Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra<\/a>.<\/p>\nThere were quite a few members of this odd ensemble. I counted 9, of which 8 were armed with ukuleles and one with a double bass. Pretty much all of them all sang.<\/p>\n
Covers were the order of the day, including a remarkable rendition of The Smiths\u2019 This Charming Man.<\/p>\n
The immortal lines, \u2018why pamper life\u2019s complexities when the leather runs smooth on the passenger seat,\u2019 were sung in close harmony, accompanied by some smooth plunking (I don\u2019t think the term for ukes is strumming) of ukuleles.<\/p>\n
Bizarre. But fun.<\/p>\n
It spoke to me of terroir. Let me explain.<\/p>\n
The song itself \u2013 the lyrics and music, or the musical score \u2013 is the patch of ground. It is the vineyard site, with its own physical characteristics. It isn\u2019t the terroir exactly, because without the wine you don\u2019t have terroir.<\/p>\n
I see the terroir as being the interpretation of a vineyard site by the winegrower, evident in the wine. It involves decisions about what to plant, how to plant it, and then how to make the resulting wine. Skill is needed if the terroir is to be captured well.<\/p>\n
Terroir, which can only be manifest in the glass, is the result of a partnership between winegrower and site. It is up to the winegrower to make a skilful and authentic interpretation of the patch of land.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s return to the musical metaphor. The land is the same to all; it is the song, the score. The music that results is the result of choices. Which instruments? Which voices? Which tempo? Which arrangements?<\/p>\n
The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra\u2019s rendition of This Charming Man is unusual, but it sort of worked. It\u2019s recognizably the same song as The Smiths\u2019 original, but it is a way-out, extreme interpretation of the song.<\/p>\n
Thinking in terms of a musical interpretation of a score helps us approach the complex issue of terroir in a different way. I think it brings out the aspect of terroir existing only in context of a partnership between grower and site, and takes us away from thinking of terroir solely as a property of a physical vineyard site.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a short film made at the concert:<\/p>\n