The pairing of the bittersweet vulnerability of indie-icon
Lior with the colourful vitality of the music of composer Nigel Westlake seemed
odd on paper. But, like some of the best jazz collaborations, the conversation
between these vastly different musicians sparked a unique musical idea. What
started as a small orchestral arrangement of an ancient Hebrew hymn grew into a
seven-part song cycle reflecting on the noble human quality of compassion.
Lior delved into his Middle Eastern heritage to collect
Islamic and Jewish texts and Westlake, best known for his film scores to Babe
and Miss Potter among others, created an orchestral soundtrack to Lior’s voice.
Compassion – Symphony of Songs was performed by the WA
Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday night alongside a set of Lior’s original songs
arranged for orchestra and four-piece band. The pop songs were well-delivered
but light-weight alongside the penetrating intensity of Compassion. Sim Shalom
(Grant Peace) began with Lior’s impossibly high falsetto singing in Hebrew as slow
orchestral chords rose and subsided in waves beneath him. It was like a beam of
light streaming into a dusty synagogue. The audience sat transfixed.
The song cycle continued with the percussion driven Eize Hu
Chacham (Who is Wise?) with Westlake’s distinctive cross-rhythms adding an
African and Balinese vibe and his colourful orchestrations putting flesh to
Lior's haunting melodies.
Lior’s impressive vocal range (he also sang deep pedal notes
for the chant Inna Rifqa) was coloured with eastern inflections,
Katie-Noonan-esque slides and moments of operatic power. He performed the
entire work, including sections of complex changing time signatures, from
memory. Sadly the text of the songs wasn’t included in the program so the
wisdom of the words was lost on most of us.
The concluding Hymn of Compassion was delivered with a
gentle pleading and as Lior’s last note faded the cello picked up the melody
and wound the work to its conclusion. It was the perfect analogy for this
collaboration, where two artists have become so musically connected they
conclude each other’s sentences, and so self-effacing that it is the music that
speaks loudest of all.
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