We went to see visual artist, builder and instrument maker David Murphy at his Melbourne studio. Liza and I were seeking new and amazing versions of the home-made inventions of Walter Smetak, recently encountered by Liza in Salvador da Bahia, and used in her large-scale chamber work Ronda – The Spinning World, originally written for Ensemble Modern. This piece embodies the madcap gyrations, the ballistic energies and torque of Brazilian capoeira turned into strange asymmetrical musical repetitions and improvisational-like extremes. Here David Murphy’s creations become the Australian versions of the Três sois, and Ronda, taking the improvisational and joyous life of the Brazilian aesthetic into a sonic realm. And I am so looking forward to harpist Marshall McGuire performing upon this instrument at our Melbourne Recital Centre concert on Wednesday April 18th. Be there, the sonic adventure starts at 7:30pm. It’s the Australian premiere of Ronda – The Spinning World.
