20 July 2012 - 0 Comments

On August 16 Te Papa presents a performance by Dudley Benson. In response to the Kahu Ora: Living Cloaks exhibition, the acclaimed musician performs his album Forest: Songs by Hirini Melbourne in its entirety and accompanied only by harp.

“I’ve thought a lot about feathers and kakahu,” explains Benson, “and what a cloak might sound like if I tried to sing it. I feel a relationship between the physical process of a weaver making a cloak and a harpist playing the harp, so for this show the Forest songs have evolved in a new way. They’re earthier and darker, and I’m excited about performing them in the same space as the kakahu.”

Released in 2010, Forest is a collection of Benson’s interpretations of bird waiata by the late composer Hirini Melbourne (Ngai Tuhoe, Ngati Kahungunu). The critically celebrated album is a vivid expression of Aotearoa’s natural world, told through Melbourne’s stories of native birdlife and delivered with Benson’s innovative approach to pop music.

Renowned for his groundbreaking live shows, this one-off performance at Te Papa will be no exception.

Dudley Benson performs with harpist Ingrid Bauer on August 16 2012, 7pm at Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, Level 4, Visa Platinum Gallery. Entry is free.

http://www.dudleybenson.com/

Comments

Return to News Archive