Love the electronics, great piece; very cinematic atmosphere! Congrats :)

'Okiku' is named after the Japanese legend of Okiku, a servant girl who is deceived by the samurai of her master. After Okiku repeatedly refuses his sexual advances, the samurai resorts to threats and trickery to instil her as his lover. Eventually, an exasperated Okiku throws herself into the well, choosing death over the compromise of her morals. Her ghost is said to haunt the well of Himeji castle. 

Without touching on any of the explicit narrative elements of Okiku, this musical piece is rather an exploration of human consciousness once it loses its physicality. In Japanese folklore, spirits will only remain in the physical world after death if a strong emotion traps them there. While vengeance and betrayal are mostly what drives Okiku's spirit in the tale, the musical piece 'Okiku' follows her spirit on a journey of reflection and forgiveness, as it prepares to leave the physical realm.

Recording developed as part of a residency with AiR Niederösterreich, 2021.

Recorders - Emily Bannister
Classical Guitar - Andrea Guterres
Synthesised handbells & Electronics - Andrea Guterres

Okiku (for recorder, classical guitar, synthesised handbells, and electronics)

Performance by 'ADY Ensemble' and conducted by Adrian Head.
http://ady.net.au/

Ady gave the premiere performance of this work in 2012 and performed it again live (this recording) in 2013. Can't tell you how lovely it is to now have a record of this performance. My thanks to Adrian Head and the Ady musicians for being such wonderful champions of new local music. Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/aoOUybePC3I

Performed at The University of Queensland, School of Music in the Nickson Room on September 5, 2013.

Audio recording: Thomas Green
AV recording: Lisa Cheney

Composed by Lisa Cheney.
For more information on Lisa or her works please visit www.lisacheney.com.au 
To obtain the score for 'Reflection', please visit the Australian Music Centre at http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/artist/cheney-lisa or contact the composer directly.

Reflection (string orchestra)

Amble Skuse - Balancing Act

For Alto Flute and Prepared Harp. Composed for Cochlea Duo for the 2016 soundSCAPE festival. Premiered and recorded by Cochlea Duo, 8th July 2016 in Maccagno, Italy. 
Performance notes: "I have recently become interested in exploring the relationship between music and the body. This includes exploring how physical phenomena can be expressed and understood sonically. Scintillation is inspired by my experience of scintillating scotomas, which almost always follow the same trajectory: a small shimmering light in my outer field of vision, which gradually spreads from left to right, forming dazzlingly detailed patterns before disintegrating into a thick haze of light and colour. The materials in Scintillation utilise the unique timbral and expressive qualities of the flute and harp to evoke these patterns, and the overall form of the piece vaguely follows the onset and progression of symptoms. Like other pieces inspired by the corporeal, the aim of this piece is to create something positive out of a painful, albeit fascinating personal experience."

Scintillation

This recording was taken at the premiere performance of Lisa Cheney's 'Everything is Illuminated' (2016) for Percussion, Harp, Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass.

Conducted by: Julian Pellicano 
Performed by: Joe Rebman (Harp), Alfonso Fernandez (Viola), Anne Wybenga (Cello), Chris Salvito (Perc.), Lili Sarayrah (Violin), Nicoletta Favari (Piano), Sam Bobinski (D. Bass).

The performance and premiere took place during the Yale Norfolk New Music Workshop, Norfolk, Connecticut, USA on the July 2nd, 2016.

Recorded by: Matthew LeFevre

Program Note:
Everything is Illuminated is work deeply rooted in the composer’s preoccupation with colour and timbre. In this work bright, metallic, plucked or struck sounds often dominate the foreground in a consistent quintuplet figure. Throughout the piece the musician’s voices are also utilized as a largely percussive technique - stage whispering works and syllables of the title. Many of the metre choices and revolving sense of pulse can also be traced back to the syllables within the work title. 

Note: 'Everything is Illuminated' is not related to the work of author, Jonathan Safran Foer, this is just a happy coincidence.

Everything is Illuminated (chamber ensemble)

Down To Us

Gb - Bounce

Commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne for 5x5x5: Journey 2017
Performed by the Australian National Academy of Music

5x5x5 - Samantha Wolf - Shadowchaser

The Gliding Intervals

A Celestial Breath

Welsh Rain on the Cottage Roof

Australian musician with a specialisation in electroacoustic composition, immersive soundscapes, and multimedia projects. Get in touch for collaborations:
andreaguterresmusic[at]gmail[dot]com

Okiku (for recorder, classical guitar, synthesised handbells, and electronics)

Andrea Guterres

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