Audio Sample
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Performance by West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Kevin Field from the CD 2001 Australian Composers' Orchestral Forum. |
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Score
Chambers of the south : for orchestra / Natalie Williams.
Library shelf no. Q 784.2/WIL 2 [Available for loan]
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Work Overview
The title of this piece comes from Job 9:9, "…who made the Bear
and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the South."
(NRSV)1
This piece is my response to a photo of the Pleiades star
cluster, which was exhibited in Adelaide during 1997. It was
taken by Astro-photographer David Malin,
who is resident at the Anglo-Australian observatory in New South
Wales. The star cluster, also known as Messier 45 and The Seven
Sisters, is visible in both the
Southern and Northern hemispheres and are situated about 400
light years from earth within the constellation of Taurus. The
cluster is known as a reflection
nebulae; this refers to the way in which light particles pass
through the dust clouds surrounding the constellation and which
causes the deep blue and white tones
captured in David's photograph.
The Pleiades feature heavily in ancient mythology and have
inspired legends from numerous cultures. In Greek Mythology the
seven sisters (Asterope, Taygeta,
Celaeno, Maia, Alcyone, Electra and Merope) are the daughters of
Atlas and Pleione. In Japan they are known as Subaru2, (meaning
united) in New Zealand they are
Matariki (little eyes) and to the Australian aboriginal tribes of
the Narangga group, the Muruwari and the Adnyamathanha, they are
known as maids or shy young
women.3 The common thread between many Pleiades legends is the
idea of a group of women or creatures that were chased across the
earth and fled, seeking refuge,
to the sky.
The beautiful dark blue colours of the Pleiades photo immediately
suggested to me rich orchestral textures that I felt would work
well in this short piece for ACOF. I
have written the work to be an exploration of textures and
colours reminiscent of the suggested tones of the photograph. My
aim was to compose a slow, meditative
work with a primary focus on the transition of colour in
orchestral writing. Using a wide palette from deep blues and
blacks (of the photograph) to brightest white, I
have aimed to contrast the orchestral colours throughout the
piece. The centrepiece of the work, heard on solo violin, is a
melodic fragment taken from my score for a
recent State Theatre of SA production, La Maison Suspendue (House
among the Stars).
The rise and fall of sections in the piece corresponds to
fragments of Pleiades stories and legends that inspired my
central ideas. The undulating textures
represent the flight and pursuit of the seven sisters (according
to legend), across the night sky. The piece begins and ends with
the interval of a fifth, modulating through a cycle of unrelated
keys; this is symbolic of the physical situation of the star
cluster, which (from left to right) expands and contracts
vertically. The result is a
piece which traverses the many hues of the Pleiades star cluster,
inspired by the Malin photograph.
Work Details
Year: 2001
Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B flat, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in B flat, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, strings.
Duration: 7 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — Advanced amateur/professional.
Commission note: Composed for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra as part of the 2001 Australian Composers Orchestral Forum
First performance: by West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Kevin Field — 14 Sep 01. ABC Basil Kirke Studios, Perth
Performances of this work
14 Sep 01: ABC Basil Kirke Studios, Perth. Featuring West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Kevin Field.
13 Sep 01: ABC Studios, Perth. Featuring West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Kevin Field.
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