Megan at Poet's Breakfast, Kangaroo Valley 2014 (Sandra Nixon photo)
I first heard Megan recite about five years ago when she was lifted onto a chair so she could reach the microphone. It was Banjo Paterson’s Been There Before and, at the time, I thought “what a wonderful rendition”. Over the past five years it has been a delight to see and hear how much she has developed and become quite comfortable in her choice of material and its delivery. Five years of festivals, poet’s breakfasts and concerts have given her the experience and aplomb to match, and quite often surpass, reciters of any age.
I first heard Megan recite about five years ago when she was lifted onto a chair so she could reach the microphone. It was Banjo Paterson’s Been There Before and, at the time, I thought “what a wonderful rendition”. Over the past five years it has been a delight to see and hear how much she has developed and become quite comfortable in her choice of material and its delivery. Five years of festivals, poet’s breakfasts and concerts have given her the experience and aplomb to match, and quite often surpass, reciters of any age.
The
CD itself is presented in a cardboard case with a well-designed cover
(Megan’s work) where most of the poems are represented as pictures
on the wall in the “casual room”. It literally invites you to
pull up your favourite chair, make yourself comfortable and sit back
and enjoy!!
From
the selection of material on the album and Megan’s ease of
delivery, it seems fairly safe to assume that she has chosen the
poems she wanted to record - the emotional connection to the poems in
her delivery comes across as very natural and relaxed. You can tell
that she has not only spent time learning the words but really
thinking about the best way to deliver them to make the most of the
listeners enjoyment. Well done Megan.
This CD is an absolute must for collectors of Australian poetry and for
those who have never owned an album of poetry, a great opportunity to
listen to a thoughtful mix of some well-known standards, some lesser
known material and two of Megan’s originals which are very powerful
– belying her young age! It is a CD you will want to listen to
often just to feel the different emotions of each track and listen to
the tempo and warmth of Megan’s voice.
It
is very exciting to see new, young reciters enjoying and building on
the resource that is Australian poetry. This is quite an exceptional
album for someone so young and I am very much looking forward to her
next offering!
Megan at Poet's Breakfast, NFF18 (Sandra Nixon photo)
(Sandra Nixon photo)
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