Jess Hitchcock & Penny Quartet

What an inspired thought it was to invite eleven  Australian composers to arrange songs written by Jess, who says that her family hails from Papua New Guinea and the Torres Straits  with a touch of Tongan, Chinese and Irish. That is some heritage to draw on culturally.

Jess Hitchcock has a voice of wonderful clarity, strength, range and dynamic control which she uses to encapsulate the emotions and reflections in her songs.

While the songs reflect her  heritage, they also reflect the essence of our lives: family identity, relationships, heartbreak and country. This can be seen in the titles of the songs: On My Own, Days Are Long, Unbreakable,  Running in the Dark, to name a few.

The composers have used their own responses to these songs in their arrangements.

May Lyon, who arranged ‘By the Sea’ wrote that ‘Musical visualisations are of the motions of the sea, light glinting off the water, and ocean breeze’ and this was her inspiration.

For ‘Homeward Bound,’ the composer Isaac Hayward looked ‘to capture both the restlessness of the protagonist’ and then ‘in the final chorus the arrangement suggests that the protagonist may have found repose.’ 

 For ‘Days Are Long’ Iain Grandage makes reference to the emotional intention and the rhythmic pattern, melodic motifs and harmonies then attempts ‘to sew them together while staying true to Jess’s original intention but also to leave room for her magnificent voice.’.

As each composer responded to the challenge  he or she  produced interesting and varied arrangements and to these challenges the Penny Quartet also responded with ease. Glenn Christensen, Madeleine Jevons, Anthony Chataway and Jack Ward were in complete harmony with each other, supporting Jess through each song.

One highlight, among many, was the encore ‘My True Love Hath my Heart’ arranged by Iain Grandage. The final  high note, clear as bell, rang throughout the Town Hall. The audience went on their way with contented smiles.