Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Image: Mark Isaacs  

Mark Isaacs is an internationally acclaimed composer, pianist, and conductor, working across classical music and jazz. He's also a film composer, and a songwriter. Mark's musical versatility is evident with the back-to-back release of two projects. Grace City, an EP of popular-style songs, released in November 2024, showcases his mastery as a songwriter (including the lyrics) and producer, while also playing piano and keyboards, and featuring vocalist Deborah Dicembre. Distinguished music journalist Bernard Zuel commented on the artistry of the EP, "Presenting pop songs whose craft and class demand more of singers and musicians, without making it sound like it demands more of the listener, gets my respect."

Now, his Symphony No.2, recorded with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mark, makes its release as a digital EP and showcases the depth of rigour he puts into his craft as composer and conductor. We asked Mark about the journey of creating the project, from the artistic conception of the work to having the work recorded, and the challenges along the way.

Mark, you set out to compose your second symphony work on the strengths of your first. Can you tell us a bit about your creative intentions with Symphony No.2? What ideas did you set out to explore, and what influences did you draw from?

My first symphony was overall more elegiac than not. It was written just after I received news of my father's terminal cancer and was dedicated to him, so naturally I reflected on that challenge - though I still included joyous, uplifting music to celebrate his life. Vladimir Ashkenazy liked it very much, but advised me to write an "optimistic" second symphony, which I believe I've done - though its slow movement was described by a distinguished colleague as a "heartbreaker".

The first symphony was in four movements with a running time of 35 minutes. The second is more concise: three movements, about 24 minutes overall. I think there's a William Walton influence in it, and also a Mahler homage: the second movement is an Adagietto using Mahler's famous instrumentation of strings and harp - though I added celesta. Walton was also a film composer, and I used to write orchestral film music, so I allowed some of that cinematographic "adventure music" sound world to creep into parts of the brisk outer movements, with some influence from John Williams, who was a formative model in my early film composing days. And I also managed to work a formal fugue into the finale, with a harpsichord joining a somewhat twisted neo-Baroque party!

In contrast to the programmed premiere performance and consequent media coverage that came with your first symphony work - commissioned by Kim Williams AM (who was once your composition tutor!) for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2013 - the process of getting an orchestral work performed is markedly different for an independent work. Can you talk about some of the challenges that you faced (or Australian composers face in general) when it comes to pitching the performance of an orchestral work, since completing the composition in 2017?

I can mainly speak from personal experience, though I'm confident it's not unique. Since I was funded directly by Creative Australia to compose my second symphony, we felt it was natural to expect that an Australian orchestra might program it - it was ready to go, no need to commission, just fit it into a planned concert. That was how it worked when Kim Williams commissioned my first symphony and QSO took it on.

But not this time. I was lucky to even receive replies to my emails to artistic administrators at Australian orchestras. Those who did respond typically offered a polite form letter: "Thank you for your submission; we will consider it" - but no follow-up. My follow-ups were usually ignored.

I think it's important to speak openly about this. If I - an established composer - experience these closed doors, how much harder must it be for emerging artists? These gatekeepers occupy influential positions. If they aren't willing to engage meaningfully with the composer community, especially with taxpayer-funded work that's ready for performance, it raises real questions.

Last year, you travelled to Prague to conduct the premiere recording of Symphony No.2 with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, with further support from Creative Australia. How did the collaboration with an international orchestra come about?

It was a direct response to the frustrations I just described. I felt that, since Australian taxpayers - via Creative Australia - had funded the composition, they deserved to hear the result.

An American friend introduced me to the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, one of the excellent hireable orchestras in Eastern Europe. The musical standards are gold-plated, but the costs are significantly lower than they are in Australia or countries such as the US or in Western Europe. With strong testimonials from respected colleagues, I was able to make a compelling case to Creative Australia for further funding for the recording in Prague with the CNSO. To make the budget work, I conducted the orchestra and produced the sessions without fee, and also contributed personal funds.

You've conducted your own work for concert performance and studio recordings in the past. What was it like to bring your own work to life in this way for Symphony No.2? Do you feel conducting is closely entwined with your compositional practice?

Yes, very much so. I don't get to conduct my own work often, but I've done it enough to really value the opportunity. I conducted the premiere of my Chamber Symphony in 2015 at City Recital Hall, Sydney, and that same year led a week of rehearsals culminating in a concert with the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra featuring my orchestral music. Going back further, I've conducted both in the studio and on stage - my concert works and my film music.

Of course, it's a privilege to work with a fine conductor - Benjamin Northey did an outstanding job with my first symphony and the QSO. But for a premiere, there's often a need for clarification or even correction that only the composer can provide. It's more efficient, and often more faithful to the intent, for the composer to take the podium.

That said, my second symphony is technically demanding: constant time signature changes, polyrhythms, asymmetrical metres, and dense, kaleidoscopic textures. A distinguished international conductor told me that many conductors would find it extremely challenging. So, I had to prepare extensively. With limited studio time, there are things I wish I could have done differently, but - next time!

I do hope that a major international conductor will eventually take it on for a live premiere. I'm already receiving warm and enthusiastic responses overseas - certainly a step up from my Australian experiences. We'll see.

You were accompanied by an independent documentary team to capture the recording. Why was it important for you to document that process, and could audiences expect to see more about that in the future?

The documentary team approached me after hearing about the project, and I was delighted they wanted to come along - young Australian creatives, self-funded. It was great having them there, and I'm glad the process was captured on film. It's still early days, and the project is very much a work-in-progress for them, so I'll leave it to them to share more when the time comes.

You also recently released an EP of pop-oriented songs (with orchestral strings also recorded with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra), and remain prolific, varied, and collaborative in your output. What's your philosophy, secret, or advice to staying creatively inspired?

Yes, I'm also a songwriter and producer, writing both music and lyrics. My EP Grace City features the wonderful vocals of Deborah Dicembre, my own piano and keyboard playing, additional session musicians, and of course, the CNSO strings recorded during the symphony sessions, which I also conducted. Create NSW supported that project.

As for secrets or advice - I can only share what's worked for me. Rilke has a line about returning to the spot where the angel first found you. I interpret that as the moment, often in youth, when the call to create first struck us. It's fresh and powerful. Don't lose it - keep returning to it.

For me, that's meant staying freelance. I'm 66 and have never had a salaried job. Of course, that brings long periods without external work - but I've always treated those as sabbaticals. For example, from my late fifties, with our daughter grown and independent, I used that time to return to intensive classical piano practice and recording, releasing virtuosic solo piano works like Ravel's Ondine. You need serious time to practice seven hours a day, seven days a week.

Is that a lifestyle recommendation? Not at all. It's just what's worked for me. I wouldn't presume to advise others. But I will say this: I stay away from caffeine and alcohol. A stimulant during the day, a depressant at night, day after day - it's draining.

And if I may slightly over-share: I'm with a life partner who shares my values, so I've never felt I had to choose between staying true to them and maintaining my relationship. The core value? Stick to the place where the angel found you. Don't sell out to materialism or conformity if it means evicting that angel. But if you can have it all - good luck to you!

Mark Isaacs: Symphony No.2 is released on Friday 18 April on all major music platforms. Listen now. https://ffm.to/markisaacssymphonyno2

Grace City was released on all major music platforms in November 2024. Listen now. https://ffm.to/gracecity