Melbourne Chamber Orchestra’s (MCO) Under the Canopy intersected clucking violins, accordion-led Bach concertos and traditional Scottish folk; a flurry of heartwarming joy and passion was the consequence. Across a short 2 hours, Melbourne Recital Centre time-travelled its congregation around the globe to baroque-era France and Germany, Australian rainforests and to the Scottish highlands.

At the commencement of the program, it was clearly announced to put all devices where they will not fall, as the concert was to be recorded for future use by ABC Classic Radio. I couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking the pointed message might be for the less tech-savvy, older audience demographic. This was confirmed when I helped my neighbour find the Do Not Disturb button.  

It was only when the musicians walked out that I noticed the absence of a conductor standing before them, and moreover, a conductor at all. The seventeen piece string orchestra was to be confidently led by MCO Artistic Director and violinist, Sophie Rowell. The only explanation for such seamless coordination is deep trust between the ensemble, where eye contact, body movement and collective breath prompted the performance. Cellist Blair Harris sat opposite Rowell, each at either end of the semi-circle, leading their respective sections with  preemptive glances and small smiles. Particularly in the starting pieces by French composer and music theorist Jean-Phillipe Rameau, these inter-musician cues afforded the ‘call and response’ style well. 

The highlight of this suite was “La Poule” or “The Hen” in which plucked violin strings created an uncanny resemblance to egg-passion chickens. You could hear the scratching of feathery coop-mates and bobbly heads, much to the enjoyment of the audience. Even the musicians enjoyed the piece as the standing violinists and violists played with their whole bodies, some preferring rocking on their feet whilst others played with a swoop of their heads and shoulders. Performing standing upright accentuates the level of physicality that is required to evoke the tone of the music, a feat that is often concealed when musicians are seated. 

To maintain the invigorating momentum, Rowell invited James Crabb to the stage, master of the classical accordion. For this collaboration, Carl Phillipp Emmanuel Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in A Major was selected, although the concerto is typically reserved for the harpsichord, piano or violin. Crabb himself arranged the selected movements and surprised the at first chuckling audience with how well the classical accordion suits CPE Bach’s composition. Albeit, CPE Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach, was one for daring and bold performances. Additionally, the accordion quality is quite similar to that of a harpsichord, complete with frilly trills and tinny, staccato notes. 

The classical accordion held tension between wheezing air bellows, imitating the movement of breath. Whilst it was intriguing to analyse every technical aspect on stage, it was just as enjoyable to drift to the subconscious and feel your breath sync to the onstage rhythm. 

MCO’s Under the Canopy series premiered an original composition by Aaron Wyatt—violist, composer and the first Indigenous Australian to conduct a major Australian orchestra. The program’s titular piece explores the wonders of Australia’s landscape through rainforests, rather than the harsh, desert landscape that other Australian composers are often inspired by. Wyatt announced the piece by sharing his inspiration, having grown up in Perth surrounded by expansive rainforests. His muse was the speckles of light that filter through latticed canopies. Emma Sullivan on the double bass provided a deep, steady hum; complimented by fluttering violins. Before long, lyrebirds began to wallow and streams trickled down the wooden panels of MRC’s Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. This culminated in a recurring motif where the layered melodies lined up for a strong harmonic chord; a moment of release and wonder—another example of confident synchronicity throughout the orchestra. The piece ended with an unresolved chord, for there is still much to be discovered and enjoyed under Australian canopies. 

From one hemisphere to the other, James Crabb sailed us back to his home: Scotland. But first, a pit-stop in France to play “In a Tango State of Mind” by Argentinian-born composer and guitarist, Tomas Gubitsch. As Crabb quoted Gubitsch, each movement isn’t necessarily traditional tango, but “it smells of tango”. The first movement titled “Anger”, inspired by Jimmy Hendrix, was brash in a way I never expected strings and a classical accordion to be. “Tristesse” was heavy on the back-trickling chord dissonance with screeching violin tones and sustained notes.  

Finally after a folklore lesson on Trowies—mischievous spirits that would kidnap musicians to feed their affinity to fiddle music—we were deep in traditional Scottish folk which brought jovial applause after each piece. 

Niel Gow’s “Lament for the Death of his Second Wife” encapsulated music surpassing all emotion, as the duet between Crabb and Rowell revered the famous melody. Crabb stared over yonder, his eyes brimming with the lamentation of this nostalgic piece. To witness such passion compelled the whole auditorium to mourn some Scotsman’s second wife in a Southbank theatre 200 years on—for music and humanity will always unite. 

The beauty of classical music is that the experience is individual and uniquely interpreted. WIth no words to prompt a collective, uniformed storyline, each melody can be enjoyed based off of reflection or simply, nothing. MCO’s program cleansed the psyche and cultivated serenity, invigoration and appreciation for the worlds we all come from.