Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

My main inspiration for this work came from the program this piece was curated in - Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs and Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
When I found out that my piece would be programmed alongside these amazing works, I was not only super excited to hear my piece pitted against these two works, but I was immediately taken with the idea of life. The Rite is of course about birth and the regeneration of the earth, Strauss's work is about looking back at a great career and life and anticipating death, so I thought it would be interesting to explore the idea of how good the middle bit is - life and the joys it entails. The work follows a sequence of moments that explore the idea of joy and what joy means. Sometimes it is loud and boisterous, sometimes more intimate, and personal.

Ultimately, I like this idea of this 10 minute journey encapsulating a survey of joy in its many iterations.

The work is scored for a large orchestra and is structured as an Overture, in the vein of Shostakovich or Dvorak. I have attempted to give every section of the orchestra a moment to shine, with a particular focus on the soloistic capabilities of the wind section.

I aim for my music to be colourful, intriguing, and perhaps a little surprising.

Work Details

Year: 2023

Instrumentation: Piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 3 clarinets in A (3rd bass clarinet in B flat), 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in B flat, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, strings.

Duration: 10 min.

Dedication note: Dedicated to Lillian Birch

Written for: Stonnington Symphony

Commission note: Commissioned by Stonnington Symphony.. Commissioned by Stonnington Symphony. Stonnington Symphony, 40th Anniversary Artistic Development Fund Commission

First performance: by Stonnington Symphony at The Rite of Spring (Malvern Town Hall) on 18 Nov 2023