Bishop of the Bush leads Perth Symphony Orchestra trilogy of WA Stories at WA Museum, Boola Bardip

Perth Symphony Orchestra offers a fresh take on WA history over the next three months, with immersive musical and documentary presentations on three eminent West Australians of the 19th and 20th centuries at WA Museum Boola Bardip. First up is the story of Bishop Rosendo Salvado, pioneering Spanish missionary of New Norcia, followed next month by prima ballerina Lucette Aldous and in October by the “fortunate life” of war veteran and author Albert Facey. Salvado’s legacy persists in the institutions of Australia’s only monastic town and its cultural collections which include music by the “Bishop of the Bush”, PSO creative director Fiona Campbell says. “The story is told by a narrator, John Kinder, with a script that has been worked on by John and myself, picking out key moments in Rosendo’s life, which is then reflected in and shaped by the choice of repertoire and accompanied with photographs from archives held in the museum at New Norcia and WA State Library,” Campbell says. Performed by soprano Prudence Sanders and pianist Robert Nixon, supported by PSO led by Paul Wright, the program interleaves Australian composers Peter Sculthorpe and Ross Edwards with works by De Falla, Sarasate, Albeniz, Granados, Bellini, Mascagni and Salvado. On-screen imagery will amplify the music “It includes some extraordinary images of Perth in the 1860s, and portraits taken by Salvado’s brother, (who at one point came out from Spain to join him),” Campbell says. “On the screen we also include some diary excerpts from Salvado, describing his experiences and suffering in the harsh bush landscape. Two of his original piano pieces will be performed by Fr Robert Nixon, a Benedictine monk, so there is a connection from Salvado’s time to present day. “I’m hoping that the stark images from life in the 19th Century here in WA, contrasting with the elegant music from Spain and some of his contemporaries in Europe, including Bellini, will allow the audience to reflect on what life might have been like at that time, contextualise his story and make an emotional imprint.” PSO is at pains to stress the positive side of Salvado’s story, while recognising the darker aspects of New Norcia’s history: “Perth Symphony acknowledges that the institution that Bishop Salvado founded at New Norcia had a huge impact on the local Aboriginal people, and that there were dark times for many people and families after Bishop Salvado’s death. “We acknowledge that the story we tell through this performance is that of Bishop Salvado. We have not attempted to tell the wider story of New Norcia, as it is not our story to tell.” All three concerts are at Hackett Hall, WA Museum Boola Bardip, under the blue whale skeleton. The Bishop of the Bush is on Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17, at 7pm; Prima is on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28, at 7pm; and Hope, Hardship and a Fortunate Life is on Friday, October 11 and Saturday, October 12, again at 7pm. Tickets are available at perthsymphony.com.