Tim Fain: Portals
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Melbourne Recital Centre
IN THIS digital era, when artists and arts audiences are as wedded to technology as everyone else, it makes perfect sense to examine the ways this technology impacts on creative expression. At times, the screen vision mimics a concert performance — particularly the duets for piano and violin, where Fain interacts with Nicholas Britell almost as though the pianist were on stage with him. At other times, the visuals are shown on multiple screens, or framed by a laptop or iPad. Fain also appears in some of the filmed sequences, forming an intriguing foil for the flesh-and-blood version of himself on stage.
The repertoire focuses squarely on contemporary American composers, with Philip Glass’ Partita for Solo Violin as its glorious centrepiece. For 30 riveting minutes, Fain plays unaccompanied.. He throws off Glass’ trademark cascading arpeggios with jaw-dropping ease, yet the effect is anything but mechanical. On the contrary, the violinist allows the music to breathe organically, shaping each movement with expressive lyricism and exquisite beauty.
Given the central premise of Portals, it’s ironic that the most potent moments are those where the screen goes dark and we are left alone with Fain — with his virtuosity, his warmth and above all his humanity.