Over the years, Austin’s Central Presbyterian Church has been the place to go for something a bit off the beaten path, with lineups at the venue often offering up something a little more esoteric and thoughtful. On Sunday night, we headed to church to take in sets from Avanti Patel, Alkyone, and Hania Derej as part of the Pastorale showcase.
Avanti Patel
Joined by a guitarist and tabla player, Mumbai-based Hindustani classical artist Avanti Patel put on a compelling performance. A highlight of this set was a light and graceful rendition of the classical piece “Rangi Sari Gulabi Chunariya,” recently revived in Bollywood circles. While I suspect that it easily accommodates the lyrical and descriptive nature of these pieces, learning to hear long measures up to a 14-beat takes practice for me, and I wonder how that affects where hooks and melodies develop along the way.
Alkyone
Hailing from the mountains of Northern Greece, Alkyone (who apparently got her stage name from a recurring dream in which she was a bird) alternated between traditional music and more of an indie-pop sound, singing in both Greek and English. Opening with two numbers that sounded more like European folk ballads, she then shifted into a more conventional folk/indie-pop sound. It’s a playfully rebellious style, even if it resists easy comparison – throughout her set, I was reminded of other artists, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on who. But regardless of useless descriptors, it was fun to watch her run between the stage and piano in front of the stage, sincerely trying to keep the set’s momentum going.
Hania Derej
Up next was Hania Derej, a young Polish composer and pianist whose work sits somewhere between concert music and cinematic scoring. But like much of the new-generation piano music deemed “impressive,” it seems to rely not on structure and melody but emotional transitions, speed, loudness, and dynamic contrast with much overlay and run-on scales. Obviously from a technical perspective, it’s not easy to play, but is it memorable? Beyond the immediate impression, how much truly stays with you?
Given the artist is still very young, there is obviously much more to look forward to. Her synth stuff (largely composed during the pandemic) is more interesting in hooks and the fundamentals shine through – she is actively playing a lot of things instead of simply looping – though it’s still not always coming together cohesively into its own character. It’s beautiful at once to hear and feels ideally suited for film, television, or video game scoring.
