Remarkable pairing of Brodsky Quartet and didgeridoo virtuoso

The Brodsky Quartet (from left) Krysia Osostowicz (violin I), Ian Belton (violin ll), Jacqueline Thomas (cello) and Paul Cassidy (viola).Picture supplied

Gisborne audiences will be the first in New Zealand to see Barton & Brodsky, the incredible pairing of didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton with the Brodsky Quartet, one of the UK’s most renowned string ensembles, when they begin their tour here next week.

This first CMNZ Series concert tour will be presented in seven centres across the motu from March 14-22.

The programme unites icons of the classical canon with Barton’s own music, and features the New Zealand premiere of Andrew Ford’s quartet Eden Ablaze, written after the Australian bushfires of late 2019.

Fellow Australian Peter Sculthorpe’s string quartet resonates alongside New Zealand’s Salina Fisher, while chamber music favourites from Purcell, Janáček, and Stravinsky keep the energy and excitement high from start to finish.

“What I remember so clearly from my uncle (Arthur Peterson) is him telling me that the didgeridoo is a language. It’s a speaking language and like any language, it’s something that you’ve got to learn over many months, and many years. It’s got to be a part of you, and what you do,” says composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist William Barton.

Barton is Australia’s most celebrated didgeridoo virtuoso. The sounds that he creates from this apparently simple, elemental instrument are quite extraordinary; his performances generate awe, even disbelief, in his listeners. His didgeridoo prowess has earned him the honour of performing with prestigious orchestras that include the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle.

With 50 years of music-making to their credit, Britain’s Brodsky Quartet are known for their collaborations with  such artists as Elvis Costello, Björk, and Dawn Upshaw.

The Brodskys, who have for a long-time been enthusiastic advocates of Sculthorpe’s quartets, fulfilled their long time wish to perform with William Barton through several collaborations in recent years.

■ Brodsky & Barton, Thursday March 14 7.30pm, Gisborne War Memorial Theatre