Score
Ablaze : for four instruments / Elliott Gyger
Library shelf no. 785.813/GYG 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
Ablaze, written for Carla Blackwood, centres on the capabilities of the horn in combination with other instruments with which it finds common ground, although the resulting quartet instrumentation is far from conventional. The work is a musical reflection on the devastating bushfire season of 2019-2020, when large areas of southeastern Australia were either on fire or wreathed in smoke, for weeks or months on end. The pitch vocabulary is coloured by microtonal elements, realized partly via the natural overtone series of the horn and double bass, and partly with more "de-natured" instrumental sounds: unorthodox oboe fingerings, hand-stopping on the horn, re-tuned harp strings, intermediate finger positions for the bass. This misalignment of the musical material is mirrored in the treatment of the ensemble. The nine short movements explore various phases and aspects of the crisis, whether physical, political or emotional, each captured in a one-word title.
Work Details
Year: 2020
Instrumentation: Oboe, horn in F, harp, double bass.
Duration: 18 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Written for: Carla Blackwood
Awards & Prizes
| Year | Award | Placing | Awarded for/to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Art Music Awards: Work of the Year: Chamber Music | Finalist | Elliott Gyger |
Performances of this work
14 Sep 23: Hanson Dyer Hall, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, VIC. Featuring Benjamin Opie, Carla Blackwood, Melina van Leeuwen, Miranda Hill.
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