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Performance by Ensemble Offspring from the CD Offspring Bites 1 |
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Pendulum / Mary Finsterer.
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Silva : percussion concerto / Mary Finsterer.
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Work Overview
Silva derives from Latin, meaning forest, and
provides the inspiration for this percussion concerto. With an
aim to evoke different impressions of the forest, the work opens
with an atmospheric ambience, giving a feeling of largeness
through space and time. It looks out, as if to experience the
forest through layers of branches and leaves, these represented
by the whimsical, faster moving soft gestures of the woodwinds
and string harmonics. The second section provides a stark
contrast, introducing the earthy timbres of the tom toms set
against the vibraphone, offering an impression of the forest from
a completely different perspective. If the first section
represents the leaves and branches and openness of the sky, then
this section signifies the timber and soil that beds the forest,
highlighting the percussion as other instruments interplay to
create the harmonic layers.
The thematic material of the work relates to the idea of memory,
where musical fragments from Tallis's Spem in alium and
Schubert's Death and the Maiden are entwined in a
recurring figure that characterises the opening and final
sections of the work. The harmonic treatment of the work
originates from these two quotes which are then developed as a
result of my research into the Renaissance period.
The idea of the forest has always figured high in our collective
consciousness. Through the stories we first heard as children,
the forest plays on our imagination as a place of wonder, escape,
danger and adventure. In many folk tales the forest is even seen
as forbidden - a place full of mystery and shadows. In the words
of Robert Louis Stevenson, 'It is not so much for its beauty
that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that
subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old
trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary
spirit.' MF
Work Details
Year: 2012
Instrumentation: Flute, clarinet in Bb, piano, violin, cello, solo percussion (vibraphone, 3 cymbals, 2 tom toms, DFC high gongs, G low gong, bow, various mallets).
Duration: 16 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — Professional standard (conductor might be required)
Dedication note: Dedicated to Tasmin Cowling
Commission note: Commissioned by Claire Edwardes, Ensemble Offspring with funds provided by Australia Council. Music Board.
First performance: by Ensemble Offspring at Ensemble Offspring (Sydney Opera House, Utzon Room) on 23 Oct 2012
The composer notes the following influences, etc associated with this work:
Schubert, Tallis and the Renaissance period
Performances of this work
Unknown date: featuring Ensemble Offspring, Claire Edwardes.
12 Dec 18: OFF-Theater, Vienna, Austria. Featuring ensemble xx. jahrhundert.
28 Nov 2017: at Merlyn Myer Music Commission 2017: Andrea Keller (Melbourne Recital Centre, Primrose Potter Salon). Featuring Ensemble Offspring.
3 May 2017: at CIMF 2017: Half the Sky (National Portrait Gallery). Featuring Ensemble Offspring, Claire Edwardes.
21 Aug 2016: at Broken Consorts (Ngeringa Cultural Centre). Featuring Ironwood Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble Offspring.
21 Mar 2016: at Australian Voices: Mary Finsterer (Melbourne Recital Centre). Featuring ANAM Musicians.
20 Sep 2015: at Ensemble Offspring: Shanghai New Music Week (Shanghai Conservatory of Music). Featuring Ensemble Offspring.
1 Mar 2015: at Broken Consorts (Newcastle Museum). Featuring Ironwood Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble Offspring.
28 Feb 2015: at Broken Consorts (Sydney Opera House, Utzon Room). Featuring Ironwood Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble Offspring.
23 Feb 2015: at Broken Consorts (fortyfivedownstairs). Featuring Ironwood Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble Offspring.
21 Feb 2015: at Broken Consorts (Burnie Regional Art Gallery). Featuring Ensemble Offspring, Ironwood Chamber Ensemble.
20 Feb 2015: at Broken Consorts (Baha'i Centre). Featuring Ironwood Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble Offspring.
27 Oct 2012: at Ensemble Offspring (Turbine Hall). Featuring Ensemble Offspring.
23 Oct 2012: at Ensemble Offspring (Sydney Opera House, Utzon Room). Featuring Ensemble Offspring.
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