A nicely mild autumn evening unfurls around Sydney's CBD, as the crowd assembles for theremin prodigy Carolina Eyck.
Encompassed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Eyck will perform a varied selection from Saint-Saëns to the Beach Boys at City Recital Hall (14 May).The Orchestra enters, led by the legendary Richard Tognetti, who also plays first violin. Eyck enters to rapturous applause, her blue velvet pants shining in the light.
The performance commences with the string players taking turns hitting abrasive staccato notes in an almost creepy manner. It's stimulating and intriguing, as Brett Dean's 'Komarov's Last Words' unfolds into a tumbling commotion of sound. The piece foreshadows much of tonight's string-work.
The show turns to Glinka's 'The Lark', bringing in a romantic and wistful feeling, as Tamara-Anna Cislowska displays exceptional virtuosity on the grand piano.
The theremin makes its entrance, Eyck displaying the beautiful tonality of which the instrument is capable. It is spellbinding, her fingers and hands moving rapidly in precise increments. It is such a wonder to see an instrument played so expansively without being touched.
Eyck introduces the theremin, asking: "Who knows what this is, and how it works?" After a pair of hands are raised, she continues: "And who has one at home?" Only one attendee it would seem, and the crowd laughs. Eyck is charming and personable, patiently explaining the mechanics for what can only be her thousandth time.
The theremin works by the player manipulating the electromagnetic field around two antennas, one controlling the frequency, or pitch, and the other the amplitude, or volume. Understanding how it works only makes the instrument more fascinating, and the playing more wonderful.
Eyck mimics Maxime Bibeau's double bass playing in 'The Elephant' from 'The Carnival Of The Animals', and the bottom registers of the instrument become apparent. It is a versatile instrument that can move microtonally, and Eyck's technique makes it sound exactly like the instruments around her.
'The Swan' allows Eyck to display an operatic vocal quality that, melded with this timeless melody, moves you deeply inside. The ACO and Tognetti are owed much thanks for facilitating this experience here tonight.
Eyck exits the stage, as the ensemble plays Schulhoff's 'Five Pieces For String Quartet'. The tension is palpable, as the violins take an almost battle stance against the responding cellos and violas. Tognetti's dynamic direction is superb, allowing poignant space between moments.
Eyck returns for Rózsa's 'Spellbound Concerto', and the true magnificence of the instrument's beauty is revealed. It is hypnotic.
After the intermission, the ensemble, bar Eyck, return with Widmann's '180 Beats Per Minute', which shoots the performance right into high gear. Tognetti and his strings play fast and furious – it is a joy to watch.
Eyck enters and performs Holly Harrison's piece 'Hovercraft', which was commissioned especially for Eyck to perform with the ACO. It is filled with otherworldly textures, perfectly demonstrating the instruments various tonal capabilities. Eyck employs some distortion in the low end, and it is a memorable section. The piece ends with a bang, Harrison joining onstage to be acknowledged for her wonderful composition.
The ensemble perform Akutagawa's 'Triptyque', another relentless selection that demands excellence, which is delivered as the melancholic strings descend into frenzy.
Eyck then shares her journey of becoming a thereminist at the age of seven, with her first concert at eight, an almost disaster occurring when her theremin began playing a radio signal instead of her childish brilliance – but continue performing Eyck did, and we are all the better for it.
The 'Star Trek' theme suits well, Brian Nixon pumping away on the percussion. Eyck plays an original 'Strange Birds', full of delightful textures, before Morricone's 'The Ecstasy Of Gold' is powerful in this reimagining. Eyck dances fluidly with her hands, the physicality as much a part of the show as the performance itself.
Eyck employs an entertaining trick of the eye that won't be disclosed during 'Flight Of The Bumblebee'; The Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations' never sounded so good, ending a Tognetti special cacophony, as the lights burst green and gold.
Eyck returns for the encore, humorously delivering the 'Midsomer Murders' theme, much to the crowd's delight.
The entire evening was a once in a lifetime experience from a true artist and icon backed by many other virtuosos. Many will look forward to what other delights the Australian Chamber Orchestra has planned for the future.
