The Lady Unicorn

Last night I was a guest at the Chinese New Year concert at Hamer Hall, an event organised by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with the Chinese consulate. The concert was a good mix of modern and classical, East and West. Mindy Meng Wang's performance on the guzheng for The Butterfly Lovers was especially notable, and Li Biao's enthusiasm as conductor could not go unnoticed. The main part of the programme, Beethoven's 7th Symphony, is far from my favourite, but I do really like the dreamlike dirge of the second movement. There were also meet-and-greet functions before and after the concert, where one had the opportunity to meet various guests, organisers, and performers, along with vox-pop interviews from CCTV. It is certainly the season for such things, with, of course, the ACFS hosting our own concert next week.

As a sort of musical juxtaposition, earlier this week I wrote a review on Rocknerd for the most recent album, "Crocodile Promises" by The March Violets. Once a post-punk band from the early 80s, their company could also include groups like The Chameleons, The Comsat Angels, The Sisters of Mercy, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, etc. However, more recently, they have moved to a more alt-rock sound, which isn't wrong (bands should develop their sound), but it is different. The album positively thunders along and is a deeply emotional collection of songs, of which "Bite the Hand" really stood out to me. On a related note (pun not intended), I have been delving quite deeply in recent days into the older albums by The Comsat Angels with their often spartan instrumentation and bitter and bleak lyrical content.

It is has all rather suited my current mood. Music is a universal language of mood, both in the uplifting and sombre sense. The latter affects me every day; I seriously don't understand how people remain indifferent to the immediate conflicts (e.g., Gaza) or to longer-term downward trends (e.g., the climate). February 18, for what it's worth, was Bramble Cay Melomys Day, a on-going memorial and campaign for the first mammal species driven to extinction by climate change. Yes, I can enjoy music, culture, artistry, and beauty, whilst simultaneously being driven by such events. As a certain J. Cash once wrote, "I'd love to wear a rainbow every day, And tell the world that everything's okay. But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back. 'Til things are brighter, I'm the man in black".