assume is Yorta Yorta both from the famous Briggs name and her jests on the night), entertained and informed us in interview with both featured composers, played double bass in the orchestra and even had a speaking part in one of the works. 

We also heard from a titan of the classical music and composition scene, Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO, whose Welcome to Country was performed and Aaron Wyatt, who conducted the works with skill and energy. 

The orchestra, drawn from both MSO and Ensemble Dutala, comprised a full contingent of strings, one each of woodwinds, several brass players and a hard working percussionist. 

Vonda Last described her work, Awakening, seen through her eyes of country, talking to us about the vast expanse of the desert where she grew up in central Australia. 

There was a mature pace to the work. The stillness of the strings and the swelling of the brass gave an epic feel to the soundscape. There was a reassuring steadiness to her composition; I was reminded of the lush orchestrations of Vince Mendoza for Joni Mitchell. In fact, having listened to her country style songs, I’d love to hear Vonda singing her own songs backed by her orchestral arrangements.

There was a preview bonus composition, the first showing of work in development by Brenda Gifford from the Yuin Nation called Miringama who sadly wasn’t there in person. I certainly look forward to hearing the work again as it grows and develops. . 

It was a poignant coincidence that the concert was scheduled to take place on National Sorry Day, especially as Deborah Cheetham is herself a member of the stolen generation. A sombre moment for all, in-person and online. 

According to Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay folklore, the purple crest of Wiidhaa (also known as the Spotted Bowerbird, pictured here) is the result of an altercation with Kaputhin the Wedge Tailed Eagle. 

James Henry, the second featured composer, and incidentally grandson of Jimmy Little, used the legend with Wiidhaa in his work of the same name. 

Wiidhaa is having a party for one, imitating other birds in his den decorated with bones which attracts and ultimately annoys Kaputhin to the point that Wiidhaa gets roasted over flames, boiling his brains and causing a cranial spillage which is the brightly coloured crest on the back of the bird’s skull. 

This fodder made for a fabulously entertaining piece of music, with woodwind birdsong motifs, a fair amount of drama, tension between sections of the orchestra, all building to the thrilling but horrible climax. A shout out to the hard working and virtuoso bassoonist. 

Thanks to the Ullmer Family Foundation: First Nations Emerging Artist Program and Members of the MSO First Nations Giving Circle, not only do instrumentalists through Ensemble Dutala and emerging and established artists get to learn new skills and refine their craft, but as a result of new compositions like this, the body of work and the First Nations contribution to the classical canon grows. 

Special and precious gifts shared on a cold and rainy night. 

This performance is available to watch on Youtube, follow the link: First Voices Showcase | Music and Ideas – YouTube >>.

You can hear interviews with the artists about the concert here:

Vonda Last >> 

Aaron Wyatt (around the 11 min mark): Programs: SmartArts — Triple R 102.7FM, Melbourne Independent Radio (rrr.org.au) >>

Photo Credit: Laura Wilson