Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Event Details

Pianist Sonya Lifschitz takes to the piano at the heart of this electrifying work, conceived by Australian composer Robert Davidson with and for the Ukranian-born Lifschitz. Davidson’s bracing and brilliant compositions here are performed with virtuosic talent but spiralling out from them is an audio-visual epic that charts a maelstrom of history, politics, art and rebellion.

Weaving together recorded audio, archival footage and live voice, a panoply of historical figures hover above the stage: Goebbels, Ai Wei Wei, Jackson Pollock, Michelle Obama, Susan Sontag, Stalin and Yudina herself. From Bertolt Brecht facing the House of Un-American Activities Commission to JFK, Whitlam, Gillard, Trump and Thunberg, more than a century of political and creative thought is put to scrutiny, arranged and rearranged in provocative and insightful layers. This powerful and affecting work is an accelerating ride through some of the biggest themes in contemporary history, and a chance to reimagine the world in which we find ourselves today.

Performances run for approx. 70minutes, without interval. There are no concession tickets for this event. If you are an existing Access Pass holder, you can use your Access Pass for this Windsong Event.

Event date (digital first): Saturday 10 October 2020
The performance begins: 6.30pm
Doors open: 6.15pm
Description: This performance will have a very small audience to allow for filming and recording to take place. Please note that during this performance, there will be camera movement on stage as well as other digital production equipment and activity visible. Due to this, the ticket price of this performance has been reduced.

Event date: Sunday 11 October 2020
The performance begins: 12noon
Doors open: 11.45am
Description: This a live performance for a limited audience due to Covid-19 restrictions. There will be no moving cameras during this performance.

* Please note: Four Winds is a registered Covid-Safe Venue .

• Please refer to our website for our protocols relating to the safe running of events in the current environment.
• Please do not attend this event if you are unwell.
• Due to Covid-19 restrictions, both of these performances have very limited capacity and bookings are required.
• Seating will be spaced out to allow for social distancing. If you are attending the event with a family member, we are able to seat you next to each to each other.

Further information for this event is available online at the event's website

Featured Australian Works

Stalin's Piano : Voice portraits of artists and politicians (2017) by Robert Davidson — performed by Sonya Lifschitz

Featured artists

• Performer Sonya Lifschitz