The Perth Guitar Quartet (PGQ) had a sell-out performance on Friday 28th of July for their spectacular album launch concert titled West Australian Landscapes. The concert contained four works, three of which were world premieres.
The second song played was a piece by local composer Lydia Gardiner titled The Town of Wind. Gardiner has had a fascination with the leaning trees in Greenough ever since seeing them in 2011. If you have ever driven down the 400km Brand Hwy, you might have experienced the same dream-like emotion when seeing the trees. One way Lydia evokes this dream-like effect in her composition is by having the guitars slightly out of tune with one another, resulting in a sound she describes as having “a shimmering quality”. Vibrant, experimental and highly original.
The final piece of the evening, although not a premiere, had a special place in the program. Stone, Shell, Bone and Feather composed by Duncan Gardiner not only tied into the “West Australian Landscapes” theme, but it was also a stunning tribute to the Perth Guitar Quartet ex-member who tragically passed away early last year. The last performance gave another depth to this soothing and melancholy piece of music which was inspired by The East Perth Cemeteries and commissioned by the National Trust of Australia (WA) back in 2016.
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