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Concert tribute to the 14th
Dalai Lama It's not often that one gets to be in the same room as a god - even when it is a particularly large room, such as the Opera House Concert Hall. The everyday worldliness of hats, coats and merchandise was quickly dismissed by an invocation from the Gyuto Monks of Tibet, their deep, mesmerising reverberation seeping into the bones. And then a smallish, bespectacled figure was ushered onto the stage. Despite a splendid line-up of artists, the main attraction was always going to be His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, staying up past his bedtime to enjoy Meryl Tankard's and Michael Askill's specially created work. A few brief words, a blessing, and the little piece of divinity departed, leaving the artists with a challenge, namely to maintain that precious atmosphere of awe and inspiration. Ocean Dance was an effective response: the energies of Synergy Percussion, the Gyuto Monks, Sydney Children's Choir and shakuhachi master Riley Lee, combined in a fine spectacle. Indeed, it was sometimes hard to know where to look, with each performer carrying out their role with ceremonial reverence. Dancer Felicia Palanca was the focal point, with delicate moves gradually developing into a whirling, ecstatic dance. The second half followed the journey from life to death and thence to rebirth, interspersing readings with musical interludes, like precious offerings of beauty and truth. Bach's Chaconne, a Debussy prelude, a Strauss song - all samples of Western consciousness transcending the everyday, which in the hands of Richard Tognetti, Simon Tedeschi and Deborah Cheetham evoked a magic equal to that of the Gyuto Monks' chants. The concert closed with a welcome repeat of Ross Edwards's Dawn Mantras, a meditational work which stretched out a hand to bridge the gap between many diverse cultures united in their search for enlightenment. Location of article on the Sydney Morning Herald Website: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/27/1022243312296.html  ~ | CLOSE WINDOW | ~  |