Music / Airs and Graces, Art Song Canberra. At Wesley Music Centre, September 1. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY.

In a concert of vocal delights by Monteverdi, Lambert, Charpentier, Dowland, Purcell and many more, the music plunged the audience into the depths of love, loss and life.

The performers were Michael Burden, countertenor; Liam Green, harpsichord and Ruby Brallier, viola da gamba.

The countertenor voice defies typical gender expectations as it bridges the male and female vocal ranges, producing a sound that is simultaneously ancient and modern, ethereal and powerful.

The countertenor voice fits perfectly with ancient and baroque music. This was on display in the opening work by Charpentier (1643-1704), titled, The One who Causes all my Torment. Without accompaniment for the first few bars, it beguiled in its beauty of sound. The gamba and harpsichord sounded as continuo underneath the floating countertenor voice, which created a mellow and even beginning to the concert.

Then a solo harpsichord work by Purcell titled, Music for a While, added a delicate musical interlude. This type of programming where instrumental works break up the vocal pieces make for a nice representation of music from the period and a chance for the singer to rest his voice.

With 16 works presented by 14 composers, it’s hard to acknowledge them all; hence, the focus should be on the music’s impact and the performance quality. All performers delivered music of high quality, and they made an exemplary trio. They balanced the style of the vocal and instrumental pieces throughout the concert, which reflected the subtle beauty of each work quite remarkably.

Long flowing vocal lines against the sharpness of the harpsichord and the gamba’s bowed low notes underneath filled the audio spectrum beautifully. This effect came through especially well in John Dowland’s song, Flow my Tears. Its subtle beauty defied description.

The choice of songs covered many unusual aspects. Such as Thomas Morley’s, Will you Buy a Fine Dog?, and Monteverdi’s, That Haughty Little Glance. These created a much light-hearted atmosphere.

After the interval, six works that followed the design of the first half led to greater musical treats.

Some of the songs required singing gymnastics. Burden jumping high in his vocal register was not an issue, and his expressions and gestures perfectly synchronised with the music. At times he was near the bottom of the tenor range, then high up in the soprano. He skilfully handled the demands of these early composers.

This was another gorgeous program from Art Song Canberra who need to be congratulated for continuing to bring so much quality music to our national capital. The large audience begged for more and the trio didn’t disappoint with a short, bright encore.