The Didgeridoo crosses boundaries in the sensitive hands of the
Maestro as it has never done before.
Dr Richard Walley being greeted by the Queen at Westminster Abbey.
Photo: Courtsey Centenary of Federation Council.
Dr Richard Walley OAM says, "Every culture responds to the didgeridoo. "They think it's novel, it's exotic, it's international, it's ancient, it's different. There are many reasons they come along and during the performance they are surprised that it's an art form as well.”
"They find that this instrument is not just a piece of exotica - it's a means of transferring and radiating feelings, they can tap their feet to the rhythm~ they can actually feel the pain and the suftering that's played through the music; they can have an idea of what the animals sound like."
When Richard teams up with Stevie Wonder there is a meeting of spirits which expresses the rich experiences of these two great musicians and their life journeys.
Each performer in its singular manifestation has a unique Symbolism but when combined together it has an almost epic dimension.
Unlike Vivaldi’s four seasons, the Indigenous year has six. Richard goes on to explain that "in Nyoongar culture, we have six seasons.: These are birok (summer), burnom (summer into autumn), wanyarang (autumn), maggoro (winter into spring), jilba (spring) and kambarang (spring into summer.)
"On each season, I'll do what's predominant and some of the things that are there all year round - kangaroos, emus, various bird life, some fish.
"I like to let the didgeridoo tell the story. We have other sounds in there that add to the atmosphere”.
"If, for example, we're doing the sounds of the whales calling, the didgeridoo will do some calls as well. At times, it is very hard to pick which is the whale and which is the didgeridoo."
It is his artistic genius together with his versatility as a musician that he is able to take the people into the picture.
There is something transcendental about his vision in taking the Noongar culture to the pinnacle of excellence and sharing it with the people of the world.
Dr Walley with Stevie Wonder.
Photo Courtesy - Robyn Smith Walley
"The didgeridoo is so simple, it's really an extension of the person," he says. "It doesn't have any holes like the flute, it doesn't have a reservoir like the bagpipe to store air in, and it doesn't have an extension like the trombone."
With Richard the symbiosis of the self and the Didgeridoo is complete. In his words "I really feel the spirit of the instrument, and the spirit itself carries me through a form of communication, trying to tell our story - the Nyoongars' story - as clear and as unchallenging and as subtle as it is.”
"Because that's how our people were. A very subtle, a very open. a very friendly race of people."
"Lately, there's been a lot of aggravation and there's been some violence and some frustrations - well, I'll put that through music as well. Because once you feel that you project what you've felt."
"But every didgeridoo is individual and every individual who plays it creates a harmony of their own. You can never master it."
"You can call people brilliant didgeridoo players, but it's very hard to call someone a master, because you don't master it."
"I'm a fan of the old type of music where people are extremely versatile."
"With people like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, for example, you could pick four or five songs that are vastly different from each other and incredibly unique. But there is a similarity in their vast difference. It's the same with didgeridoos.""It's the sound of the earth," he says. "With all the sounds that I play, I have to feel for that particular animal or story before I can play it.
"I don't do the novel sounds - I can do those for kids, the motorbikes, the buses going past and the trucks, whistles blowing and aeroplanes, you name it. But I don't like doing those, I don't record those. I think that they are novelties and should remain novel.
"I enjoy playing music and like most creative musicians, there are roots to it. Most of my music comes from roots rather than sitting in sessions."
Dr. Walley’s love affair with the didgeridoo is a profound spiritual experience which helps him interpret the rich cultural traditions and heritage of the Noongar people to the people of the world.
When his audience drink deep of the sounds there is exhilaration and a searching desire to explore the meaning behind the artistry, the musicality, and the message.
Richard explains with the simplicity of a genius by saying "That's the spirit of it."
Albert Da Cruz
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