Music / “Hearing the Land”, CSO Chamber Ensemble, with Djinama Yilaga choir. At National Museum of Australia, September 1. Reviewed by TONY MAGEE.

THE vibrancy of Australian landscapes have inspired countless musical compositions. We live on an ancient continent, ever shaped by powerful and extreme forces, a place of great biodiversity and beauty.

Inspired by the desert, Canberra composer Michael Sollis has created “Mirage”, composed in 2012. A work for just two players, Michael’s wife Kiri Sollis on flute and Veronica Bailey on vibraphone, the piece was a musical conversation with question-and-answer dialogue as well as intense discussion, interspersed with moments of reflection and thought. 

There were also dream-like sequences, closing with a flute solo over vibraphone chords, slowly dwindling into emptiness. Expertly played by both, the piece received a warm reception from the audience.

Composed in 2018, “Songs for Silent Earth” by Natalie Williams has attempted to confront us with the consequences of a disharmonious relationship with the natural world.

Featuring Edward Neeman at the piano, Doreen Cumming on violin and Patrick Suthers on cello, it was a work of melodic beauty starting with mellifluous interplay between violin and cello before intensifying into solo passages from all three players, mixing mystical and wondrous phrases, sometimes of an almost science-fiction quality, over florid, arpeggiated and delicate piano shadings.

First Nations’ artist Eric Avery composed “Mists 1” in 2021, as a reaction to a moving and personal perspective on place and learning.

A Ngiyampaa, Gumbaynggirr, Bandjalang and Yuin artist, he is also trained in classical violin and dance.

Scored for piano and violin with the addition of Ben Hoadley on bassoon, it was a short, lively piece, beautifully played. 

“Solace” by Kirsten Milenko, looks at the earth’s amazing capacity to regenerate, even after extreme weather events and poses a musical question: do we perceive ourselves as guardians or owners of the natural world?

Composed in 2018, the piece began with a low piano rumble, joined by violin and cello, seemingly wandering through a landscape of wasteland and destruction. Later, the music captures the first gentle hints of regrowth and regeneration.

Playing in pianissimo throughout, the players evoked moments of despair, contrasted with gentle imagery and symbolism of hope. It could have meant many different things to many people.

In an addition to the program, Djinama Yilaga Choir, directed by renowned Walbunga/Ngarigo artist Cheryl Davison, sang an absolutely delightful set of four pieces. Numbering nine singers from children to adults, their harmonies were rich and beautifully in tune.

The finale to their set, “Marindamu”, included the return of the full CSO chamber ensemble, plus Melanie Horsnell on guitar. Arranged by Canberra composer Sally Greenaway, the piece featured beautiful harmonies throughout. It was joyful and uplifting music with the choir and the classical musicians all integrating perfectly.

Composer Deborah Cheetham is a Yorta Yorta woman and also a noted soprano. In a world premiere, her piece “Emergence” (also deliberately enveloping the word “emerging”) is a reaction to the vastly different world in which we live, post-pandemic. 

Cheetham musically reflects on “the new normal” and what many are searching for – certainty. “Emergence” is intended to celebrate certainty, but at the same time capture the feelings of emotional distress and abandonment.

A new work commissioned by the NMA, this fitting finale to the evening featured the full CSO Chamber Ensemble. With a florid piano part, other instruments were featured in solo passages. Sometimes evoking imagery of confusion, there was mostly a richness and vibrancy about the work, creating a feeling of hope for the future.

The CSO’s “Australian Series” has captured the hearts of many music lovers, resulting in this concert being totally sold out.