MOVEMENT - STRINGS IN MOTION (CONCERT)

Musica Da Camera

Holy Covenant Anglican Church, Cook June 27

 

Reviewed by Len Power

It was difficult to sit still at this Musica Da Camera concert with its infectious exploration of rhythm, dance and groove.

Directed by Brad Tham, the four works presented could not have been more different, ranging from Stomp & Slide by Holly Harrison, Five Greek Dances by Nikos Skalkottas, Triptyque for String Orchestra by Yasushi Akutagawa and St Paul’s Suite by Gustav Holst.

Jumping in at the deep end with Stomp & Slide from 2024 by young Australian, Holly Harrison, the chamber string orchestra was not fazed by the demands of this extraordinary composition.  Quirky, unpredictable and intense, it created a world of its own with raw emotion, underlying humour and driving rhythms. This complex work was given a dynamic and confident performance by the orchestra.

Musica Da Camera, conductor Brad Tham

Five Greek Dances by Nikos Skalkottas were composed in the early 1930s. These distinctive dances, depicting musical textures from various parts of Greece, varied from folksy to passionate, melodic and jaunty.  Each dance had intense driving rhythms and the orchestra’s fine performance brought out all the colour and drama in this work.

First performed in 1953, Triptyque for String Orchestra by Japan’s Yasushi Akutagawa, had three distinct movements that were linked by the repeated use of the opening rhythmic figure. The dramatic and driving first movement contrasted with the lyrical and gentle second movement – a lullaby – in which the rhythmic presence was highlighted by the cello and viola players knocking on the body of their instruments. The busy third movement brought back the rhythmic figure in its reversed form, leading to a grand finale. It was well played by the orchestra.

The final work of the concert was Gustav Holst’s St Paul’s Suite. This work in four movements, composed in 1912, combined lively rhythms, rich harmonies and English folk influences. The haunting violin solo of the third movement, Intermezzo, was given a beautiful performance by Jocelyn James and the orchestra gave this popular work a sensitive performance.

 

Photo by Len Power

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 28 June 2026.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

Len Power also presents the weekly Concert Hall program on Artsound FM, playing recordings of some of the best concerts from in and around Canberra. Concert Hall can be heard on Sundays at 8pm and is repeated on Wednesdays at 2pm. 

TIME AND ITS PASSING - CANBERRA QWIRE (CONCERT)

 

Llewellyn Hall June 20

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

Time means many things. It can relate to personal experiences, change memories over a long period, even appear to speed up or slow down. Only one thing is constant - it is unstoppable.

Canberra Qwire’s latest concert honoured time while exploring music that is historical, music that asked questions and music that honoured memory.

The wide-ranging program commenced with Hildegard von Bingen’s 12^th century O Virtus Sapientiae. This atmospheric work took us back in time as the singers gave it a beautiful performance. Leaping forward in time, the Qwire sang Jennifer Lucy Cook’s Time from 2022. This dazzling, intricate work showed the Qwire’s skill to sing accurately as well as enjoyably.

The rest of the first half of the program consisted of fine performances of contemporary works from composers as wide-ranging as Bob Dylan, Enya, Cyndi Lauper, k.d. Lang and John Taverner. Please Stay by Jake Runestad, an anthem for hope and an attempt to destigmatise mental illness, finished with Qwire members’ spoken personal memories of people lost in time. Movingly sung, it was a highlight of the concert.

Canberra Qwire

A string orchestra consisting of members of the National Capital Orchestra opened the second half of the program with the Larghetto from Serenade For Strings Op. 20 by Edward Elgar. This beautiful 1892 work was given a warm, sensitive performance by the orchestra, conducted by Callum Tolhurst-Close.

The final work on the program was Sunrise Mass: Symphonic Mass for Choir and String Orchestra. This 2007 work in four movements by Norwegian composer, Ola Gjeilo, was wide-ranging in its scope. Intimate and gentle one moment and epic in scale at others, this haunting work gave the Qwire the opportunity to show their impressive ability to sing with discipline, clarity and confidence.

Musical director of the Qwire and conductor of most of the works, Callum Tolhurst-Close, had prepared the Qwire very well. Assistant musical director, Lenore Studdert, also conducted some of the works with skill. Hugo Temby was the principal accompanist with Sharwei Lei, assistant accompanist. All made a major contribution to this moving and impressive concert.

 

Photos by Peter Hislop

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 21 June 2026.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

Len Power also presents the weekly Concert Hall program on Artsound FM, playing recordings of some of the best concerts from in and around Canberra. Concert Hall can be heard on Sundays at 8pm and is repeated on Wednesdays at 2pm.

THE GOOD BOY GAME (PLAY)

Written by Patrick Vermillion

Directed by Caitlin Baker

Q The Locals production

The Q, Queanbeyan to 20 June

 

Reviewed by Len Power 18 June 2026

 

A New Jersey, USA teenage boy plans to conduct a mass school shooting, followed by killing his parents. His plan unravels when his parents find out and hold him captive in the attic, trying to de-radicalise him with a therapist’s points-based reward system. That bit is kind of sane, but what follows is a furious and very black comedy that shows that his parents’ definition of good behaviour is just as crazy as the act planned by him.

The four actors deal with the over-the-top script more than competently, using a heightened style of acting, rather than trying to perform this for real. Particularly impressive is Giuliana Baggoley in the marathon role of the mother, who moves deftly from mother to monster to cartoon and back again. Bruce Hardie makes his mark early as the father even though he comes to a sticky end halfway through and Elaine Noon excels as the addled therapist.  Alastair McKenzie is truly frightening with the level of hate he achieves. The director keeps it all surging along at a breath-taking pace on a substantial and well-designed set.

Alastair McKenzie and Giuliana Baggoley

It took a while for the audience to get on the right wavelength and they responded with mostly nervous laughter throughout, almost as if they thought they shouldn’t find this funny. What’s not to like about school shootings, misogyny, sex, abuse, murder, suicide, incest, pornography, physical violence, gun violence and graphic and explicit language?

If any of those things turn you on, then this is the play for you!

 

Photo by Caitlin Baker

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.