Didgeridoo Meets Violin in Eclectic Concert

The Brodsky Quartet and William Barton recently presented a concert that defied conventional genres, weaving together folk music, compositions by Janáček, and pieces from Australia and New Zealand. This unusual program featured the quartet's violins, viola, and cello alongside Barton's yiḏaki, or didgeridoo, demonstrating an unexpected kinship between these instruments.

The evening began with Barton's evocative didgeridoo monologue, which set a vast and atmospheric tone within the Temple Church's acoustics. This segued into a Purcell Fantasia, followed by Robert Davidson's lyrical "Minjerribah," where the didgeridoo played a crucial role. Janáček's String Quartet No. 1 provided a contrasting, spikier element.

Further highlights included Paul Cassidy's arrangement of "She Moved Through the Fair" and Barton's own "Square Circles Beneath the Red Desert Sand." Peter Sculthorpe's "Jabiru Dreaming" resonated with restless propulsion, while Salina Fisher's "Tōrino" recreated the sounds of the Māori pūtōrino. Andrew Ford's "Eden Ablaze" poignantly addressed the 2019-20 bushfires, concluding with a moving encore of Sculthorpe's "From Nourlangie."