YOU might think it a little out-of-the-ordinary for a collaboration the likes of this one – Katie Noonan and the Brodsky Quartet – but it is a collaboration that surely was meant to be. 

And the really striking thing about this concert was that it was not a case of the quartet playing an accompaniment role for the vocalist; it was very much a quintet in the truest sense.

The first half of the programme comprised settings by some very big-name living Australian composers, including Noonan herself, to ten poems by Judith Wright, some of them quite confronting and challenging.  It must have been quite a watershed moment for Judith’s daughter, Meredith McKinney, who joined the audience for what was a remarkable, sublime concert.

And the programming was so thoughtfully prepared and the compositional styles so complementary that, even with the diversity of composers, it could just as easily have been presented as a single ten-part work because it all fitted together perfectly.  The song intros, while interesting and engaging, could have been omitted so as to give the programming a more natural flow.

Noonan’s voice is crystal clear with an impressive range to boot.  She handled the oftentimes abstract vocal line with ease but at the same time with a depth of feeling that reached the soul.  And hints of the vocal line from the quartet were rare.  The second song in the set, “To a Child”, with music by David Hirschfelder was particularly moving.

The Brodsky Quartet were nothing short of brilliant in their contribution, working as they do so well with each other anyway but at the same time being totally tuned in to Noonan’s role.

The second half was very different in programming but no less enthralling than the first.

The quartet started off with a “triptych” of three pieces drawn from larger works by Australian composers, again put together such that it could be presented as a single, three-movement work.  It was almost a pity the audience applauded each “movement”.

Noonan returned to the stage for the remainder of the program of songs by Elvis Costello and Björk, concluding the concert with the well-known song “Fragile” by Sting.  Members of the quartet or the group as a whole wrote the string quartet arrangements for the songs.  The arrangement, by the 2^nd violinist, Paul Cassidy, for “Fragile” was particularly captivating with Noonan inviting the audience to join in the chorus at the end, the strings fading to nothing and the “choir” and Noonan following.  It was a quite remarkable result.

The sell-out audience demanded two encores to a concert the likes of which I have never experienced.  It was an inspiring occasion.