Argo is a contemporary classical music concert series +collective from right here in Brisbane, founded by Artistic Director Connor D'Netto in 2015.  Alongside fellow composer/performer Ben Heim, Argo draws upon a background in classical music and contemporary influences to create new works.

 

I'm not someone who is familiar with Opera, or classical music  - I've only been to a handful of (wonderful!) Orchestral performances. All I needed to read in the press release was that this was going to blend 'classical + contemporary', and see that it was taking place in Opera QLD's rehearsal spaces, to assume that I was on my way to see a contemporary opera - whatever that looked like. Maybe a traditional opera story line reworked onstage with everyone wearing jeans, and a minimalist set? Nope. This wasn't 'opera' so much as a "Musical journey from darkness to light" -  and it felt like stepping in to a grown-up version of Fantasia, with no Walt in sight.

 

Walking into a dark room, a semi-circle of chairs was arranged around a piano, a couple of music stands, and a desk with a Mac on it, which had some wispy white drapes suspended above it. Until the music starts, this all just seems like part of the minimalist staging that I was expecting; but as soon as the music begins, the drapes become a powerful focal point. The unison of music and light projections turns the drapes into a huge, translucent jellyfish suspended from the ceiling; but a few moments later, we're pulled down into the deep blue ocean it's actually floating through ... and so commences our 'otherworldly, dreamlike' journey through space and time!

 

The next 90 minutes seems to slow down and stretch out, whilst also disappearing all too quickly. Violin, piano, voice, and electronics all meld in and out of each other, creating a seemingly endless single piece of music. But then a silence creeps out of the music, as each participant - either instrument or voice - eventually steps back. Reality peeks in quickly - you hear people around you shifting in their seats ... everyone in the audience has been sitting still and spellbound for a fair while now, here you realise - and it's time to settle back in for the next part.

 

Sitting in that room, I'm taken around and through the earth itself - I'm carried through the seasons, and all their accompanying emotions. From floating under icebergs to soaring over snow-capped mountains, we travel through the natural environment - phosphorescence, forests and rainbows. We jump out of nature, and seemingly in to technology - passing through data,maths and geometry. Space eventually engulfs us ... a vibrant blue moon projection sets a new scene, and the accompanying soprano almost convinces me I've made it on to Floston Paradise, with Earth's own Diva Plavalaguna - Merlyn Quaife - singing us through the stars.  Coming back through a storm of human emotions, I end up wishing that I could crawl into the corner of this music, and fall into a safe sleep within it.

 

I’m really starting to appreciate the power of sensory deprivation. Now that I'm cut off from all sound and visuals aside from what's in the show, I realise how much stimuli we're constantly processing - even if it is subconsciously. This journey is taking my mind on a wonderful trip, which is loosely guided, in some way ... it sends me to pondering important things, but doesn't seem to let me get distracted by all the mundane things I usually get distracted by in everyday life. 

 

This entire show has made me feel grateful to all of these artists. With all of the crazy things that have been happening in the world recently, tonight reminds me of Winston Churchill's staunch defence of the Arts, and Toni Morrison's view through the brokenness of the world – 

 

"This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. This is how civilizations heal."

 

I feel so lucky that we have events like this happening in our city, and the importance of supporting local artists, whenever we can, is rammed back into my mind - again.

 

“Argo's events evade categorisation by genre. By combining influences from popular and electronic music with traditional forms of classical music, these events break down the barriers as a means of introducing new audiences to new music.” – Artistic Director Connor D’Netto

 

Void has definitely pulled me in, and you should all know that there's one more concert in the series left. 

 

Infinity is the upcoming series finale on September 10th.

 

'music for two pianos + large spaces' is 'expansive, shimmering, ecstatic, contemplative: it invites you to lose track of time, enveloping you in a world awash with vividly coloured sand".  - Artistic  Director Connor D’Netto 

 

It will be taking place at the Queensland Art Gallery, and I would strongly suggest that you're there!

 

Book your tickets here: https://music.uq.edu.au/event/session/1808