Review: The Perth Guitar Quartet’s West Australian Landscapes
The Perth Guitar Quartet (PGQ) had a sell-out performance last Friday night (28th of July) for their spectacular album launch concert titled West Australian Landscapes. The concert contained four works, three of which were world premieres.
The concert was a testament to the talent that Perth breeds out of its cultural ether. This ‘punching above our weight’ phenomena occasionally rears its beautiful head and is something to behold for anyone lucky enough to witness. This was a stunning performance and presentation of original local music from a talented quartet. Not only do I think this concert achieved a status unique to classical guitar concerts in Perth, it did so in a way that not only local punters appreciated, but will no doubt put Perth on the radars of concert goers from all over the globe. Indeed, during the concert, I had the pleasure of sitting with and meeting internationally celebrated classical guitarists Colin Davin (USA) and Petra Polockova (Czech Republic) who both seemed just as thrilled and excited by the concert as I was – an experience I’m sure they will be talking about to their respective homeland friends and colleagues.
Opening the concert was Three Moods written by Melbourne based composer Robert Davidson. Check out a performance by the PGQ of the first movement below! As Robert Davidson writes:
“[I was] Inspired by my first visit to Western Australia at age 14. My strongest impression was of the beauty of the Swan River, which I was fortunate enough to explore by boat. Sunlight reflected on the water, along with nostalgic memories of adolescence, [these] were very much in mind as I created melodies and accompaniments.”
It’s clear that Robert Davidson is still at the height of his composing powers. This piece of music successfully evokes this nostalgia that I’m sure will appear into my musical imagination in moments I find myself staring out into the ripples and waves of the Swan River, contemplating as I often do when I’m lucky enough to be sitting on its peaceful shores.
Second on the list, a piece by local composer Lydia Gardiner titled The Town of Wind. Gardiner has had a fascination with the leaning trees in Greenough ever since seeing them in 2011. If you have ever driven down the 400km Brand Hwy, you might have experienced the same dream-like emotion when seeing the trees. One way Lydia evokes this dream-like effect in her composition is by having the guitars slightly out of tune with one another, resulting in a sound she describes as having “a shimmering quality”. Vibrant, experimental and highly original.
The third piece, Ensemble, by another local legend Nicholas Bannan, was evocative and successfully imitates the “controlled chaos observable in the flocking of birds”. I recommend listening to the track whilst reading what Bannan has to say about it:
“Ensemble reflects The West Australian Context in which it was composed: The initial unison theme is broken down into individual lines…. When the flock departs, we are left with the silence of the landscape, but able to recapture sonic memories that we can simultaneously experience.”
The fourth and final piece of the evening, although not a premiere, had a special place in the program. Stone, Shell, Bone and Feather composed by Duncan Gardiner not only tied into the “West Australian Landscapes” theme in an effective way, but it was also a stunning tribute to the Perth Guitar Quartet ex-member who tragically passed away early last year. The last performance had the audience, close friends and even members of the quartet in tears and gave another depth to this soothing and melancholy piece of music which was inspired by The East Perth Cemeteries and commissioned by the National Trust of Australia (WA) back in 2016.
With this concert and album, the PGQ have introduced three outstanding new works inspired by the diverse landscapes and landmarks of our state. PGQ’s precise, creative and expressive execution of these unique compositions enthralled everybody in the audience – whether they were your local punter or even internationally recognised guitarists. Give this album a listen and don’t miss out the next time the PGQ put on another show!
