To attend an Obscura event is to walk through a portal into an unfamiliar world. It is never the same world twice, but is always an immersive, magical experience. This evening was no exception. Like the Pevensie children in Narnia, I didn’t want to leave – I wanted to stay and make this world my home.

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in Obscura III – Al(chem)y. Photo © Moss Geordi Halliday-Hall

The program ran seamlessly, supposedly without breaks for applause or noticeable beginnings and endings – hence the feeling of an immersive experience, rather than a formal concert. Although it proved impossible not to applaud Dimity Shepherd at the conclusion of the Berio Folk Songs, the music was otherwise continuous. Mark Hayes worked magic with the lighting, creating other-worldly effects that supported  and enhanced the music without ever distracting from it.

Berio’s Folk Songs were interwoven with orchestral works in a process of alchemy that transcended space and time, joining past with future, Europe with Australia, and ending with a Ukrainian cry from the heart.

Shepherd was extraordinary. Her powerful, charismatic voice created seemingly limitless tone colours and characters, while her dramatic body...