The Red Tree: A Potent Mix

We invited members of its online community to review The Red Tree. Watch the blog or join our Facebook group for your chance to review a concert.

In what was perhaps one of their most ambitious projects to date, the ACO pushed artistic boundaries presenting Richard Tognetti’s arrangement of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 15 and The Red Tree – a new work by Tognetti and Michael Yezerski – in a dynamic multimedia concert on June 20 at the Sydney Opera House.

Like the intrepid traveler in the accompanying images, Richard Tognetti took a considerable risk arranging Shostakovich’s 15th String Quartet for the ACO – defiant of the inevitable purist grumblings. Tognetti’s arrangement preserved the stark and austere qualities for which the work is renowned, the themes divided amongst the players creating a simultaneously multi-layered and sparse texture.

It was very effective – the angular sections of the serenade and epilogue were powerfully played and emphasised further the ruminative melancholy of the remaining movements. Tognetti, as usual, led a musically sensitive and accurate performance.

The experience of Shostakovich’s sparse score was enriched by a series of illustrations from Shaun Tan’s picture book The Arrival, projected one by one onto a large screen above the orchestra. Tan’s evocative and detailed illustrations in shades of black, white and sepia depicted a man’s journey from an impoverished village to a new life in a foreign country, and the people and places he encounters along the way.

The connection between this man’s journey and Shostakovich’s meditation on death was intriguingly ambiguous; nevertheless, the overall impression was compelling.

The Red Tree, scored for chamber orchestra and children’s choir, also incorporated projected illustrations describing a journey – through despair to hope – from Tan’s picture book of the same name. The rich variety of textures, styles and colours of Tan’s illustrations were integral to Yezerski conception of the music and the subtle rendering of these was evident throughout the work.

Incorporating texts drawn from various sources, the libretto utilised three languages – Finnish, English and ancient Hebrew – which was conceptually intriguing, although the linguistic subtleties were lost unless the text was already familiar, or you could read in the dark.

The seven movements of The Red Tree took their titles from the names of the illustrations with which they were pared, effectively describing the emotional states which provided impetus for Yezerski score. The gritty dissonances, frenetic string activity and angular melodies were well contrasted with several lyrical sections, and the ACO again gave a polished and well-balanced performance. Under the inspired direction of Lyn Williams, the Gondwana voices sang outstandingly, and the several soloists performed with maturity and accuracy.

It’s not often that audiences in this country are able to witness performances of such a high caliber fusing orchestra, visual art and choir, and it made for a thought-provoking and unconventional concert – perhaps providing creative stimulus for future collaborative projects for the ACO.

Laura Mathison, ACO Community Reviewer

ACO Shines in The Red Tree

We invited members of its online community to review The Red Tree. Watch the blog or join our Facebook group for your chance to review a concert.

The latest offering from the Australian Chamber Orchestra is a collaboration with artist Shaun Tan and the Sydney based children’s choir, Gondwana Voices. The programme consisted of Dmitri Shostakovich’s 15th String Quartet in E-flat minor, and of a new work entitled The Red Tree, after the book written by Shaun Tan, composed by Michael Yezerski and Richard Tognetti.

The ACO play with a consistently beautiful sound, and their performance of the Shostakovich Quartet was no exception. The work consists of six Adagio movements and is a notoriously difficult one to perform; Richard Tognetti led the ensemble through a precise and sensitive performance of a quality that is not often heard in this country. The orchestra were perfectly together for the duration of the work, and the intonation of the ensemble, even during the quiet senza vibrato sections, was perfect.

Ironically, the weakest parts of the performance were during the solo passages in which Tognetti’s arrangement is closest to the original quartet; Principle Cellist Timo-Veikko Valve played his solos musically but was inconsistent in his intonation, and a cadenza-like passage in the third movement that would have suited a solo player was given to the entire first violin section.

A special mention goes to Principal Bassist Maxime Bibeau, who grounded the orchestra both harmonically and rhythmically in a performance that was not only technically accomplished, but also extraordinarily musical. Tognetti and Helena Rathbone also led the first and second violins with accuracy and panache.

Despite the fact that Shaun Tan’s art suited the Shostakovich perfectly in terms of atmosphere, the manner of the juxtaposition left something to be desired. While the projections above the orchestra initially depicted a migrant narrative, the story was soon abandoned in favour of more abstract images that distracted, rather than added to the performance. Occasionally however, there were images that resonated powerfully with Shostakovich’s work – one depicted a lone figure standing in the shadow of a ruined town, while black snow swirled about him.

Yezerski and Tognetti’s The Red Tree was inspired directly by Tan’s book, making the union of music and art in the second half much more effective and seamless. Neither aspect of the performance detracted from the other; they combined to create a wholly successful work that engaged both the eyes and the ears of the audience.

Lyn Williams conducted the work competently, and deserves accolades for the way in which she prepared the singers of Gondwana Voices, who sang like angels. The ensemble and intonation of the children’s choir was flawless, and the soloists sang parts that many professional singers would have had serious trouble with.

The orchestra played just as well in the second half as they had in the first, infusing the work with drama and passion. Brian Nixon joined the orchestra on percussion, giving the ensemble extra punch during the loud and fast movements.

The Red Tree was a wonderful concert experience: lacklustre visuals in the first half could not dampen the effectiveness of Shostakovich’s music, and the combination of Tan’s breathtaking art and impeccable performances from the ACO and Gondwana Voices in the second half both pleased and excited the Sydney audience.

Adam Szabo, ACO Community Reviewer

Calling All Citizen Reviewers

Fancy yourself a bit of a wordsmith? Want to try your hand at reviewing?

We've got some tickets for fans in Sydney and Melbourne who want to go along to The Red Tree and write a review of the concert which we'll post here on the blog and the on website.

Learn more about The Red Tree here and then email aco (at) aco (dot) com (dot) au and tell us in 25 words why you should get the tickets and write the review.

Hurry: entries close noon Friday 11 July.

(Note to Sydney entrants: you must be able to go to the Sydney performance on at 2.30pm on Sunday 20 July.)