Bizarre, quirky, political and rebellious: the imaginative world of Martin Wesley-Smith.

Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Saturday 21 February 2015

Composer Martin Wesley-Smith is 70 this year, along with his twin brother (and regular collaborator and lyricist) Peter. To celebrate this landmark birthday clarinetist Roslyn Dunlop organized a concert in his honour, and the evening of music on offer was quite a ride.

An expertly curated mix of vocal, solo, chamber, electro-acoustic and multi-media works dating as far back as 1978, this showcase took us deep into the witty, endlessly inventive and entirely unique universe of Wesley-Smith. Despite the extensive demands of this programme, Sydney Conservatorium did a magnificent job (along with Greg White and Jon Drummond) of managing all the technical aspects of the event, which were all handled flawlessly.

Martin Wesley-Smith’s music is known for its political commentary and quirky Lewis Carroll influences, and this tribute to the composer certainly re-iterated his political proactivity and love for wit and the surreal.

Ros Dunlop performed three works, Weapons of Mass Distortion (2003), Papua Merdeka (2005) and was joined by cellist Julia Ryder for Merry-Go-Round (2002). These were audio-visual works with electronic components that paired video and sound to make their complex points. Weapons of Mass Distortion highlighted the use of...