Riley Lee and Enigma Quartet to Blend Japanese with European Music at the Independent Theatre

In one of the most ambitious commissioning and performance projects in recent years, world-renowned shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) master, Riley Lee, has joined forces with the Enigma Quartet to create an entirely new genre of music. And they will perform in November as part of the popular monthly Prelude in Tea series at North Sydney's spectacular Independent Theatre.

With 10 contemporary works (including the premiere of 8 new, original compositions), this project features some of Australia's most highly-regarded composers alongside exciting emerging talents as well as incorporating music from film composers.

The concept of 'Five Elements' was derived from the belief in many ancient cultures that the entire universe was made of just five fundamental elements, in this case Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Ether. This idea resonated with having five ensemble members on stage. Each composer has taken a different element as their starting point and interpreted this freely. The artists also invite audience members to reflect (through the musical performance) on sustainability, the natural environment around us and the impermanence of life itself.

The unique feature of this project is the combination of shakuhachi and string quartet. A real synergy exists between the exotic and oriental flavour of the shakuhachi and the familiarity of the string quartet; the juxtaposition of Eastern Zen Buddhism with Western Classicism is striking. Experience new sound worlds created through the union of the meditative sounds and gestures of the shakuhachi and the rich harmonic and timbral palette offered by the broad range of the string quartet.

The 'Five Elements' composers are Ross Edwards, Anne Boyd, Gerard Brophy, Stuart Greenbaum, Katy Abbott, David Hirschfelder, Holly Harrison, Andrew Howes, Elena Kats-Chernin and Lachlan Skipworth.

Dr. Riley Lee is Australia's pre-eminent shakuhachi (Japanese flute) player. Consummate teacher, performer and collaborator with other musicians of all genres, he was the first non-Japanese to attain the rank of dai shihan or Grand Master. Enigma Quartet comprises Marianne Broadfoot (violin), Kerry Martin (violin), Elizabeth Woolnough (viola) and Rowena Macneish (cello).

Prelude in Tea takes place the last Sunday of every month: a scrumptious afternoon tea served from 2:30pm, followed by a stellar chamber music concert at 3:30pm. Tickets are priced from just $16 (afternoon tea included). It's the perfect Sunday afternoon out!

IF YOU GO:

The Independent Theatre's Prelude in Tea series presents

The Five Elements - Riley Lee and the Enigma Quartet

Sunday 26 November from 2.30pm

Tickets: $47 Adult, $30 Concession, $22 student and $16 child.

Concert 3.30pm; afternoon tea (included) from 2.30pm

The Independent Theatre, 269 Miller St North Sydney

Bookings: www.theindependent.org.au or phone 9955 3000

About The Five Elements - Riley Lee and Enigma Quartet

RILEY LEE

Dr Riley Lee is Australia's pre-eminent shakuhachi (Japanese flute) player and has a very significant understanding of - and profile in new music. Riley is a consummate teacher, performer and collaborator with other musicians of all genres. In 1980, he became the first non-Japanese to attain the rank of dai shihan or Grand Master. Riley began playing the shakuhachi in Japan in 1971, studying was with Chikuho Sakai until 1980, and has been a student of Katsuya Yokoyama since 1984. He is the recipient of two of the oldest and most venerated lineages of traditional shakuhachi, which can be traced back to the Zen Buddhist komusô, or "priests of nothingness" of the Edo period in Japan. Riley's studies with traditional teachers in Japan have included such peculiar methods as practicing barefoot in the snow, blowing into his flute under waterfalls and in blizzards until icicles form at its end, and running the Boston Marathon and then playing taiko drums at the finish line.

With Ian Cleworth, he co-founded Australia's dynamic Japanese festival drum group, TaikOz, in 1997. It has since become one of Australia's premier performance groups, acclaimed both at home and in Japan, performing with the Bell Shakespeare Theatre, in the production Kaidan (Ghost Stories) choreographed by Meryl Tankard and in Chi Udaka, a collaboration with Lingalayam, the Australian-based South Indian Dance troupe directed by Anandavalli. Riley lives with Patricia in beautiful Manly NSW Australia, facing both the Tasman Sea and Sydney Harbour.

ENIGMA QUARTET

Marianne Broadfoot (violin), Kerry Martin (violin), Elizabeth Woolnough (viola) and Rowena Macneish (cello)

After welcoming cellist Rowena Macneish in 2011, the quartet won second prize in the prestigious Musica Viva Chamber Music Competition and were selected as Musica Viva Rising Stars in 2012, launching their performing career & introducing them to the St. Lawrence, Goldner, Enso and Takács Quartets for invaluable masterclass opportunities. Enigma has an innovative approach to a wide range of musical styles. In 2013, the quartet premiered a new string quartet by Lachlan Skipworth and also Gerard Brophy's 'Magnificat' for quartet, saxophone and chorus. They have also premiered quartets by emerging Australian composers Philip Jameson and Alice Chance with the support of the Silo Collective.

Enigma made their Huntington Festival debut in 2014, and were invited to perform in Musica Viva's Coffee Concert Series in 2015 and 2013. They have played numerous festivals and regional concerts around NSW including Vivid Live, Port Macquarie, Newcastle, Deniliquin, Grafton, Singleton, Coffs Harbour, Batemans Bay, Bellingen, and Pearl Beach festivals. Earlier this year they performed at the Musica Viva Festival at the Sydney Conservatorium.

The quartet has enjoyed recording for contemporary artists Passenger, Stu Larsen, Human Nature, 77 Bombay St and Rob Richings. Enigma recorded the strings on Passenger's last four albums at Linear Recording in Leichardt, including the song Let Her Go, which went to no. 1 in fifteen countries and has sold millions of copies. Keen to explore new performance spaces, the quartet have played in a variety of venues, from the hallowed acoustic of the Newcastle Cathedral to the beer-stained stage of alternative live music venue, The Standard, in Taylor's Square and for patrons of the Wayside Chapel.

To post a comment, you must register and login.