Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Event Details

PLEXUS is joined by an array of guest instrumentalists as it presents a concert of ethereal music, performed synchronously with a newly commissioned phosphorescent installation by light artist Kit Webster.

Luxembourg-born Australian composer Georges Lentz transports us to the realm of his self-described ‘mystic sound web’ with Nguurraa, which forms part of his magnum opus Mysterium, inspired by Pythagoras’ poetic notion of the Music of the Spheres. American composer and poet Joseph Schwantner responds to his own poem Sanctuary with his gleaming Music of Amber – “Sanctuary. . . deep forests, a play of shadows, most ancient murmurings from a dark millennium, the trembling fragrance of the music of amber. . .” English composer Gavin Bryars awakens a radiant sense of other-worldly space with Sub Rosa, and American composer Frederic Rzewski exalts the crushed voice of the oppressed with Coming Together, his epic setting of the letters of Sam Melville, an inmate killed in the 1971 Attica Prison Rebellion. Presented alongside are two newly commissioned world premieres by acclaimed Australian composers Thomas Green and Kate Moore.

Melbourne ensemble PLEXUS brings together the talents of three of Australia’s most vibrant and versatile musicians, violinist Monica Curro, clarinetist Philip Arkinstall and pianist Stefan Cassomenos, with the goal of commissioning and celebrating Australian and international composers. The ensemble is devoted to engaging an ever growing network of exceptional artists, celebrating their contribution to Australia’s rich and diverse cultural landscape. Since launching in 2014, PLEXUS has commissioned and premiered over 100 new works. PLEXUS is exclusively supported by private donations, and all funds raised are dedicated to the commissioning and presentation of new music and collaborations.

Program

Gavin Bryars - Sub Rosa (1986)
Thomas Green - New work (world premiere)
Georges Lentz - Nguurraa (2001)
Kate Moore - New work (world premiere)
Frederic Rzewski - Coming Together (1971)
Joseph Schwantner - Music of Amber (1980)

PLEXUS
Monica Curro, violin
Philip Arkinstall, clarinet
Stefan Cassomenos, piano

with guest artists
Hannah Coleman, recorder
Gerry Connolly, spoken voice
Damien Eckersley, double bass
Brent Miller, percussion
Kit Webster, light artist
Michelle Wood, cello

Presented by Melbourne Recital Centre & PLEXUS

Featured non-Australian music: Bryars, Rzewski, Schwanter

Further information for this event is available online at the event's website or by phone on (03) 9699 3333

Featured Australian Works

Featured artists

• New work by Kate Moore
• New work by Thomas Green
• Performer Plexus Ensemble