Peter Rankine : Represented Artist
Random Audio Sample: From fire by fire (octets: 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns) by Peter Rankine, from the CD From fire by fire.
Peter Rankine's musical journey began with pre-dawn birdsong on the Tully River, when the beauty of sound transcended even the beauty of the light. This early attraction to the world of sound has continued, and is his medium of choice in his response to life and its mysteries.
As a composer he has been supported by some exceptional musicians-professional, amateur, soloists, ensembles and orchestras-who have commissioned, performed and recorded his work. Rankine has fulfilled over thirty commissions locally, nationally and abroad. Two works were showcased in Musica Nova, 1990, and both won Sounds Australian Critics' Awards. Andrew Ford wrote in 24 Hours (May 1992), 'On the strength of this gutsy piece [From Fire By Fire] I want to hear more. Rankine's is a most convincing score ... he has a mature voice and knows what he wants'.
Orchestral works include Symphonia Dialectica and the violin concertino Celtic Cross, both written while composer-in-residence to the Queensland Youth Orchestra, the former opening the International Festival of Youth Orchestras hosted by the QYO in 1988, and both under the direction of John Curro; and "and so the soul …" (commissioned by Markus Stenz and Symphony Australia for the MSO's 2004 Metropoulis).
Choral works include Media Vita (Emily Cox and Canticum), and Te Deum (Cox and Anglicare's Prompraise). For the theatre he composed John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat (1992 Out of the Box festival), a chamber opera Bunyip!, Surya Namaskar, Chaand Namaskar for horn and percussion, and dance scores for Expressions and Dance North. Works commissioned by soloists include From Fire By Fire (Qld Wind Soloists), Time and the Bell (Paul Dean and the ABC; and in 2003 the concerto of choice for Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year Richard Haynes), Towards the Still Point and Floyd's Piece (Floyd Williams), John Brown Dreaming (Philip Mayers and Anna Carewe), Salute to the Risen Son (Christopher Wrench), and Surya Namaskar, Chaand Namaskar for prepared piano (Stephen Emmerson).
While freelancing in the late 1980s and 90s, Rankine lectured in music at Queensland University of Technology. Living by a creek again and still listening to birdsong, he is currently freelancing and teaching music at Southport, Queensland.
Biography provided by the composer — current to September 2005
Selected Commissions
| Work | Commission Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Te déum : for SAB choir (2003) | Commissioned by Anglicare for Prom Praise 2003. | |
|
Des oiseaux et de la danse : for flute solo (1993) | Commissioned by the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and the Brisbane Biennial as a short test piece for flute finalists in the Conservatorium-Yamaha Woodwind Competition, held in Brisbane in May, 1993 |
| From fire by fire (octets: 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns) (1989) | Commissioned by Queensland Wind Soloists. |