Personality, Precision and Panache: Craig Ogden and Paul Tanner
Personality, Precision and Panache
Chamber Duo 3: Craig Ogden, Paul Tanner // UWA // 24th February
By Kelly Curran
Any audience member who was not already an avid admirer of this performance duo before the concert, would almost certainly have been converted by its conclusion. Guitarist, Craig Ogden, and percussionist, Paul Tanner, captivated the audience from first pluck to final punch. Former university classmates and close friends, these world-class musicians demonstrated what a great chamber performance is all about – not just technical skill, intelligent interpretation and musicality, but also sincerity, charisma and enjoyment. They each spoke with warmth, confidence and humour between pieces, making audience members feel like respected friends.
The Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery location worked well to enhance the atmosphere created by the musicians, with a natural backdrop of eucalyptus silhouettes in the late afternoon sun. The mood was light and laid-back, friendly and relaxed, with the swaying gums proudly acknowledging Ogden and Tanner as fellow Western Australians, while taking on a more literal, underlining role in some pieces, such as Nigel Westlake’s Songs From the Forest.
Consisting of nine works, by composers from a wide range of countries, the programme was exciting, engrossing and varied. All pieces had been written or arranged within the last fifty years. Strong and absorbing textural and rhythmic elements created unity, despite the diverse styles, which included impressionism, jazz fusion, tango and bossanova. The order of pieces flowed well and was the obvious result of careful thought. For example, Chick Corea’s work, No Mystery, was immediately followed by Deux Arabesques, by Claude Debussy, one of Corea’s musical influences, as explained by Tanner.
The high esteem in which the duo is regarded, nationally and internationally, is evidenced by the number of works that acclaimed composers have written specifically for them. The opening piece of the afternoon, Djanaba, was originally written by Australian composer, Ross Edwards, for bass clarinet and percussion, but Edwards decided to re-arrange it for Ogden and Tanner after hearing them perform together several years ago. The third work presented, Metropolis, was written for the pair by English composer, Vincent Lindsay-Clarke, a friend of Ogden and admirer of the talented duo.
Due to the limited existing repertoire for guitar and percussion duo, many of the presented works had been arranged by Paul Tanner to include marimba and/or vibraphone. Most of these were originally conceived for two guitars, such as the first movement from Astor Piazzolla’s Tango Suite and Westlake’s Songs from the Forest. Tanner’s previous studies in composition have stood him in good stead for this task, as the arrangements are extremely well crafted and creatively approached, spreading the lines, harmonies and themes from the original parts between both players, and not simply re-arranging one guitar part for the marimba or vibraphone and leaving Ogden’s part unchanged. The arrangements effectively and importantly retain the essence of the composers’ styles. Tanner also re-arranged the afore-mentioned Debussy piece, which was originally a piano work. The performance of this piece on guitar, marimba and vibraphone was one of the highlights of the concert. Debussy’s exquisite shades of colour and changing textures not only remained present in the re-arrangement, but were given added depth, creating what felt like a three-dimensional effect. Debussy’s style translated beautifully to this fresh instrumentation.
Another highlight, in a concert of continuous highlights, was the lively bossanova work by Brazilian Antonio Carlos Jobim, A Felicidade, arranged for guitar by Roland Dyens. Tanner moved up next to Ogden and accompanied him on cajon, a type of wooden, percussive box, which is sat on and played with the hands. The performance included an electrifying solo by Tanner and precision playing by Ogden, which was vocally appreciated by the audience at the end of the piece.
Great performers make everything look easy, which is true of Ogden and Tanner. Both looked so relaxed and confident throughout, yet extremely focussed at the same time, and lacking any trace of pretentiousness. Ogden’s intricate guitar playing demonstrated his thorough technical knowledge and sensitive appreciation of each musical style he approached – each melodic line and harmony could be clearly distinguished and the complex rhythms were steady yet spicy. The duo successfully captured the moods of each piece, passing these on to the audience, who were able to appreciate and understand each work more than if played by lesser practitioners. The pair obviously enjoy performing together, which they have done many times throughout Australia and Europe since 2000, and hence communicate very well on stage – entries and endings were clean and sharp, and they were able to remain perfectly synchronised even in the most complex of rhythmic grooves. Their natural, unaffected, spoken descriptions about each piece were often accompanied by witty remarks or comic banter, which enhanced their likeable and non-threatening appeal, as opposed to some musicians, who take themselves far too seriously. In fact, students and emerging local musicians would benefit greatly from observing such concerts, with regards to public performance techniques, in a culture where classically trained musicians are challenged to find and maintain new audiences.
Western Australia has produced two fine musical performers in Craig Ogden and Paul Tanner, and is fortunate that Paul Tanner still chooses and is able to be based in Perth. They each also have successful careers as solo performers and regularly play with other ensembles and orchestras. Let us hope that they continue to find time to perform together and to treat us and the rest of the world to their thoroughly entertaining and refreshing style and talent.
Performance Details:
Chamber Duo 3: featuring Craig Ogden (guitar), Paul Tanner (percussion)
Works by Ross Edwards, Nigel Westlake, Vincent Lindsay-Clarke, Claude Debussy, Armando Anthony ‘Chick’ Corea, Django Reinhardt, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astor Piazzolla, Egberto Gismonti
Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, University of Western Australia
Sunday February 24 2008
Further Links:
www.ogdentanner.com
www.craigogden.com
About the Author:
Kelly is currently completing her Bachelor of Music (Hons) in Composition at WAAPA.
She has had several of her works for chamber groups performed around Perth, and has also written pieces for film and dance. Kelly aims to continue her research into emerging hybrid forms of tango.