Audio Sample
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Performance by Ensemble Offspring from the CD Springtime |
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Work Overview
Etymology:
Fata = Italian for fairy
Morgana (or Morgan le Fay) =
half sister of the legendary King Arthur, usually represented as
a scheming, evil fairy who seeks King Arthur's
death
Traditionally the word fatamorgana (or
Fata Morgana) has been used to describe an optical illusion
(mirage) in deserts, resulting from a heated or a very cooled
air, when a traveller sees objects that don't
exist.
In my composition the title Fatamorgana
is used as a metaphor for a deceptive/illusive hope. This was the
first composition I wrote after my wife's death. During a
relatively short period of her illness she was undergoing a
series of tests, each associated with some hope that the disease
could perhaps be beaten, only to be followed by a series of
disappointments and eventually by a cruel realisation of the
inevitable.
The composer's comments on
the role of the percussion in the piece are suggestive in the
light of the above comments, as he says that the vibraphone is to
sound in the distance, "painfully present, in the air and
annoying." And the role of the marimba is to interfere with some
of the other elements in the piece. The other instruments again
form distinct layers: generally the strings provide a quiet
background in contrast to the melodic or linear utterances of the
flute and clarinet. Three of the sections heard towards of the
beginning of the piece return at its end, but only distantly
recognisable as their material is played backwards and inverted
(turned upside down).
Work Details
Year: 2004
Instrumentation: Flute, clarinet in B flat, vibraphone (doubling marimba), violin, cello.
Duration: 16 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Commission note: Commissioned by Ensemble Offspring with funds provided by Australia Council. Music Board.
First performance: by Ensemble Offspring — 4 Jul 04. Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Analysis
Resonate article: Ensemble Offspring - Thirteen Colours by Phil Vendy
Performances of this work
23 Jun 2016: at ANAM Australian Voices: Damien Ricketson (Melbourne Recital Centre, Primrose Potter Salon). Featuring Ensemble Offspring.
30 May 2009: at Ensemble Offspring (Music Workshop, Sydney Conservatorium of Music). Featuring Ensemble Offspring.
29 Apr 2009: at Ensemble Offspring (Melbourne Recital Centre, Primrose Potter Salon). Featuring Ensemble Offspring.
4 Jul 04: Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Featuring Ensemble Offspring.
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