Above : The Sydney Festival Speakers Corner venue was perfect to showcase the works of Joseph Tawadros. Photo credit : Prudence Upton. Featured image : The Joseph Tawadros Quartet: Matt McMahon-piano, Jospeh Tawadros-oud, Jamess Tawadros-Egyptian percussion, Karl Dunnicliff -double bass. Phot: Prudence Upton.
The vibe at this year’s Sydney Festival’s Speakers Corner venue is one of a safe, special chilled excitement. We escape from the larger Sydney environment with its current challenges to focus on quality
collaborations and fresh musical experiences on a well designed and expertly lit stage space complerte with close-up screens on each side.
The compositions on offer this night were taken from Joseph Tawadros’ five Aria-Award winning albums, including the recent Hope In An Empty City, as well as Permission to Evaporate plus live albums and recordings collaborating with major exponents of blues, jazz and other genres. These versatile works, often of substantial length were seamlessly laid out before us with spontaneity, finesse and easy virtuosity.
The engaging ensemble dialogue between all virtuosi on stage maintained the requisite immediacy of atmosphere for contrasting sections and the colouring -in of the intelligent narrative or theme for each descriptive title. No mean feat as much of this music was conceived or often performed for much larger ensembles, orchestral-plus-oud world music and classical music crossovers or quite contrasted instrumentation to the quartet here heard.
Above: (L to R) Joseph Tawadros playing oud and his brother James on req. Photo credit : Prudence Upton.
Tawadros’ presentation at Speakers Corner, a return to the stage after returning to Australia, from years in the UK confirmed his matured prodigy’s intelligent and respectful approach to all source cultures, musical systems and humanity inspiring the writing. His brief, no-holds barred commentary was dripping with down-to-earth humours, much needed at this time. These introductions briefly alluded to the diverse architectures and emotional snapshots of the fusion works, this artists’s local and international experience and his obvious love of ensemble collaboration.
The proof of any level of creative and perforning genius is in the ease and clarity with which the story is told and each fresh scene set. Track after track here was brought to magical life through the energy of Tawadros’ huge stamina on the oud, providing a varied tapestry over which the group’s interactions unfolded. His joy in collaboration and in the trajectory on the tracks was gripping and contagious in all the right ways.
Keyboard music in the hands of Matt McMahon on piano was full of multifaceted hues and penetrating tone. His skilful inflection transmitted accompaniments and interludes-such as the scene setting in ‘Permissiion To Evaporate’ with excellently paced mood-setting. This was music to sink right into, only to be further built on by oud, percussion and bass.
Above : The Joseph Tawadros Quartet. Photo credit : Prudence Upton.
Joseph Tawadros’ empathy for and experimentation with non-Egyptian musics such as Baroque, blues and contemporary classical has always extended this musician’s core musical position, and extended the potential and compositional canon for the oud.
The conclusion of the programme with ‘Bluegrass Nikriz’ from the Aria -Award-winning 2014 album Permission to Evaporate was a perfect example of the above, and the perfect showcase for the other Tawadros virtuoso on the stage, James on the Egyptian req, a traditional tambourine-like. instrument.
James Tawadros’ super-sensitive and outstanding degree of dextrous nuance on this instrument was a stunning start to this work. An incredibly joyous melange of oud as bluegrass banjo and elaboration of the Nikriz mode was a thrill to witness. . The introduction of James’ instrument and the muqum nikriz alongside typical blugrass progressions was a successful finale. It celebrated this quartet too as it capably performed music often distributed across a large orchestra.
Song titles such as ‘Give or Take’, ‘Sleight Of Hand’, ‘Chameleon’ and ‘Dreaming Hermit’ promised interesting stories and musical attitudes. We were not disappointed at the expanse of gesture, extent of performing energy and richness of exchange between the instruments which followed the introductions to each moment of music.
The blend of instruments from their states of cultural origin and instrumental families across the James Tawadros Quartet in this reunion was strong and so well suited to delivering the popular tracks from this musicians discography. For those used to orchestral versions and many recorded guises of the music, the shift to this quartet accent was never jarring. This talented groups individual and combined ensenble lines filled the venue, our Festival hearts and the still night in an incredibly deep and rewarding way.