Duo Eclettico at Melbourne Recital Centre: Run, Sing, Fly

Duo Eclettico explores music inspired by the natural world and the intrinsic relationship between nature and humankind. Contemporary artists Takashi Yoshimatsu and Jane Hammond send us into the skies with works that ponder the plight of birds and their natural habitats. Hammond’s poignant new work is an elegy to critically endangered native Victorian birds, with a focus on the Helmeted Honeyeater in the Yellingbo Reserve in the 50th anniversary of this bird being declared the Victorian State’s avifaunal emblem. Whereas Yoshimatsu’s virtuosic Fuzzy Bird Sonata is a famous example of his inventive spirit.

These two works share a powerful message about the environment and are brilliantly paired with William Albright’s Sonata. While internationally renowned as a staple for saxophone and piano, Albright’s monumental work has not been performed in Australia until now. Fusing traditional Baroque and modern jazz techniques, it is certain to set emotions and minds a flutter.