Music / Time and Its Passing, Canberra Qwire. At Llewellyn Hall, June 20. Reviewed by LEN POWER.
Time means many things.
It can relate to personal experiences, change memories over a long period, even appear to speed up or slow down. Only one thing is constant – it is unstoppable.
Canberra Qwire’s latest concert honoured time while exploring music that is historical, music that asked questions and music that honoured memory.
The wide-ranging program commenced with Hildegard von Bingen’s 12th century O Virtus Sapientiae. This atmospheric work took us back in time as the singers gave it a beautiful performance. Leaping forward in time, the Qwire sang Jennifer Lucy Cook’s Time from 2022. This dazzling, intricate work showed the Qwire’s skill to sing accurately as well as enjoyably.
The rest of the first half of the program consisted of fine performances of contemporary works from composers as wide-ranging as Bob Dylan, Enya, Cyndi Lauper, k.d. Lang and John Taverner. Please Stay by Jake Runestad, an anthem for hope and an attempt to destigmatise mental illness, finished with Qwire members’ spoken personal memories of people lost in time. Movingly sung, it was a highlight of the concert.
A string orchestra consisting of members of the National Capital Orchestra opened the second half of the program with the Larghetto from Serenade For Strings Op. 20 by Edward Elgar. This beautiful 1892 work was given a warm, sensitive performance by the orchestra, conducted by Callum Tolhurst-Close.
The final work on the program was Sunrise Mass: Symphonic Mass for Choir and String Orchestra. This 2007 work in four movements by Norwegian composer, Ola Gjeilo, was wide-ranging in its scope. Intimate and gentle one moment and epic in scale at others, this haunting work gave the Qwire the opportunity to show their impressive ability to sing with discipline, clarity and confidence.
Musical director of the Qwire and conductor of the most of the works, Callum Tolhurst-Close, had prepared the Qwire very well. Assistant musical director, Lenore Studdert, also conducted some of the works with skill. Hugo Temby was the principal accompanist with Sharwei Lei, assistant accompanist. All made a major contribution to this moving and impressive concert.
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