Testament to the power of music

French For Rabbits, CMNZ, Glenroy Auditorium, Dunedin, Saturday, September 16.

A small audience of new faces to Chamber Music New Zealand events were washed with the mesmeric dream-scapes which are French For Rabbits’ signature sound. In their latest enterprise, that world is enlarged by The Black Quartet. The resulting collaboration is successful with several provisos.

Lyrics of the intriguingly titled songs were, for the most part, lost in the band’s self-described misty world. This loss is generally not uncommon in songs set to large forces, such as opera, but in small folk groups the loss becomes strategic. Though the stream-of-consciousness lyrics for new numbers In The End I Won’t Be Coming Home, and Baring Head were provided, inaudible lyrics in The Other Side and Leech, for example, cannot fulfil their promised insights into our social condition. Beautifully high arching and sweeping melodies should augment the words in order to maximise the whole effect.

Poor production balancing between The Black Quartet, (cellist Rachel Wells, violinists Jessica Hindin and Mahuia Bridgeman-Cooper and violist Joseph Harrop) and the band diminished the strings’ contribution. They are given intriguing rhythmic patterns through undoubtedly clever scoring, which looked to accompany and juxtapose those of the lead singer and driving force (Brooke Singer). Sadly only snatches were audible.

Keyboard chords provide a steady beat and harmonic basis, much as a continuo does in baroque music, leaving the front-of-stage guitarist (John Fitzgerald) inaudible and somewhat redundant. However, the percussionist (Hikurangi Schaverien) backing the lineup was singularly inventive in establishing counter rhythmics to highlight the lyric lines. Penelope Esplin’s voice and instrumental flexibility added richness to the overall effect.

Highlights included One and Only, Keep and The Overflow. Nevertheless and overall, the event was charmingly ethereal and a testament to the power of music.