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A symphony of sound and structure

Bach
Gold Coast Chamber Orchestra members Katherine Hopkins (cello), Margaret Blades (violin) and Elias Kokkoris (double bass) outside the Abedian School of Architecture.

What do you get when you perform classical music in one of the Gold Coast’s most distinctive buildings?

It’s being called BACHitecture, and the two performances by the Gold Coast Chamber Orchestra at the Abedian School of Architecture promise to be a unique fusion of sound and space.

The Bond University school, designed by the acclaimed British architects Sir Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham, features a soaring, cathedral-like interior and acoustics to match.

Bond University Professor Bill Thompson, an expert on the cognitive, emotional and cultural implications of music, said the setting plays a crucial role in shaping how humans perceive music.

inside
Soaring space inside the school.

“If you’re in a cathedral where there's high ceilings, there's a lot of reflective surfaces and not much to absorb the sound, then you're going to get a lot of reverberation,” Professor Thompson said.

“That reverberation is known to have specific emotional effects because it's more of a dreamy sound than the kind you'd get in an acoustically-controlled soundproof booth.

“What works well in such spaces are stringed performances, where that reverberation will actually blur in and blend with the strings and create a much richer and more complex sound that is aesthetically very pleasing.”

Custom-made, then, for works that involve instruments like Violin and Oboe, such as the Concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach that will be performed by orchestra leader Margaret Blades (violin) and Tania Frazer (oboe).

Ms Blades said she had tested the acoustics of the Abedian School of Architecture and came away impressed.

“The oboe and violin are a perfect match and the space will enhance their pairing, combining with the lush backing of the chamber orchestra,” she said.

“This concert will give the listener an insight into the genius of the great JS Bach, and why musicians everywhere are devoted to playing his works. They are timeless, full of joy and beauty, and endlessly interesting - mathematical even, a bit like architecture as a form.”

The concerts will also feature the newly formed Bond University choir Vox Bond presenting a choral masterpiece by Finnish composer Pekka Kostiainen.

Performances will take place on October 18 and October 25, beginning at 5.30pm.

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