Adelaide Soccio Greenaway offers a unique musical experience in Tallygaroopna.
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Adelaide Soccio Greenaway is introducing something drastically different and unmistakably beautiful to the Goulburn Valley.
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The Shepparton native and Melbourne-based soprano will perform the song cycle Clearings in the Sky (Clairières dans le ciel) with pianist Pamela Christie, known together as Indie Concordia, at the Tallygaroopna Soldiers’ Memorial Hall on Saturday, January 25.
Pop and rock shows are a dime a dozen, so bringing 13 French-orchestrated art songs to a rural stage may raise eyebrows and questions.
For instance, what exactly is an art song?
“When most people think of classical, they think opera or operatic aria; art songs are musical poems — a harmony between the instrument and the voice,” Ms Greenaway said.
“Both (piano and voice) are trying to express music individually, but it’s really important for them to come together.
“It’s not only the sensation of music, but you also hear the words, usually poems, that convey the feelings of the piece.
“A three-minute song, for example, can take you on a journey.”
The journey to Clairières began in 1914 with Lili Boulanger, a 20-year-old composer fresh off her triumph as the first woman to win the Prix de Rome, a prestigious scholarship for art students.
After she died in 1918, some described Ms Boulanger’s talent as “saintly”.
“Because Lili was sick most of the time, she couldn’t attend school or have a career, so she followed her sister (Nadia Boulanger) through musicianship and picked it up really quickly,” she said.
“The song cycle she put together was based on poetry by Frances Jammes, carefully selected and rearranged to create the story arc about a love that has been lost.
“It’s beautifully tragic ... much like the hall at Tallygaroopna, a beautiful space with its own romantic yet tragic history.”
Ms Greenaway recognised that while some Goulburn Valley residents may be eager to expand their musical palate, others might be hesitant.
For the latter, Clearings in the Sky is the perfect taste test.
“I know some people find it hard to sit and listen to something unfamiliar, but the performance is less than an hour, and the first song will make you want to hear more,” she said.
“This is a special opportunity, not only to experience a song cycle but also because there aren’t many recordings or live performances of Clearings in the Sky out there.”
The celebrated soprano first discovered Clairières in 2019, but the combination of piano and vocals on different planes, along with singing in French, proved too complex, leading to the project being abandoned after three songs.
Nevertheless, its beauty was tethered to Ms Greenaway’s heartstrings, tugging her voice back to the composition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With steely determination, she persevered, polished and readied the 13 songs for performance.
“This has been a real labour of love for me for many years,” Ms Greenaway said.
“I’m lucky to have the amazing Pamela join me on this journey, and I hope everyone on our regional tour enjoys this song cycle as much as I do.
“You won’t walk out skipping, but you’ll walk out feeling something."
Clearings in the Sky is on Saturday, January 25, from 2pm to 3pm at the Tallygaroopna Soldiers’ Memorial Hall, 21 Victoria St, Tallygaroopna.
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