Music and muse

BY BOB IRVINE

Fiona Pears and band, Woollaston Estates, Monday January 4.

From pub gig to a double at Fairfield Park and now a concrete bunker at the secretive Woollaston vineyard, this is the fourth time I've seen Fiona Pears perform.

When her fingers start to fly around that violin, her musicality is astounding, and she has an energy on stage that audiences can't help but respond to.

She says that she can't pin down her style. It swings from wistful self-penned songs about her homeland to fiery Romanian dances, tangos, a Whisper Waltz fused with quirky sounds, the flashy Sabre Dance from Khachaturian, and a melodic love tune, More Than A Memory, the latter following a toast from us all to Fiona and pianist-arranger Ian Tilley, who wed a week ago.

``Finally,'' Pears joked. ``I actually wanted him to ask me five years ago, so no-one can call me impatient.''

She then proceeded to shred her bow and ignite the hall with a jaunty number called Nelson Fun.
Through all of these mood changes, the tight band were right on the pace. (The bulk of them make up the Mike Ferrar Trio, who have to be worth checking out in the festival.)

Pears calls our region her second home, after Lyttelton, with frequent sojourns in Europe.
However, I wonder whether she hasn't become too cosy here.

Her between-tunes chat last night became waffling monologues longer than the tunes themselves. They dragged down the act.

I confess a broad prejudice against stage patter from any band. It should be restricted to the title of the song and perhaps a short backgrounder.

Let the work speak for itself. If you have to explain it, you haven't done your job as a performer or composer. (That goes for art as well.)

Pears' discourses are not particularly illuminating  the bulk of her thank-yous should be made privately, and her tone, at worst, is a short hop from patronising.

It distresses me to make those comments, because I'm a fan. 

Towards the end of a long evening, the tepid response to the rousing encore setup number suggested a shared disquiet.

Based on the music alone, the evening was a delight. Regrettably, the music was not alone.

- © Fairfax NZ News