New Palm Court Orchestra and Vincent Li Review

The Deakin Edge

Review by Marisa Jayne

Gemma Turvey was not wrong when she described her New Palm Court Orchestra and Vincent Li collaboration as “poetic, theatrical and fantastic.” She was spot on with her depiction, and the evening was nothing short of eerily magical.

The night started with a panel discussing the importance of improvisation within the different arts industries, moderated by Carol Saffer. It included opinions from Vincent Li, Dan Walker (a renowned composer) and Janice Breen Burns (an established journalist and owner of Vox Frock), and turned out to be an insightful chat teaching attendees about what the music and fashion industries contribute to our cultural landscape and therefore, built up anticipation within the audience for the main event.

The evening began with the New Palm Court Orchestra (NPCO) playing a repertoire of their work, which symphonically filled up the light-laden space of the Deakin Edge. The songs were strong in momentum and were easy to grasp for those not fluent in classical music, meaning NPCO would be able to tick off their goal of reaching a newer and broader audience from the night.

After a few songs, we saw our first glimpse of Vincent Li’s latest collection, as models draped in his offerings marched melancholically around the space and perched themselves sombrely around the orchestra. The music was hauntingly beautiful and not a peep elsewhere could be heard. To say the audience was captivated would be an understatement.

The garments Vincent Li created were architecturally stunning. Inspired by one’s first love and the idea that the left ear is closest to the heart, the range featured strong yet tender structures leaning to the left and incorporated fluid elements to represent the feelings of both pure love and crashing heart-ache.

Young countertenor Maximilian Riebl also joined the NPCO for several of the pieces. Each time he entered the stage, he was in a different outfit. Progressing from a dapper, tailored suit, to a fluid Vincent Li shirt, the contrast between traditional fashion and Vincent’s more modern take was evident. Riebl’s final outfit, a striking trench coat, earned great cheers and applause from the audience.

The evening was nothing short of enchanting, and was evidently well received by all who had attended. Although being a one night only event, the evening will be uploaded to Youtube in the near future, and is a definite must-watch for those who love all things exploring music and fashion.