Parts
On Bunyah : tenor, string quartet, piano / Luke Styles.
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Score
On Bunyah : tenor, string quartet, piano / music: Luke Styles ; text: Les Murray.
Library shelf no. 782.87547/STY 1 [Available for loan]
$POA
This item may be available to purchase from the Australian Music Centre.
Please contact our Sales Department to confirm pricing and availability.
Work Overview
This new song cycle for tenor Mark Padmore (and the Britten Sinfonia in a chamber formation of string quartet and piano) sets a series of 10 poems by Australian poet Les Murray, from his most recent collection, On Bunyah.
The cycle charts a loose narrative and progression of themes, where the tenor can be identified as a 'poet farmer' character. This central figure gives voice to many aspects of Australia (the bush, land, kangaroos, fire, death, machinery and the 20th/21st Century) without sentimentality. The distinctive Australian flavour of this collection of poems embraces the similar experiences and challenges of other rural communities with the 'poet farmer' functioning as both a rural and modern day 'every-man'.
Work Details
Year: 2018
Instrumentation: Tenor voice, 2 violins, viola, cello, piano.
Duration: 30 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Contents note: 1. The Kettle's Bubble-Making Floor -- 2. Being Spared the Inquest -- 3. The Grief -- 4. The Moon Man -- 5. The Iron Kitchens -- 6. The Sleepout 7. Worker Knowledge -- 8. The Forest Hit by Modern Use -- 9. From Machine Portraits -- 10. Cockspur Bush.
Dedication note: Dedicated to Linda Christmas
Commission note: Commissioned by Britten Sinfonia.
First performance: by Mark Padmore, Britten Sinfonia at On Bunyah (West Road Concert Hall (Cambridge, UK)) on 20 Nov 2018
Shortlisted for the 2019 Paul Lowin Prize. It received a high commendation.
Awards & Prizes
| Year | Award | Placing | Awarded for/to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize | Highly Commended | Luke Styles |
Analysis
Resonate article: 2019 Paul Lowin Prizes - finalists announced by Australian Music Centre
Subjects
- In the form/style of: Song Cycles
Performances of this work
5 May 19: Coriole Music Festival, South Australia
23 Nov 2018: at On Bunyah (St Andrew's Hall, Norwich). Featuring Britten Sinfonia, Mark Padmore.
21 Nov 2018: at On Bunyah (Wigmore Hall). Featuring Britten Sinfonia, Mark Padmore.
20 Nov 2018: at On Bunyah (West Road Concert Hall (Cambridge, UK)). Featuring Mark Padmore, Britten Sinfonia.
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