![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ozartsreviewonline.com\/oz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_6873-300x225.jpg\")
It is one of Western Australia\u2019s most meaningful musical success stories.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It is one of Western Australia\u2019s most meaningful musical success stories.<\/p>\n
For years. Defying Gravity has brought performances of the highest order to invariably full houses. This is a particularly remarkable achievement in that, firstly, the performers are still students and, secondly, that the make-up of the ensemble constantly changes as WAAPA students graduate and take their skills to an ever-widening audience. And Tim White, percussionist par excellence, shares, as ever, a priceless understanding of the medium with his students.<\/p>\n
Overwhelmingly, works on offer are of recent vintage so it was with particular interest that we listened to a work dating as far back as 1695 when King Louis XIV occupied the French throne. Here, on two timpani, Jesse Vivante brought a sense of high occasion to Philidor\u2019s Batterie de timbales. This was an impressive and stylish summons to attention.<\/p>\n
Moving forward 323 years, Germaine Png and Gabrielle Lee did wonders on vibraphone and marimba in Emmanuel Sejourne\u2019s Losa. In high style, this young duo did wonders in evoking the essence of the music. Much of the playing was informed by a frankly delightful peekaboos insouciance and engaging rhythms.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Jie Hong Yang\u2019s Rainforest was given its world premiere performance. A program note refers to the music\u2019s \u2018mesmerising tranquillity\u2019 \u2013 and 16 players pooled their skills to charming effect in evoking this gentle mood. In contrast to these islands of quietness, there were more emphatically stated ideas that fell most agreeably on the ear. I\u2019d very much like to listen to this again, a view probably shared by most of the audience if the intensity of applause that greeted its conclusion is anything to go by.<\/p>\n
In Steven Rush\u2019s Mas Fuente, ferocity was well to the fore with savage attacks on drum surfaces and much energetic use of cymbals. A good deal of the performance was informed by a savage, unyielding intensity \u2013 but there were also moments where softer tones provided some aural relief.<\/p>\n
If the name\u00a0 Pavan Kumar Hari meant little to concertgoers who thronged the auditorium, world premiere performances of three of his works involving both music and dance will almost certainly ensure his name is well remembered \u2013 and for all the best reasons. The middle work \u2013 Vichara \u2013 played on the vibraphone by the composer provided a charming interlude separating the dance offerings.<\/p>\n
I am not in any sense an authority on traditional Indian dance styles which were a significant component of Hari\u2019s Svatantrya and A Little Touch of India but to my uninformed eye, the dancing was fascinating and gripped the attention from the moment performers entered the darkened auditorium from different points while carrying small trays of tiny, lit candles which were deposited on the perimeter of the stage. Then followed dance episodes of grace and power that were both fascinating and satisfying. They were strikingly costumed.<\/p>\n
Of particular quality were Shweta Baskaran\u2019s accompaniments on sitar and Sivakumar Balakrishnanl on tabla.<\/p>\n
Defying Gravity players positioned behind the dancers brought additional sonic muscle to the proceedings. Bravissimo!<\/p>\n
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WAAPA Music Auditorium reviewed by Neville Cohn It is one of Western Australia\u2019s most meaningful musical success stories. For years. Defying Gravity has brought performances of the highest order to invariably full houses. This is a particularly remarkable achievement<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[18,202,205,204,203,177],"class_list":["post-161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-performance","tag-chon","tag-defying-gravity","tag-gabrielle-lee","tag-germaine-png","tag-n-cohn","tag-waapa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Yv33-2B","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101,"url":"https:\/\/ozartsreviewonline.com\/oz\/frederic-chopin-poet-of-the-piano\/","url_meta":{"origin":161,"position":0},"title":"Frederic Chopin: Poet of the Piano","author":"reviewer","date":"June 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Anna Sleptsova (piano)\/Louise McKay (cello) WAAPA classical piano students WAAPA Music Auditorium reviewed by Neville Cohn \u00a0 For many, if not most, concertgoers, Chopin is thought of exclusively in relation to\u00a0 works for piano, whether solo or as concertos. 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Glamorously gowned in yellow, she played on a Stradivarius violin \u2013 \u00a0known as the \u00a0Dragonetti and dating from 1700 \u2013 on loan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Live Performance"","block_context":{"text":"Live Performance","link":"https:\/\/ozartsreviewonline.com\/oz\/category\/live-performance\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Veronika Eberle","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newozartsreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Masters-1_Veronika-Eberle_%C2%A9Felix-Broede_preview-247x300.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":69,"url":"https:\/\/ozartsreviewonline.com\/oz\/grigory-sokolov-piano\/","url_meta":{"origin":161,"position":3},"title":"Grigory Sokolov (piano)","author":"reviewer","date":"March 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Schubert, Beethoven, Rameau DG 479 5426 reviewed by Neville Cohn \u00a0 During the years when I taught music criticism, I would, early on in the course, ask how many of the students had listened to Beethoven\u2019s Hammerklavier piano sonata, either \u2018live\u2019 or\u00a0 recorded. 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