Live Review: Ulver With TSO: Messe I.X-VI.X

Tonight's performance by Ulver + TSO (the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) is one of those rare gems that sets Dark Mofo apart from other festivals. This is only the fourth time that Messe I.X-VI.X has been played live, and the first ever outside the European continent. However, it's as if any sense of fixed location quickly dissolves with the commencement of opener As Syrians Pour In, Lebanon Grapples With Ghosts Of A Bloody Past. This haunting meditation on displacement becomes a kind of portal, transporting us into the cinematic realm of this great work.

The visual elements of this production are realised with great taste, further deepening the evocative lure of the music almost every step of the way. Biblical iconography, spectrally rendered in a palette of black, white, and reds, is projected onto a black, semi-transparent veil at the front of the stage, and a massive screen at its rear. It's as if the performers are enclosed in some kind of spectral temple, and each of the musical vessels has become alleviated of their respective identity so that they may surrender to ideas that seem to levitate beyond the restraints of autonomous bodies.

A sense of brooding tensions runs through Shri Schneider and Glamour Box (Ostinati). There are few things that can compare to hearing this many musical elements occupy such a space, especially when they are applied with such restraint. This approach invites one to really feel out the subtle, melodic movements and rich textural elements, drawing us deep into the fold so that by the time the waves of drama come crashing forward, the full weight of their devastating impact is felt. Aside from the vocal passages on Son Of Man and Mother Of Mercy, which arguably break the mystique somewhat, the vision is realised with great consistency, providing a contemplative and chilling journey from open till close.

Although the performance is only scheduled for a duration of 45 minutes, they return after the close of Messe I.X-VI.X for a surprise encore, giving the die-hards a little glimpse of their dreams with a couple of treats from their back catalogue; Little Blue Bird and Eos. In many ways, it's the very antithesis to Ulver's Thursday night performance, and one of the blinding successes of this year's curation. Something very special indeed!