2023 Life Logs, Day 92: An Afternoon ‘Down Under’
Date: Sunday, April 2, 2023
Weather: Sunny and Windy; High 50, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Cape Symphony under the direction of visiting conductor Carolyn Watson, originally from Australia, and featuring performances by William Barton, an Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo virtuoso, presented an afternoon of music from the land “down under.”
Heather invited me to go along to the performance with them since they had an extra ticket–Sam had soccer game. Lucky me. The orchestra and conductor were great, but William Barton was the highlight as he performs like a musical magician. He can make sounds through the didgeridoo like none I have ever heard. Plus, he can play the guitar and the didgeridoo at the same time, has a beautiful singing voice, singing in his tribal language, and was the composer of some of the pieces he and the orchestra performed. Barton, only 41 years old, was born in Queensland and learned to play from his uncle, an elder of the Wannyi, Lardil and Kalkadunga tribes of Western Queensland. If you are not familiar with a didgeridoo, it is a musical instrument made from a hollowed out piece of wood.
I have tried to play one but found it incredibly difficult. Traditionally the wooden tube was hollowed out by termites, but these days humans help with the tunneling. I became fascinated with didgeridoo music when Mark and I visited with Heather when she was in college in Queensland. Barton is one of the most commanding performers I have ever seen and his talents filled our afternoon with fantastic music. There were also other Australian pieces played by the orchestra plus one from New Zealand, SYMPHONIC SUITE FROM THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, which was accompanied by photos showcasing NZ’s natural beauty.
Afterwards, we met up in Hyannis with Sam, Sebi, and Sebi’s mom who was their transport to the afternoon soccer game. Heather and Jed treated us all to dinner in Hyannis before returning home. It was a wonderful afternoon. Thank you, Heather and Jed.
