River City Voices | Cancel Choir
August 17, 2024, Macarthur Girls’ High School, Parramatta, NSW
In an interesting parallel to the ongoing ‘cancel drama’ in Melbourne, where musicians have voted no confidence in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s leadership following their cancellation of a concert by pianist Jayson Gillham, who spoke about the conflict in Gaza, River City Voices delivered a bold program with an unapologetic exploration of classical works intertwined with controversial histories. This concert served as a timely reminder of how the classical music world continues to grapple with the intersection of art, politics, and societal values.
Under the precise direction of Dr. Sarah Penicka-Smith, the evening was a thought-provoking, multi-sensory experience, augmented by recorded audio “conversations” that added modern context to each piece. The clever integration of digital ‘pings’ and AV text message exchanges served to anchor timeless choral works within a contemporary discourse, drawing us closer to the narratives explored through the music.
The programming around this theme began with 16th century composer Carlo Gesualdo, a great starting point for our journey, he murdered his wife and her lover, but being a nobleman, he was acquitted of the crime. Gesualdo’s career and status were unaffected; his music is frequently performed today. We also heard from Beethoven, who was never cancelled but was famous for his bad temper and poor treatment of his friends. How would this behaviour be seen today? What would happen now if a celebrity wrote a song calling their best friend the fattest donkey? “Would it be fat-shaming?”, “Would he be cancelled?”, we were asked.
Throughout the evening, with works from the likes of Gesualdo, Beethoven, Bizet, Puccini and Wagner, the choir had the opportunity to belt out many great choruses from some well known operas which have somewhat questionable themes or misappropriations of culture, and they looked like they were having great fun in the process.
Russian composers fitted well in the programming mix – who remembers the rush to cancel all Russian composers in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine? Rachmaninov’s Bogoroditse Devo, a favourite of the choral repertoire, was delivered with the gusto we’ve come to expect from River City Voices. The choir’s strong bass section and the altos shone with their well controlled lines, bringing out the delicate internal movement of the piece.
One of the most impactful moments came with Natalia Tsupryk’s A Quiet Night. This piece, featuring a chorus of young women from Macarthur Girls High School, was the emotional heart of the program. The stark lyrics, interspersed with words from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, were hauntingly chanted by a semi-chorus while the girls’ choir (with an innocence contrasting with the gravity of the content) were supported by strong harmonic lines from the main choir. This performance was a poignant reminder of the resilience and hope that can emerge even in the darkest times.
Throughout the evening, the choir’s dynamic range was on full display, particularly in the shifting volumes of Bogoroditse Devo and the exerpts from Beethoven’s Symphony 9 (Ode to Joy), where they moved from whispers to full-bodied crescendos. This ability to play with dynamics, combined with their emotive delivery, made for a stirring performance.
In conclusion, this ‘brave’ program was full of thoughtful curation and execution. River City Voices, supported by the skilful accompaniment of Philip Eames, delivered a program that was deeply resonant with the complexities of the modern world. The inclusion of the younger voices in Tsupryk’s work added an additional layer of power, reminding us that music remains a living, breathing medium that can speak to all ages and across time, no matter ones’ politics.
