Percussionist Rohan Zakharia plays solo recital at Government House for Restart the Arts

David CusworthThe West Australian
Camera IconRohan Zakharia at Government House Ballroom. Credit: Lewis Martin

From vigorous drumming to oh-so-smooth marimba riffs, Hale graduate Rohan Zakharia’s first solo percussion recital at Government House was a change of pace and style.

Government House Ballroom has been a haven for the arts, and the variety continues to grow during the restricted world of COVID.

Zakharia, who travels next year to study at the prestigious New England Conservatory at Boston in the US, opened with a flurry of drum beats in bass, floor tom, conga, bongoes and temple blocks; almost a tribal ambience in Iannis Xenakis’ Rebonds B.

Clearly accomplished, Zakharia seemed to have all the time in the world for an intricate and energetic display.

Camera IconRohan Zakharia at Government House Ballroom. Credit: Lewis Martin
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Percussionist are generally pretty stoical, not expecting others to know much about their craft. Zakharia, however, might fix that with an eclectic offering that spanned continents and eras.

Phillip Glass’s Glasworks was next; the marimba bathed the ballroom in mesmeric tones, with a sensitivity to tone and dynamics, light and shade.

With the right resonance a percussive instrument can become a voice, a flow of sound. In piano, it is achieved by skill and an elaborate mechanism; here only hand-eye — and ear — co-ordination was available.

Mystic marimba continued in Takatsugu Muramatsu’s Land, angular and urgent but to the same mesmeric effect.

Switching to vibraphone, with Joel Bass on piano accompaniment, Alexej Gerassimez’ Piazonore introduced jazz-like idiom, at times jarring yet tuneful; contemplative over rumbling piano then dark chords, before returning to Latino rhythm and a rousing climax.

Camera IconRohan Zakharia and Joel Bass at Government House Ballroom. Credit: Lewis Martin

Genre-bending again, Zakharia invested Bach’s Fugue in G Minor with an otherwordly quality on marimba, testing the range with bass notes, putting technique in focus.

Contrapuntal music played with four sticks? Quite a challenge, with a trill to finish.

“I believe music is a universal language which can effect anyone regardless of background,” the soloist offered.

Rejoined by piano, Blues for Gilbert, by Mark Glentworth, took us to a late-night bar, challenging the acoustic.

But as the tempo lifted and the mood lightened, the reverb fell away, fading to nothing in the cadence.

Finally, Emmanuel Sejourne’s Marimba Concerto, movement three, injected syncopation and complex harmony, a deft choice in programming.

Mellow in the middle passages over vamping piano, vigour returned for a compelling cadenza and climax.

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