The glittering sails of the Sydney Opera House went to the dogs yesterday, as hundreds of pugs, poodles and pooches converged on the iconic landmark for a world-first concert for canines.
Brainchild of New York performance artist Laurie Anderson, Music For Dogs was a surreal hash of slide whistles, synthesizer, strings and saxophone that, while inaudible to humans, sent its four-legged patrons into a frenzy.
The 20-minute concert opened with a mellow set featuring whale calls and soothing white noise, before moving through a rhythm and beat section to a discordant crescendo almost drowned out by hundreds of barks and howls.
PHOTO: AFP
“We’ve got some singing dogs down here in the mosh pit!” said Anderson, who led the four-piece band with a variety of instruments including slide whistle, violin and synthesizer.
Almost 1,000 dog-lovers packed onto the Opera House steps and forecourt to treat their pets to the free outdoor event, part of the Vivid LIVE arts festival curated by Anderson and rock legend partner Lou Reed.
Anderson and her band used high-frequency sounds inaudible to humans to appeal to the dogs’ super-sensitive ears, eliciting excited leaping from some creatures and a cacophony of yelps and yowls.
She credited the exuberant canines for the dazzling sunshine that bathed Sydney for the morning’s festivities — the first reprieve in almost three weeks from torrential rain.
“I think the dogs brought on this weather. They don’t want to sit freezing in the rain, they want to have a little sun on their fur,” she said.
“It was good dog vibes,” she said.
There were plenty of water bowls and dog waste bags on hand in case of overexcited pooches needing a drink or toilet break and Opera House staff circulated with spare leashes in case of a rogue escape.
Anderson said she mixed traditional strings and horns in with “some electronics that were way, way, way up the octaves” so that the dogs’ owners also had something to enjoy.
“We brought the octaves down into our hearing range so we could all have the experience,” she said.
One sheepdog nipped enthusiastically at the heels of a nervous poodle and there were a few robust exchanges of barking, but Anderson praised the doggy decorum overall, describing the event as the “highlight of my life.”
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