The Didjeridu (or didgeridoo) is an indigenous Australian instrument otherwise known as “drone pipe” or “yidaki”. It is a long (1 to 3 metres) cylindrical piece of wood - usually eucalyptus branches - from which termites ate out the core. The instrument is played with continuously vibrating lips, and requires a constant flow of air. This involves special techniques to inhale air through the nose and at the same time exhale through the mouth, with optional simultaneous vocalization. Good players can play continuously for over 40 minutes!

Carl Vine has always been suave. From his early dance scores in
the 1970s (he wrote his first in high school) to his larger orchestral works of the ‘80s onwards, his music has remained assured, tuneful and immaculately crafted. For an artist who’s also helped direct the world’s largest chamber music organisation, Musica Viva Australia, for over a decade, the string quartet seems like his perfect medium. This disc brings together the bulk of his quartets to date: four full works (Nos 2, 3, 4 and 5) and two movements from his first foray into the medium, Knips Suite from 1979.

New Zealander Teddy Tahu Rhodes is one of the most prominent lyric baritones to have established a place on the international operatic stage in the first decade of the 21st century. This collection of late Romantic and early modern British song cycles seems like it would be an ideal repertoire for the singer. Rhodes has a pleasant, warm voice that he deploys with a variety of colors, and his top is resonant and ringing. These are very fine performances and are likely to appeal to fans of operatic bel canto singing. Material as folk-like as most of this is, though, is most effective when it is presented with more of a degree of artlessness, and Rhodes tends to over-sing, treating it operatically.