Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Big socio-cultural themes top the bill of Australian music broadcasts on ABC Classic FM this month. At the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday 16 July the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, along with soloists and a large gathering of choristers, perform the world premiere of Paul Stanhope's new cantata Jandamarra - Sing for the Country. The work brings to the symphonic stage the story of Jandamarra - a warrior hero of the Bunuba people - who led a guerrilla campaign against European occupation of his homeland in the Kimberley ranges in north-western Australia during the late 19th century.

While Paul Stanhope is the composer and Steve Hawke the writer of the text of this large choral orchestral work, this is in important respects a wider collaborative effort in which the Bunuba people are sharing their culture with the wider Australian community. Stanhope worked with Bunuba elders in the Kimberley and Sydney to understand the story and to incorporate specific songs and language of the Bunuba people into the concert work. The work also features the Yilimbirri Ensemble from Fitzroy Crossing in Bunuba country, performing alongside the orchestra and massed choirs. The concert goes to air later the same evening at 8pm on ABC Classic FM.

On Friday 18 July, the Acacia Quartet gives the world premiere of String Quartet: An AIDS Activist's Memoir in a free live-broadcast concert from the ABC's Eugene Goossens Hall in Sydney. This is a 90-minute work for string quartet by Lyle Chan, created in the first instance as a personal musical 'diary' during the years he spent as an AIDS. activist and campaigner. Chan returned to this material in the last few years, drawing it together into a single 18-movement concert work.

Also on the string quartet theme, July broadcasts present a second chance to hear the Elias Quartet's world premiere of Matthew Hindson's String Quartet No 2. And running with the thread of free concerts, this month's Sunday Live features the world premiere of music for two pianos by Daniel Rojas.

Australian choral music also makes a showing in July with Adelaide Chamber Singers' performance of the choir and string quartet version of Graeme Koehne's A Closed World of Fine Feelings & Grand Design, and the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, touring program including music by Peter Sculthorpe, Brett Dean and Carl Vine.

And returning to the orchestral sphere, the month is framed by two orchestral concerts featuring Percy Grainger's most ambitious work, The Warriors (MSO 5 July) and Lee Bracegirdle's harp concerto, Legends of the Old Castle (SSO 28 July, as part of the 12th World Harp Congress), with two later Sculthorpe orchestral works appearing in between.

New Music Up Late has a predominately international flavour in July with selections from the International Rostrum of Composers and several European concert recordings. But the program still finds space for several premieres with the broadcast of Bruce Crossman's ambitious vocal chamber work Gentleness-Suddenness, as well as large scale works by Marco Fusinato and Nick Tsiavos recorded last month at Dark MOFO, and new music for viola and percussion by David Chisholm, James Rushford and Wally Gunn courtesy of the New Music Network mini-series.

In webspace the New Waves podcasts follow June's selection of ABC Classic FM recordings of recent music by Great Waitress, James Hullick, MURAL and Mary Finsterer with more music on the STUDIO theme. And our latest addition to the Rewind collection is the 'First Voyage' from Peter Sculthorpe's The Great South Land, the 2013 concert reworking of his 1982 TV Opera Quiros, as presented at the Canberra International Music Festival, with the addition of narration recorded by the composer.

Australian music broadcast schedule

Saturday 5 July
7.00pm AT HOME: Showcasing Australia's finest composers and performers for an hour every Saturday evening.
8.00pm EVENINGS: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Sir Andrew Davis, conductor
Includes Percy Grainger - The Warriors
10.30pm NEW MUSIC UP LATE: Gentleness-Suddenness - the world premiere of composer Bruce Crossman's vocal chamber work, plus more Crossman tracks and talk with the composer about the music and the ideas that influence him.

Thursday 10 July
9.30pm EVENINGS: Musica Viva - Elias String Quartet
Includes Matthew Hindson String Quartet No 2 (world premiere)

Friday 11 July
8.00pm EVENINGS: Adelaide Chamber Singers; Carl Crossin, conductor; Zephyr Quartet
Graeme Koehne - A Closed World of Fine Feelings & Grand Design (choral version)

Saturday 12 July
7.00pm AT HOME: Showcasing Australia's finest composers and performers for an hour every Saturday evening.
10.30pm NEW MUSIC UP LATE: The Hive - Violist Phoebe Green and percussionist Leah Scholes play new music including recent works by David Chisholm, James Rushford and Wally Gunn as part of the 2014 New Music Network concert mini-series.

Wednesday 16 July
8.00pm EVENINGS: Sydney Symphony Orchestra/ Brett Weymark; with Gondwana Chorale; Gondwana National Indigenous Children's Choir; Sydney Children's Choir; Yilimbirri Ensemble.
Paul Stanhope - Jandamarra - Sing for the Country (world premiere)

Friday 18 July
8.00pm EVENINGS: (LIVE) Acacia Quartet
Lyle Chan - String Quartet: An AIDS Activist's Memoir (world premiere)
This is a free concert presented by ABC Classic FM. Attendance requires registration. If you would like to come, please go to the ABC Classic FM homepage and follow the link in the event article to register.
10.30pm NEW MUSIC UP LATE (DIGITAL & online): Dark MOFO #1 - music and interviews from local and international artists featured at last month's Hobart midwinter arts festival.

Saturday 19 July
7.00pm AT HOME: Showcasing Australia's finest composers and performers for an hour every Saturday evening.
10.00pm NEW MUSIC UP LATE: Dark MOFO #2 - music and interviews from local and international artists featured at last month's Hobart midwinter arts festival.

Sunday 20 July
1.00pm SUNDAY LIVE: Jamie Cock, piano; Elizabeth Layton, violin
Includes Ross Edwards - White Cockatoo Spirit Dance
This is a free concert presented by ABC Classic FM. If you would like to come, please be seated at ABC Collinswood Studio 520 by 12:20 for a 12:30 concert.

Tuesday 22 July
7.00pm EVENINGS: (LIVE) Choir of King's College, Cambridge/Stephen Cleobury
Includes Peter Sculthorpe - Birthday of Thy King ; Brett Dean - Now comes the dawn; Carl Vine - Ring out, wild bells

Wednesday 23 July
9.30pm EVENINGS: Musica Viva - Australia Ensemble Piano Trio: Dimity Hall, violin; Ian Munro, piano; Julian Smiles, cello. Includes Ian Munro - Book of Lullabies

Friday 25 July
8.30pm EVENINGS: (LIVE) Adelaide Symphony Orchestra; Eugene Tzigane, conductor
Includes Peter Sculthorpe - Sun Song; From Oceania

Saturday 26 July
7.00pm AT HOME: Showcasing Australia's finest composers and performers for an hour every Saturday evening.

Sunday 27 July
1.00pm SUNDAY LIVE: Zubin Kanga, piano; Daniel Rojas, piano
Includes Daniel Rojas - Le Grand Salsa (world premiere). This is a free concert presented by ABC Classic FM. If you would like to come, please make sure you are at the Eugene Goossens Hall at ABC Sydney (700 Harris St, Ultimo), seated by 12:50pm.

Monday28 July
7.00pm EVENINGS: (LIVE) Sydney Symphony Orchestra/ Simone Young; Louise Johnson, harp. Includes - Lee Bracegirdle Legends of the Old Castle (Harp Concerto)