Dawn Calling during Sydney Festival
Image: Alphorn exponent Arkady Shilkloper
When it was announced last year the Sydney Festival was losing its free and fabulous First Night Opening Party, many felt it was typical in a city that’s becoming skewed towards the rich.
But the Sydney Festival still has some events which Joe or Jane Public can attend without so much as touching their wallet; 18 of the 92 events at this year’s festival – which runs January 5-27 – are completely free.
One of the most intriguing is Dawn Calling, a unique, movable performance project which sees Russian multi-instrumentalist Arkady Shilkloper greet the dawn playing a giant alphorn in different parts of Sydney on January 6, 9-13 and 16-20.
Locations including Bondi Beach, Darling Habour, Hyde Park, the Manly Corso and the Sydney Opera House will start the day to the sound of Arkady blowing his horn.
The performances had their genesis a decade ago when current Sydney Festival Director Lieven Bertels organised a concert for Arkady in Belgium.
“Last year I got a letter on my website from Lieven and he said: ‘You remember me from ten years ago? I organised your concert in Brugge in Belgium.’ He was Artistic Director of the Brugge Concert House.
“Lieven said to me: ‘Listen, now I’m Director of the Sydney Festival and I have an idea to have dawn calling stories in different places in Sydney with the early morning and sunrise … It will be for Australian people who have never [heard] these beautiful instruments’.”
Indeed, the alphorn (also known as the alpine horn, flugelhorn, corno da caccia and the Wagner tuba) is rarely heard outside Europe.
But it’s hardly the first time Arkady has played the instrument away from its usual environment.
“I’ve played in some strange places,” he says. “Two weeks ago I was playing in Tenerife for dolphins!”
And it’s not just people and dolphins who respond to Arkady’s alphorn.
“Once I played in the open air in Vienna … I started to play and five minutes later, two rainbows came out. All the people were in shock. After I stopped, there was terrible rain and wind. But for one hour it was perfect.”
Dawn Calling will be held in various locations around Sydney. Visit www.sydneyfestival.org/dawn for details.
By Peter Hackney and Marcus Braid
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