You may know them as Misinterpretato – they are the Brisbane-based trio responsible for Bells nominated CD The Gentle War. They’ve been playing with that name here since 1999 but meanwhile in Europe they’ve been called Trichotomy and always have been. Piano player Sean Foran explains that the different name arose because their label over there thought that Misinterpretato was ‘a bit of a mouthful – and difficult to spell’. The audience and critical response to their music in Europe has been positive and they hope that will grow, but Foran acknowledges that he loves ‘the Australian audience and the support we get from organisations, venues and media’.
Eventually the need to release albums twice and the confusion over ‘which’ band was touring became too much – and they’ve consolidated to Trichotomy. Goodbye Misinterpretato. Foran says, ‘The name “Trichotomy” is a nod to the importance of the three-way balance and conversation in the trio’.
The band’s expansion into new ‘territories’ continues on two more fronts this month – adventures with strings and a concert as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
The trio will be presenting work with a quartet of strings for the festival. Their recent collaboration with adventurous classical ensemble Topology led to an interest in working with strings again. Asked if there were any surpising challenges, Foran says emphatically ‘Challenges – yes! Surprising – no!’
He explains that adding four additional players into an already close trio was always going to be challenging. Also, he says, ‘the jazz and classical stylistic elements have been something to consider carefully. We’ve written music that is by no means easy – particularly the rhythmical aspects, so it needs players with both great reading chops and a solid understanding of feel – as opposed to just playing written rhythms’.
The music that comes out of this challenging and exciting collaboration is being presented at the Melbourne Fringe Festival on 30 September and there’s a sneak peak below of what to expect. The Melbourne Fringe bills itself as ‘the leading organisation for the independent arts in Victoria’ and it presents a range of arts to an audience that may not have been exposed to Trichotomy’s music before; an audience who may not even normally come along to a Trichotomy performance. Foran’s excited. ‘Being part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival is excellent as it’s got a certain vibe and feel to it – I think audiences are aware that anything in the program will be innovative, cutting edge art.’
Video: Trichotomy with string quartet @ the Stradbroke Island Chamber Music Festival 2012
Trichotomy is
Sean Foran(piano), John Parker (drums), Pat Marchisella (bass)
Trichotomy on the web: www.trichotomymusic.com
The strings
Sarah Curro (violin), Cameron Hill (violin), Leah Zweck-Bain (viola), Daniel Curro (cello)
Trichotomy with string quartet at Melbourne Fringe Festival
Venue: Bennetts Lane 25 Bennetts Lane Melbourne, Victoria 3000
Date: Sunday 30 Sept TIME: 8.30pm
Tickets: Full – $25 Concession – $15
Bookings: visit melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666
