The Witching Hour

February 28, 2021 in Entertainment

On a picturesque Sydney summer evening, the heavens supplied a touch of magic – a concert and art exhibition combo given by two of Australia’s most revered creatives, hallelujah.

Internationally renowned Australian composer and musician Elena Kats-Chernin AO gave an intimate concert in the Grand Hall, Mosman Art Gallery, to celebrate her friend Wendy Sharpe’s exhibition Ghosts, now showing at the Mosman Art Gallery. This special event allowed the audience to gain insight into the creative process behind Elena and Wendy’s art and proved to be an evening of musical and artistic reverie. Elena played a program of intoxicating piano compositions that resonated with Wendy’s astonishing (as per usual) exhibition. One of the many backstories Wendy revealed was about her well-known painting The Witching Hour, her ode to Macbeth and the Bell Shakespeare Company. We were given a peak inside Wendy and Elena’s inspiration for their Unsent Love Letters creative pieces, unearthing a romantic yet decidedly sad tale. Together both artist and composer spoke at length about their artistic practice and the connections in their work – their friendship being the layer that deepens their joint artistic expression.

Elena Kats-Chernin AO is one of the most cosmopolitan composers working today, having reached millions of listeners worldwide through her prolific catalogue of works for theatre, ballet, orchestra, and chamber ensemble. Her dramatically vivid music communicates a mixture of light-heartedness and heavy melancholy, combining strong rhythmic figures with elements of cabaret, tango, ragtime, and klezmer.

Wendy Sharpe is one of Australia’s most acclaimed and prolific figurative painters and is the featured artist in the solo exhibition Ghosts at Mosman Art Gallery. Her 2017 portrait painting of Elena Kats-Chernin The Witching Hour, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, inspired this event.

Wendy Sharpe’s immersive installation exhibition, Ghosts, shows till 7 March; below is a taste of her brilliance.