Dark with Excessive Bright (Sydney Festival) ★★★★

Omega Ensemble. ACO on the Pier. Sydney Festival. 18 Jan, 2025.

Program:

Philip Glass – Etudes for solo piano (selections) (1991-2012)

Bryce Dessner – Aheym (2009)

Missy Mazzoli – Dark with Excessive Bright (2018)

Samuel Adams – Lighthouse (2024)

Taking a break from my usual theatrical fare at the Sydney Festival, I slipped into the ACO on the Pier for Omega Ensemble’s programme Dark With Excessive Bright, named after Missy Mazzoli’s contemporary composition. This was performed alongside three other recent works. Bare in mind, I’m approaching these pieces as an enthusiastic audience member rather than a knowledgeable connoisseur of contemporary classical music.

The concert opened with three of Philip Glass’s Etudes for solo piano, performed by Vatche Jambazian, who demonstrated a range of exacting tones. As an opener, it set the tone for the entire performance while subtly underplaying its hand. Mixing lyrical moments with darker, disquieting phrases, the piano pieces gave way to the second work: Bryce Dessner’s quartet Aheym. From the start, Aheym launched with full force and maintained its unsettled rhythm throughout, never letting up.

The third piece, the titular Dark With Excessive Bright, is a Grammy-nominated, sweeping double bass concerto (led by Jaan Pallandi), which expanded into an almost cinematic scope. Pallandi’s virtuosity on the double bass was a stunning spectacle, particularly for a neophyte like myself. Of the four works, this was by far my favourite.

The performance concluded with Samuel Adams’ recent composition Lighthouse, an original commission by Omega Ensemble from 2024. Neil Thompson took the lead on viola, with the piece’s rhythmic themes playing with light and shade.

All in all, it was a gorgeous afternoon of meditative music – the perfect reprieve from the summer humidity outside and yet another reason to immerse yourself in Sydney’s diverse classical music scene.