Composed by
James Humberstone
Libretto by Nigel Featherstone
Performed by
Michael Lampard and Alan Hicks Directed by Caroline Stacey
Designed by Imogen Keen
Lighting designed by Linda Buck
Presented by
The Street Theatre, 3rd, 4th March, 2018
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
Returning
from his latest tour of Afghanistan, a young soldier travels home to the family
farm, along the Hume Highway. He is looking forward to catching up to
reconnecting with his family, particularly his young brother, and, maybe, his
old girl-friend. But his homecoming is
not as he was expecting, and the unfolding events which lead to a series of
disclosures, provide the basis of this ambitious song cycle.
 |
| Michael Lampard and Alan Hicks performing "The Weight of Light" |
Performed by
Melbourne-based baritone, Michael Lampard, as the soldier, accompanied on piano
by Alan Hicks, the cycle consists of 14 songs superbly sung by Lampard as the
soldier. Simply saying “accompanied on
piano” undersells the contribution of Hicks, who, intriguingly, creates a small
orchestra with his instrument, at various times, pulling strings backwards and
forwards through the piano strings to produce a cello-like drone, placing paper
on the piano strings to create an abrasive, buzzing sound, and even producing
rhythmic effects by drumming inside the piano with tiny mallets.
The work is
performed on a handsome abstract sculptural setting created by Imogen Keen and artfully
lit by Linda Buck. The set provides no obvious references to the places or events
being described in the work, but it does engender a feeling of melancholy and mystery,
particularly in an extraordinary moment when a river of blood appears to flow across
the front of the stage.
Equally,
Humberstone’s luminous score scattered with moments of radiant beauty, is
unrelentingly sombre, and makes extraordinary demands on the two performers.
The singer must negotiate huge interval jumps from falsetto to lower bass,
which Lampard accomplishes with panache, while the pianist must also produce
the additional effects described above, sometimes to the detriment of the
dramatic flow.
How the two
performers negotiate these challenges provides an enthralling visual and aural
experience. However, director Caroline
Stacey has given the work an operatic staging which sets up an expectation of a
clear dramatic storyline, and while she has achieved many lovely visual
moments, their relation to the soldier’s narrative is rarely obvious.
Despite the
descriptions provided in the program, as Featherstone’s lyrics were often
incomprehensible, not through any fault of Michael Lampard, who has excellent
diction, but because of the particular musical demands of the piece; the lack
of any clues as to time, place or
location, made it difficult to engage with the soldier or his story. Surtitles,
or a copy of the lyrics provided to the audience, may have made this a more
satisfying experience.
This review also appears in Australian Arts Review. www.artsreview.com.ay