Canberra International Music Festival / Concert 8, High Stakes. At the High Court of Australia, May 3. Reviewed by CASSIDY RICHENS. 

Artists William Barton (didgeridoo, voice), Véronique Serret (violin, voice, percussion), Tamara-Anna Cislowska (piano, percussion) and Aunty Delmae Barton (voice) presented an all-Australian program of powerful juxtaposing melodies, exciting rhythmic eruptions, and gentle moody moments, in the High Stakes concert at Canberra International Music Festival.

The spacious qualities of the aesthetically pleasing High Court of Australia’s Public Hall – with its 24-metre-high ceiling and marble floor – a suburb choice for the genre-defying contemporary musical experience and powerfully expressed presentation of compositions by the late Peter Sculthorpe, festival composer in residence Holly Harrison and two new collaborative works by artists Barton and Serret.

Spiralling high above from the third floor, Serret’s violin and voice combined with Barton’s percussive didgeridoo and Cislowska spacious piano in the opening performance of Barton’s 2006 Birdsong at Dusk. Their dedication to the creation of new music and the exploration of contemporary approaches immediately obvious.

Shared in spoken word and song, William’s mother, Aunty Delmae, offered a message of peace and love in Kalkani, adding her rich opera-trained voice to the trio’s immersive sound to symphonically and poetically express eagles soaring above ancient lands. 

The spotlight turned to Cislowska, in a compelling performance of Peter Sculthorpe’s Djilile. Like Barton, Cislowska was a close associate of Sculthorpe, having first performed his piano concerto with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra at the age of 14. 

The trio’s performance captured the elegant simplicity of the Australian bush and the composer’s wish to evoke the harmonious ways in which traditional owners inhabit the land.

Part bluegrass, part metal, Holly Harrison’s Ice Giant – commissioned by Ensemble Offspring for Véronique Serret, placed the brave performer perfectly where she wanted to be. 

Far away from the prescribed boundaries of western musical genres, Serret’s performance demonstrated artistic curiosity, musical flexibility, and virtuosity.

Barton portrayed the immense possibilities of his instrument in a performance of two modern musical compositions co-written with Serret – Kalkani (“eagle” in Kalkadoon language) and Heartland (commissioned by CIMF, 2019). This unique combination of voice, didgeridoo and violin, a final testament to their vibrant artistic fusion and soulful approach to music and storytelling.