Sydney Chamber Music Festival | Head, Heart, Heritage
November 9, 2024, Manly Art Gallery, NSW
Bridget Bollinger – Artistic Director and flute, Alex Dupressoir – clarinet, Myee Clohessy – Violin, Sally Clarke – viola, Teije Hylkema – cello, Hannah Fraser – mezzo-soprano.
The Sydney Chamber Music Festival at Manly Art Gallery delivered an evocative blend of music and nature-inspired works, set within the gallery’s vibrant space just up from where the Manly Ferry docks. The program opened with a compelling pre-concert talk led by 2MBS Fine Music’s Simon Moore, who engaged composer-in-residence Alan Holley, Artistic Director Bridget Bolliger and the quartet in conversation, setting a rich context for the music to come.
The concert began with the soulful strains of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in C minor, arranged for viola. Sally Clarke’s sensitive interpretation created a sonorous and tranquil entry, resonating beautifully within the gallery’s intimate acoustics.
Local composer Alan Holley marked his 70th birthday with a showcase of some of his music, including the world premiere of My Garden is a Siren and She Sings (2024). This piece reflects Holley’s fascination with birdsong and the natural sounds at his home in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Sharing insights into his creative process, Holley, who has spent decades capturing the sounds of his garden discussed the dwindling bird species he’s observed over 46 years, adding poignancy to his new work. Inspired by his encounters with native birds, this two-movement piece for flute and strings highlighted his fascination with the music of nature.
The first movement, Butcherbird, vividly illustrated Holley’s mastery of musical ‘birdsong.’ Bolliger’s flute took flight with a familiar melody, returning in cycles and building, along with the strings, to a thrilling aural painting of quarrelsome butcherbirds. Joined by the cello’s earthy pops and throbs – perhaps frogs and zinging insects – the piece culminated in a chaotic yet harmonious crescendo. The second movement, Tawny Frogmouth, felt almost hypnotic, anchored by the cello’s deep, pulsing rhythm that mirrored the “oom-oom-oom” call of the titular bird (have you ever heard one, low and soft in the night?). Holley’s considered use of silence framed each burst of sound, creating small vignettes of life in his garden, evoking both the frenzy and tranquility of the Australian bush.
Another highlight was Ophelia, Holley’s 1997 song cycle inspired by Lady Elliot Island. Mezzo-soprano Hannah Fraser brought to life the tragic isolation of Susannah McKee, a lighthouse keeper’s wife, who folklore says drowned herself in despair. Fraser’s performance was haunting, embodying both the Victorian romance of the text and the desolation of coral-strewn shores. As the music swelled, with repeated phrases and intensifying pace, I felt I could feel the clinking of coral and the mournful cries of thousands of wheeling mutton birds, both beautiful and desolate. Alan’s work is so visceral at times!
The program closed with Bolliger’s adaptation of Dvořák’s American Quartet for flute, which she affectionately dubbed a “flautet.” Taking the place of the first violin, Bolliger’s flute added a fresh, airy quality to Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96. Written during Dvořák’s time in the peaceful countryside of Spillville, Iowa, the quartet’s themes resonate with pastoral imagery and moments of joy. The Allegro ma non troppo movement opened with the flute delivering a warm, expansive melody, evoking the open American landscape, while the flute’s lightness lent a bird-like quality to the playful, dance-like motifs.
The Scherzo, in keeping with other works in the program, brought out the lively calls of the scarlet tanager’s song that Dvořák incorporated after hearing it during walks by Turkey River. This lively melody carried beautifully through the flute, evoking a sense of nature’s spontaneity and vibrant energy.
The Finale was a burst of joy and camaraderie, with each instrument contributing equally to Dvořák’s spirited melodies. The ensemble’s balanced and cohesive performance allowed the character of each movement to resonate, bringing out the work’s themes of home, nature, and the simple joys of life.
The Sydney Chamber Music Festival’s thoughtful programming offered a moving celebration of environment, heritage, and community within the intimate embrace of Manly’s coastal gallery – a beautiful reminder of how music can seamlessly connect us to both nature and art. Happy Birthday, again, to Alan Holley!
