BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
The New Palm Court Orchestra isn’t too concerned with limiting its program by era or genre. In fact, the group’s Bridging Traditions series has celebrated the differences found in music across the world and throughout the ages – all with a common theme of improvisation within instrumental music. The final concert in the series takes place on 10 September with vocal group The Consort of Melbourne, and will feature works as varied as Morricone’s film music for ‘The Mission’ to folk song ‘Myfanwy’. But it’s not all random. Gemma Turvey – Artistic Director, pianist, AND composer with the New Palm Court Orchestra – explains.
You’re presenting works ranging from Morricone to folk anthems to your own compositions. How do these wildly varied pieces work in one program?
I actually don’t see them as so wildly varied, which is probably why they work! There is a devotion to melody and a synergy in the emotional energy at the core of all the music from the Morricone to the folk anthem ‘Myfanwy’, and my own compositions, which also draw on a folk, Celtic heritage. We present music that we love and want to share with audiences. By programming them all together, in a way it removes the genre ‘barriers’ and helps us appreciate the music more simply for what it is saying.
Why is it important to perform works which include improvisation?
I’m on a mission to make improvisation a friendly word, a friendly concept, to audiences and musicians alike. It is important to me to include improvisation in the majority of the works we perform, not only because that’s what we enjoy most, but to help educate and inspire audiences about the art-form. Improvisation is not the sole property of jazz. It is inherent in folk, renaissance, rock, pop and at a time classical music also. In the NPCO, our improvisations are melodic and ‘tonal’. Improvisation, for me, is using music to communicate freely and in the moment, much as we construct sentences on the fly when we have a spoken conversation. Using improvisation in this way I believe helps to nurture and sustain the use and appreciation of instrumental music as a language, both for the listener and the musicians alike.
What are the challenges of improvising across genres?
There are indeed a few stylistic challenges navigating between a bossa nova and a Welsh ballad, but again, if you can connect with what the piece is trying to ‘say’, then the process of contributing to that with your own musical voice is straight-forward. You have to play and improvise from inside the piece, not impose your improvisation on top of it. Moving between genres does require a mental ‘gear shift’. But this is true even performing a classical piano sonata – moving from a slow second movement to a presto third movement involves a deliberate mental adjustment.
Do you have any helpful tips for improvisation?
The golden rule for improvisation is, if you don’t hear anything, don’t play! One of my first jazz improvisation teachers Stephen Newcomb taught me this very early on. That is to say, if you don’t hear any musical ideas in your inner ear, wait until you do. Also, reserve your judgment for after the fact. It is impossible to improvise well and critique yourself as you go. Recording yourself practising improvising allows you to be wholly in the moment, and be objective once you listen back. Taking the time to transcribe music also is invaluable in helping connect the ‘pathway’ from your inner ear to your instrument, because ultimately when you’re improvising, you’re transcribing your musical ideas in real time.
What are some of the things you’ve discovered in the NCPO Bridging Traditions series?
So much! For one, how truly versatile the musicians in the NPCO are. I feel so privileged to be working with such a talented group. We have had some insightful rehearsals working on the Latin jazz pieces in particular, where the ensemble needs to sit on top of, if not ahead, of the beat, which was against the instinct for some of us. Through our guest soloists I’ve been introduced to some gems of new works, including ‘You Can’t Go Home Again’, a beautiful jazz tune by Don Sebesky, the bridge of which quotes the second movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. I’ve also really enjoyed discovering the choral music of Latvian composer Eriks Esenvalds, plus some very cool Brazilian rhythms and song traditions.
The concert takes place on 10 September at 7.30pm at Deakin Edge, Federation Square. Book at www.trybooking.com/GLLO.
Image supplied.
