The Song Company: Up Close | Entangled
June 24, 2022, Wharf 4/5, Dawes Point
The Song Company Studio at Wharf 4/5 at Dawes Point was quickly filling up with an enthusiastic crowd coming to see Entangled, a “Close-up” performance by Jessica O’Donoghue. It was a sell-out, and more chairs had to be brought in.
Artistic Director, Antony Pitts played the piano, improvising on a melody by Jessica O’Donoghue with wistful arpeggios. The lights dimmed (unfortunately for my sketching!) and Jessica O’Donoghue came onto the stage in an off the shoulder blue dress. She introduced tonight’s concert with its concept of “Entangled”. She told us about herself and her musical journey, with its entanglement in training as an opera singer and diverging into other genres. Her grandparents were opera stars and her father was a jazz musician. To demonstrate this, she opened the concert with a jazz number, You don’t know what Love is by Don Raye and Gene de Paul. She was accompanied by her brother, Ben O’Donoghue, on electric 6 string bass guitar and Antony Pitts on piano.
Jessica then reminisced about her time singing with the Renaissance Players and turned back to the thirteenth century to sing Beata Viscera by Magister Perotinus with words by Chancellor Philippe. Her strong, clear voice held the haunting melody, while the electric bass provided the drone by “drumming” on an open string.
Showcasing her previous entanglement with opera, she sang Va! Laisse couler mes larmes from Werther by Massenet. This she sang with confident expertise, only to state afterwards that she no longer wants to sing this type of work, where the heroine usually dies tragically. She explained her enthusiasm for new music, where frequently women are empowered, although this was not the case in the next piece she sang. Chiara’s aria from Biographica by Mary Finsterer, is about Chiara dying of syphilis and forlornly reaching out to her estranged father. Jessica had performed this with the elite Sydney Chamber Opera in 2017 and tonight’s performance was compelling in its tragedy.
Two more modern pieces followed, both premiered by the Sydney Chamber Opera with Jessica O’Donoghue.
The first was Huw Belling’s Canon and Katharsis from his opera Fumeblind Oracle. The second was Postlude: Dawn from Commute by Peggy Polias, where she sang the lead role of Odyssea.
Her singing portrayed the magic of the dawn in glorious pure notes.
We were then treated to Jessica O’Donoghue’s own compositions, which she described as “a little part of me”. She was joined by three young singers: Jayden Selvakumaraswamy, Elizabeth Player and Lucinda Edwards. Hand claps and percussion contributed to the rhythmic character of Rise Up. This song was inspired by Dance of Zalongo, a Greek song describing Souli women jumping off a cliff rather than being held captive by the Ottomans. Jessica sang this passionately in Greek, with the words Rise Up in English.
Good Grief was Jessica’s next offering. The backing chorus sang in close harmonies, while Jessica sang with compelling urgency. They were accompanied by piano and electric bass, with some percussion from Lucinda Edwards.
Jessica then moved to the piano to accompany herself in the moving Lullay my Heart. This was a kind of lullaby inspired by her father’s death a few years ago. She felt he was writing it through her. It is about acceptance. forgiveness and letting go. She sang it with feeling through to a wonderful wistful ending.
Let it Flow completed the evening in a song that built up into positive joy. We all applauded this wonderfully ‘Entangled’ evening of eclectic music and lively storytelling from Jessica O’Donoghue. This was yet another educational and innovative concert from the Song Company!
Sketches: Heidi Hereth
