Music / “Four Winds Festival 2021”, Bermagui, April 2-4. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY.
AFTER a spellbinding couple of days at the 2021 Four Winds Festival, the final day, Sunday, April 4, hosted more musical and artistic treats.
To add to the delightful ambience, at the end of Saturday and Sunday’s afternoon performances, in the Windsong Pavilion, music aficionado Graham Abbott held conversations with festival artists and directors over drinks and food.
The Muffat Collective on strings with Hamed Sadeghi playing the Tar, an Iranian lute-like instrument, performed musical interactions between the sounds of the east and west. Responding to Muffat’s playing with improvisatory moments, Sadeghi and the players created an intimate world of unique sounds. With music by Francois Couperin, Bagio Marini and others, they brought a stillness to the festival that matched the nature we were in.
Creative director of the Four Winds Festival, Lindy Hume. Photo: Lisa Herbert.
THE sense of excitement is palpable at the Four Winds office in Bermagui as its inaugural creative director, Lindy Hume, takes over the reins for the 2021 and 2022 Easter fes
tivals.
Hume is one of Australia’s best-known festival and opera directors, with stints heading up Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival, West Australian Opera, Victoria State Opera, OzOpera and Opera Queensland, but she’s no stranger to Canberra.
In 1991 she directed Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” (Cinderella) at the Canberra Theatre for the now-defunct Opera ACT, then in 1995 she directed “A Dinner Engagement” by Lennox Berkeley and “Three’s Company” by Anthony Hopkins for the chamber opera company, Stopera.
Music / “Afternoon Tea at Six” album launch, Eishan Ensemble, at The Street Theatre, February 13. Reviewed by
TONY MAGEE.
THE Tar is an Iranian musical instrument, resembling a long-necked lute. Its sound quality is unique, but certainly includes hints of banjo, mandolin and lute.
In the hands of Iranian tar virtuoso Hamed Sadeghi, he and the instrument took centre stage, delivering spellbinding and evocative sounds of mystique, colour, warmth, passion and beauty.
Sadeghi was wonderfully supported by Michael Avgenicos on alto saxophone, Maximillian Alduca on double bass and Adem Yilmaz on percussions. Each of these artists also had numerous opportunities to showcase their own unique and superb talents throughout each of the eight pieces played on the night.