Gig Review: Rhian Sheehan - Standing in Silence Live
Last week I mentioned Rhian Sheehan's show (as part of a post mentioning some of the weekend gigs). Well, I got along to the show - so let's have a review. My apologies to the eager readers, posting yesterday asking for a review - I take this to mean some Blog on the Tracks readers checked it out and have something to say about it. I am not sure if it was reviewed in The Dominion Post. But it should have been - an internationally recognised artist who lives fulltime in Wellington sells out (or near enough to) the Opera House. I think that deserves a review, don't you?
So, here we go then.
Rhian Sheehan: Standing in Silence
The Opera House
Saturday, June 21
It's no secret that I'm a fan of the album Standing in Silence by Rhian Sheehan. In fact, I've mentioned it often here at Blog on the Tracks - honouring it with my own fictitious award for Best Esoterica album after it was snubbed at last year's NZ music awards; listing it in my Best Kiwi Albums I Have Ever Reviewed and of course in my Best of 2009 list. So part of the reason I took a day off and didn't write about this live show straight away was because I figured someone very clever would piece it all together and figure I was a fan - and that it was not fair of me to write about the show. Then I remembered that when I slam things I am told off for not seeing it from the point of view of a fan...
Rhian Sheehan's third full-length studio album (if you are not counting the remix project, Music for Nature Documentaries, which I am not) is the album that saw him move away from bedsit electronica to a widescreen approach: contemporary classical music - a soundtrack album for a film that doesn't exist.
Last year Sheehan staged a live version of the album at Downstage Theatre.
Last weekend he played to a packed Opera House in Wellington, performing the album-as-a-show once again, moving through its parts, adding live drums and live singing - well, in fact everything about it was live; from knee-tapping percussion through to acoustic guitars; from concert grand piano and a string section through to Jeff Boyle from Jakob on hand to recreate the crucial sonic textures he added to the album.
To accompany the pieces the show featured a big screen presentation - essentially each part of the album (the tracks are listed as Parts 1-14) receiving its own music video. Some of the pieces, such as Part 3 (also known as Niva's Tune) have their own videos already (see here); same with Part 4; so these were projected on the large screen behind the musicians. But this was not just a run through the album. The parts flowed into one another - there were new sounds and new versions of sounds from the album. And in performance it very much showed that while it is an album made of 14 parts, it is supposed to be listened to as one piece; one long track. It excerpts well - but it also flows very well.
The scale of the production is to be applauded; the credits and design of the projections really did make the visuals feel like an actual movie had been made to fit a soundtrack that had previously scored facets of Sheehan's imagination.
So it gets the big tick from me. Even though I had seen (a version of) the show before - and reasonably recently - I was still captivated by Standing in Silence Live; at times I was close to choked up by the near-overload of emotions that swell up as the music moves into and through its audience. And I definitely came away with some new favourite parts - as opposed to my home-listening when the album-version of Standing in Silence is on.
I liked the wash of it. And yet even when close to zoning out there was always something on stage to take in - whether it be the projections or the musicians.
Finally, even with this very staged, rehearsed show - far more a piece of live theatre than a gig, say - I could see (as well as hear) the musicians grooving, having a good time. It was visible. It was palpable.
The standing ovation told the story. Well, for me anyway.
Opening act Jess Chambers kept the crowd quiet, I would say close to mesmerised. She has grown in confidence hugely in the handful of times I have seen her play live (over the last couple of years). She has a beautiful voice and the delicate arrangements are part of the magic of watching her live. The songs are not so much fragile as just perfectly, exquisitely built. I didn't know there was going to be an opening act, so I was close to grumpy when Chambers started. Not at her, just at the fact that I was unaware of this. (Really, it came down to me wanting to try to get to The Bellbirds as well - also mentioned in last week's
gig preview post). It took a matter of seconds before I was hooked into Jess Chambers' musical world. She seemed to cast a spell over most of the audience.
So what did you think? Did you get along to it? Are you pleased you did? Perhaps you didn't like it at all. The point of writing reviews here to post on Blog on the Tracks is that you get to have your say too. So post your own mini-review below.
And I'll finish by saying that I would hope this show will go to Auckland, to Christchurch; maybe to Hawke's Bay, Wanaka, Hamilton...even Ngawi...(Nga, that seems unlikely...)
Click here for Rhian Sheehan's MySpace website
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Beautifully described - your blog is as artistic and descriptive as the music itself. Top marks! :)
Yes please. Bring it to Auckland.
This was a great, international quality show!
It was brilliant (apart from some weird and obnoxious drunks in the crowd - and with $45-50 tickets in a sitting-down venue too (??)).
Like you I found that some parts on the album that weren't my favourites (though still good) turned out to be favourites in the live show (Part 2 and Part 11).
Also, special credit to Jess Chambers - I'm familiar with her voice through Rhian's work and The Upbeats', but was really impressed by her live (but brief) set (especially 'Island' - which was stuck in my head all weekend and into Monday as a result). I too was a bit grumpy there was an opening act, but didn't care after the first song was half-way through.
All-in-all 8-9/10 from me.
Now, where can I get a hold of Rhian's new compositions (using the music-box and string section so well again...)
That show was amazing! Words do not describe. They've got to take that show international. Never seen anything like it.
@Poneke Agree. Was mesmerising! I really enjoyed the visuals though, but maybe that's because I wasn’t as familiar with the album as you seem to be. But I have it now, been listening all day. Lovely. :-)
Auckland please!!!
I loved it. They are all very talented people, and Rhian's vision for the show was fantastic. I like your description of it as contemporary classical music. Its not electronica. I also agree that moments stood out in the context of the live show that didnt necessarily stand out on the album. A little shout out to the rather unfriendly chap who leaned forward, tapped my friend on the shoulder and told him to "shut the f*&$ up". I agree, I hate talkers, but what was with the agression? All you needed to do was say, "hey mate do you mind keeping it down" and you would have had an obliging "oh sure, im sorry", kind of response. Dark vibes are not appropriate at a gig like that!
Bring it to Christchurch! You are from here after all..
Phew. I thought you'd never get round to it!
LOVED the show. Seeing the album performed live revealed a few hitherto concealed mysteries (I missed the Downstage version last year): so it's a music box that opens the album - who knew? And all those lush, densely-constructed sonic backgrounds are simply produced by electric guitar and effects board. And the body percussion - clever.
I could have skipped the visuals - for me they added little. It was all about watching the musicians recreate the now-so-familiar and haunting sounds.
I'm a classically-trained muso and go to many 'classical' music concerts - so I did find the applause between parts irritating. In a work such as this, where one part sometimes merges into the next, applause is distracting - sometimes silence is required to digest what you've just heard. But that's just me.
This concert was up there with the 2002 Festival performance by Stroma, Strike et al, of Psyzygyzm by John Psathas - simply mesmerising.
More please :)