Tag: music

Divertimento

Named for the orchestra put together by Zahia Ziouani, this rather wonderful film, based on a true story, is about a young woman who aspires to be a conductor. As you would expect, she faces many challenges.

Apparently only 6% of conductors are women and 4% of them are French. I’m reminded of our own conductor, Gemma New who is principal conductor of the NZSO. Last year’s BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall was conducted by American conductor Marin Alsop. Finnish female conductor, Dalia Staveska, also featured.

This review commented that the film is “quite moving” – we found it very moving. It is in French with sub-titles which adds to its charm and, as you would expect, there is lots of wonderful music.

Ngā Hau Ngākau

Waraki (Dawn Chorus)

The images in this exhibition (the title translates as ‘Breath of Mine’) take you from the physical to the spiritual world. The more you look the more you see. The patterning and carving elements remind me of this:

There was once a carver who spent a lifetime with wood, seeking out and exposing the figures that were hidden there.

Patricia Grace. Prologue to Potiki. Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd. (1986)

The exhibition space shadows the shape of a whare whakairo (carved meeting house). It’s about manu (birds) “treasured in Māori mythology as messengers that connect the physical and the spiritual realms” says the introduction, and honours the work of musician Hirini Melbourne whose bird waiata I enjoy. He researched early Māori instruments, which often echoed bird sounds, and revived their use as you can hear in the soundscape accompanying the exhibition.

This tiny flute reproduces the sound of the riroriro (grey warbler)
There are intricate details on these tiny carvings

I particularly like the painting of toroa (albatross) having seen them in flight recently at Taiaroa Head, and also the detail of sea life. If you look closely, you can see nets and boats, so exploitative human interaction is there but, mostly, there’s the power of nature such as water and wind and the special character of each bird and animal. The triptich panels echo the kōwhaiwhai panels used for storytelling and oral history in the whare whakairo.

Toroa
Third panel of Ngā Hau e Wha
Bird shape in cascading water and wind

The exhibition is a travelling one, in Christchurch at the pop up Canterbury Museum space at CoCA until the end of April. The link will take you to better photos than mine. You can also hear the music here.

The paintings are by Robin Slow and the carvings are by Brian Flintoff. The musicians are Bob Bickerton, Ariana Tikau, Holly Tikau-Weir and Solomon Rahui.