Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

Street Sketches is a set of 5 miniatures or "studies" for an envisaged larger orchestral work. The Street of the title refers to public urban spaces, and the music is a contemplation of gender and belonging (or unbelonging) in this environment. The five movements each deconstruct specific aspects of popular songs from urban music genres such as hip hop and rebetika - a relentless backbeat that underpins the feel of the music even when it isn't there; whispers and lyrics and what they say; a driving bassline that warps and distorts.

Work Details

Year: 2018

Instrumentation: Flute, oboe (doubling cor anglais), clarinet in B flat (doubling bass clarinet), bassoon (doubling contrabassoon), horn in F, trumpet in C, tenor trombone, percussion (2 timpani, tambourine, suspended cymbal, snare drum), 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass.

Duration: 12 min.

Difficulty: Advanced

Contents note: I. Voice -- II. Circles -- III. Backbeat -- IV. Dreams -- V. Low.

First performance: by Sydney Symphony Fellows at Composing Women with Sydney Symphony Fellows (Recital Hall West, Sydney Conservatorium of Music) on 12 Oct 2018

The composer notes the following styles, genres, influences, etc associated with this work:
Urban popular music, hip hop, rebetika, gender, public spaces

The movements can be performed in any order.

Street Sketches was composed especially for workshopping and performance by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellows, October 2018. This work has been undertaken as part of the Composing Women 2018-19 program, towards a Doctor of Music Arts (Composition) candidacy under the supervision of Prof. Liza Lim, at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney.