A uniquely West Australian piece six years in the making.
Kiangardarup is a uniquely West Australian composition by Robert Zielinski for violin, wooden flute, cello and bouzouki. A celebratory launch event will take place on the 8th of November 2024 at the Albany Town Hall, just kilometres from the place that inspired the piece: the Torbay Inlet in WA’s Great Southern region, where Robert lived for several years working as a violin maker and touring musician.
This intensely poignant piece transports the listener from the awakening dawn, through the heat of the day to dusk, to rest in a still night under the canopy of the karri forest and a blanket of stars. The evocative journey concludes in the glow of red coals and flames of a campfire.
The haunting music came from listening to the place – listen to a sample here. Being a traditional Irish musician and having learnt by ear in the oral tradition, Robert composed Kiangardarup without a score, only sound.
Robert learnt traditional Irish music from the older generation, first in Australia, and then on the West coast of Ireland where he lived for 14 years. He taught at the Galway School of Traditional Irish Music and in 2000 won Ireland’s Michael Coleman Fiddle Player of the Year Award.
A few years after his return to Australia, Robert moved to Torbay, making violins, including his own which you will hear at the launch event. It was serendipitous, as soon as he had finished making his violin, the piece came to light.
AN UNFORGETTABLE SENSORY EXPERIENCE
As the original name of the Torbay Inlet and surrounding area, the name Kiangardarup was given to Robert by Minang elder, Vernice Gillies. Part of the six-year process of bringing Kiangardarup to life was Robert recording it outside over the course of 18 months on the violin he made in Torbay in the very places that inspired the piece. These recordings were refined at Lee Buddle’s studio in Perth, where Melinda Forsythe (cello), Manuela Centanni (wooden flute) and Jim Green (bouzouki) meticulously added their parts over a further two-year period. The culmination of this work upholding its very high standard was having it mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London by senior mastering engineer, Andy Walter.
Enhancing the sense of place is the sounds of the bush which can be heard throughout the entire album. Completing the immersive experience, stunning images of the inlet and surrounding country, taken by Manuela Centanni, will accompany the live performance.
Kiangardarup honours the majesty of the South West, the poise of karri and tall tingle trees, remnants of Gondwana forests, peaceful and deep wetlands, the sound of the wind through the sheoaks, moving clouds, the exuberance of a rainstorm and the power of the Great Southern Ocean.
Tickets available here
Kiangardarup CD available to purchase for the special price of $27.50 along with your tickets. CDs will also be available to purchase at the show for the full price of $30.
Doors open 6:30pm.
Cash/EFTPOS bar available – no BYO alcohol.
Allocated theatre seating on the flat floor and in the mezzanine dress circle. Please note: there is no disabled access to dress circle (access via stairs only).
Tickets also available to a matinee album preview performance on Friday morning - more details here.