The Melbourne Chamber Orchestra led an intimate, vivacious performance at their Homeland concert in Fitzroy North, with the world premiere of a new work by First Nations composer Aaron Wyatt.
In a programme evoking a wide range of emotions and reflections – inspired by musical interpretations of ‘home’ from composers across two continents, Europe and Australia – the MCO welcomed audiences into their new satellite venue in Fitzroy North.
An unimposing hall with large, tall windows, the venue will be host to a number of future concerts throughout the year and exhibited much promise in Saturday’s performance, thanks to its impeccable acoustic clarity.
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Presenting just four players from the MCO’s usual cohort of 17, the depth of texture produced by the quartet of twin violins, viola and cello was remarkable.
The strength of camaraderie and synchronicity shared between the players – indeed, a constant characteristic of each performance by MCO players – resulted in a marvellous degree of flexibility and variation.
The most expressive demonstration of the quartet’s balance of high, arcing crests on violin and lower, supportive platforming from cello and viola came in the second movement of the concert’s opening piece, Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 76, No. 4 – Sunrise.
With soft, rising lines for violin buffeted by the dense elastic foundations of cello, it was an exquisitely beautiful parcel of music, brilliantly amplified by the superb acoustics of the intimate performance space at 75 Reid Street.
The highlight of the concert remained the world premiere performance of Noongar composer Aaron Wyatt’s Under the Canopy, commissioned exclusively for the MCO. As was explained in his brief introductory address to the audience, Wyatt’s piece is said to evoke the dense Jarrah forests of his home state, Western Australia.
The piece boldly achieved such a vision, with the solo voice of cello ascending throughout the persistently dynamic middle passage of the work, as though illustrating through sound the upward soar of a bird emerging from forest canopy. Scattered across the work, also, the quavering flutters of violin gave an impression of a light breeze shifting through dry leaves.
As ever, a resounding success in the MCO’s latest world premiere performance of original work by Australian composers.
The Melbourne Chamber Orchestra are performing across 2025. Keep up to date with their upcoming concerts here.
