The English composer’s unique and extraordinary music offers power and poetry.

In residence for the Adelaide Festival, Gavin Bryars brought poetry in motion to Elder Hall for the first of two concerts with his select collaborators who displayed their prowess across musical settings steeped in ancient prose. This world-class fare provided audiences with the rare chance to spend a relaxed and informal evening with Bryars, and his extraordinary compositions.

This was chamber music; Bryars-style. A collection of Laude and Madrigals adorned the program and resonated through the space with reverent beauty. 13th century Italian texts, a smattering of transfixing love songs á la Blake Morrison, a dash of Pete Townshend, and a Gertrude Stein influenced commission, filled the eclectic evening; Bryars’ atypical instrumentation wonderfully laden with colour and texture.

Soprano Peyee Chen delivered phenomenal clarity from her first note, and when she soared with a grace that seemed to be ethereal, the result was spine tingling. She was matched by the mellifluous warm timbre of tenor John Potter; their vocal lines superbly complimented the captivating text, delivered with passion, precision, and a sense of ease.

Early doors, the Lauda 13 “Stomme Allegro” was filled with such exquisite beauty, there felt a...