Presented by Hands Percussion and the OzAsia Festival
Reviewed Saturday 18th September 2010
http://www.ozasiafestival.com.au
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre, Grote Street, Adelaide
Season: to Sat 18th September
Duration: 75mins incl interval
The concentration on the faces of the performers was a guide to the complexity of the pieces, not only the intricacy of the drumming but also the choreography that accompanied the playing. At the core were a goodly number of Chinese drums, large wooden barrel-shaped affairs with the skins attached by studs and played with heavy sticks. Anyone who has seen Japanese Taiko drummers will be familiar with these instruments. Soloists were placed on a raised rostrum across the rear and an ensemble of drummers was at the front half of the stage.
Artistic director, Goh Seang Heong, provides programme notes on the meanings behind each of the five sections although, to the Western ear attuned to listening primarily to melody over a harmonic structure, where percussion is there only to provide a rhythmic beat to the music, it is not always easy to make the connection. The evening still works just as well, however, as a performance of impressive percussion technique and exciting musical dialogue between the performers.
The second half started rather slowly, the lights going up to reveal a single performer in a headstand on one of the drums, surrounded by several others. In slow motion he righted himself and proceeded to execute a series of moves and poses to the sound of echoing, dripping water. This went on rather too long indicated by the coughing and fidgeting in the audience which increased significantly. The next item was a drum solo by a blindfolded drummer and, again, the novelty of this seemed to wear off well before the end of his performance. After this it was back, once again, to ensemble work, with which the audience seemed to be much happier.
Aside from the Chinese drums the ensemble played instruments found in Indonesian Gamelan orchestras, Latin American Timbales and Bongos, and one section even included an Indian Sitar, making this a multicultural event given a Malaysian perspective. It was an appreciative audience that left the theatre talking in glowing terms about the performance.
Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Arts Editor, Glam Adelaide.
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