
Sir
John Monash is arguably Melbourne�s finest son. That was certainly the
general opinion at the time of his death, and even
Robert Menzies remembered
�we automatically stood when the great man entered the room.� His
return to Melbourne after the war was a major event as we have recounted
previously (see
The
Return of John Monash to Melbourne) and his contribution to shaping peacetime Victoria and Australia is as significant
to his hastening the end of World War I. Therefore it is not surprising that
composer David Kram and librettist Kevin O�Flaherty chose to entitle their
90-minute cantata celebrating the life of Monash �PEACE�.
Those familiar with the life and contributions of Monash will know that
there is too much to cram into just 90 minutes. Some will regret the
omission of certain aspects of his life while still being thankful for the
project as a whole. For my own part I would like to have seen the inclusion
of Monash�s letter to his wife describing the first Anzac Day
commemorations
with the troops which he organised in 1916. I would also have welcomed a
description of Monash�s planning and management of the vocational training
of the troops after the war which his biographer Geoffrey Serle described as
�the very finest of the A.I.F.�s and Monash�s achievements� and had
lasting implications for the direction of Australia�s education planning. On
the other hand, the omission of certain details of his private life which
many believe prevented him from consideration as Australia�s first
native-born Governor General (an achievement later claimed by another
Jewish-Australian, Sir Isaac
Isaacs), is understandable considering the involvement of school choirs.
But, what of the work itself?
Kevin O�Flaherty, the librettist, has an impressive background as an
academic, CEO in the business sector, poet, and researcher � to name but a
few of his achievements. David Kram, the composer, is one of the most
important and credentialed conductors currently working in Melbourne, and
his skills are often utilised in the especially important interface between
professional and amateur performers. Together they have crafted a cantata
focused firmly on the involvement of the performers and the audience.
The work opens with a c major chord and the word �peace� and eventually
closes on another c major chord sung in a closed-mouth hum to the final
syllable of �shalom�. Both the opening and closing chords were beautifully
balanced by the combined forces of orchestra, adult choirs, children�s
choirs and soloists. Whether there was enough harmonic struggle along the
way to give the final chord a satisfying sense of resolution will be a
matter for each listener to decide. The composer, however, is
straightforward about what he wanted to achieve. Even though we know that
David Kram has the capacity to handle and create complex and even dissonant
scores, he clearly states that he wanted this work to be �singable, playable
and listenable�.
Along the journey, many of the movements are capable of standing alone
for separate performance. In this respect, Kram has followed the lead of
another Melbourne�s great sons �
Percy Grainger � with the
possibility for �elastic� scoring and differing versions to suit the forces
and the circumstance. Thus, there are movements which can work as primary
schoolyard songs ('Jerilderie'), undergraduate songs (alumni of certain
institutions may recognise �Postera Crecam Laude� and �Deo
Patriae Litteris�), a church anthem, several arias (including one
reflecting on traditional names associated with indigenous service men and
women) which deserve a place at future singing competitions and recitals,
and several movements which are suitable for inclusion in choral concerts.
Other movements call on known conventions. For instance, in the final
movement, when the tenors launch into a fugue, the audience knows this pays
tribute to a traditional English oratorio finale and provides reference to
the �known world� of concert going.
Not all movements worked equally well � at least for this listener. The
�catalogue� of Sir John�s achievements or the tribute to his engineering
principles (sung over a �structural� repeated bass) seemed to miss their
mark. On the other hand, there were far more moments were the results were
particularly satisfying. �The Pink Telegram�, where a trio of
soloists reflect on the dreaded message announcing the death of a loved one
over the background of the choir singing Latin words of the Requiem Mass
finished beautifully with the soprano soloist, Lisa Ann Robinson, floating a
top A over the muted choir and orchestra was particularly moving. In the
section �Do Good� the Baritone soloist, Michel LaLoum, combined
magically with the children�s chorus. The strings tended to dominate the
texture, possibly because the woodwinds were on low risers so as not to
obstruct the choir, but when the woodwinds were left by themselves the
listener was drawn closer into the story � such as during the soliloquy in
Part III. In particularly, the oboe �peace� theme, reminiscent of Dvoř�k,
appears towards the beginning and end of the work and was beautifully played
by Greg Pharo. Mezzo-soprano soloist Kristen Leich and bass soloist Eddie
Mutiaumaseali�l performed their solo and ensemble work with admirable
expressiveness and security of tone. Special mention must be made of the
delightful singing of the young female soloist in �Hommage �
Villers-Bretonneux�.
It is always a challenge to rehearse such a large work, often with
separate forces in different venues, before bringing it together in a large,
unfamiliar (at least for a number of the performers) public venue.
Fortunately, with David Kram as composer and conductor there was a talented
hand at the helm and the minor hiccups from both adult and school choirs did
nothing to hinder the impact of the work.
John Monash may for some be an obscure figure from a past era, but as
Jeffrey Rosenfeld (a descendent of Monash and a man of remarkable
achievements in his own right) points out in the foreword of the program,
Monash�s life still has much that speaks to us today. When urged to head a
coup to overthrow the government during the difficult times of the
depression, Monash responded �Depend on it, the only hope for Australia
is the ballot box, and an educated electorate�.
I have had the opportunity to observe this work come together over
several years including performances of sections of the work at Scotch
College and the Shrine of Remembrance. No doubt there will be further fine
tuning before parts of the work are performed in France next year to
commemorate the centenaries of battles at Le Hamel and Amiens (often
referred to as 0808).
Composer, librettist, performers and all involved with bringing this project
to fruition are to be congratulated for reminding us of the importance of
the man and his works, and continuing Monash�s cherished mission of
education about our heritage and our future.
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