Evolving Waves (November 2019)

Touching moment today, when checking out the acoustic in Tunnel Grić, the security guard, who was obliged to stop me , tip-toes over and silently signaled to stop recording , so as to not ruin my take, hvala puno gospodine! #undergroundmusic #zagreb #croatia #clarinet

Tunnel Gric Zagreb

Performed by Flinders Quartet. Concert footage filmed by 5stream; audio recorded, mixed and mastered by Ana Paula Gargantini, APGMproductions. June 22, 2019. Library at the Dock, Melbourne.

Video of performance can be found here - https://vimeo.com/345175559 

If you're interested in seeing the score, please get in touch.


PROGRAM NOTES

The String Quartet Project is the beginning of a journey that will never be completed. I will continue to add new movements to the piece indefinitely. This suite of music will grow and grow, each movement informing the next. The compositional approach of each movement is informed by the context in which it is written, and the ensemble who performs it: with each string quartet leaving their mark on the work as a whole.


I - The Slow Unfolding of the Self

These are the first marks made for the work. I wanted each note to have gravitas, hence the slow, austere mood. It is almost without pulse and utilises frequent dove-tailing. Harmonically, I've been inspired by the work of the American composer Elliott Carter.

II - Foreign Gravity

The second movement oscillates between soloist and the ensemble in a call and response-like fashion. Instructions to play freely, steady and aggressively are given. It consists of hocket-like sections, all-interval tetrachords and an absence of extended techniques.

The String Quartet Project (I) The Slow Unfolding of the Self [2019]

-Waringin-
Huge Banyan trees (Waringin/Bingin) are important landmarks in most Balinese village, often at a central crossroads.  These behemoth trees are allowed to grow untamed and often grow to nearly 50 metres.  They are highly sacred, and it is believed that both auspicious and malevolent spirits spend their time nearby these twisted, sprawling, almost grotesque trees. Like cathedrals in English towns, Banyan trees can be seen from hundreds of metres away; these age-old sentinels loom over the village.  The Balinese word "Bingin" carries a sense of strong and solid foundations, and as such these trees are a symbol of tradition. 

Composed by Oscar Smith
Dedicated to Dewa Alit and Gamelan Salukat
Performed by Gamelan Salukat
Recorded by Antida Studios at Balerung Mandera Peliatan
Mixed by Raka Bintara
Film by Ferdinand Parulian

Thanks to:
-Dewa Alit
-Aya Sukuma
-Dewa Artayasa
-Agung Oka Dalem Mandera
-University of Sydney
-Australian Cultural Fund
-Everyone who donated

Musicians/Pemain:
PEMADE 1: I Wayan Sumerta
PEMADE 2: I Dewa Gede Artayasa
PEMADE 3: I Kadek Putra Agustina
PEMADE 4: I Wayan Galung Marwanaya

KANTILAN 1: I Made Pagarat
KANTILAN 2: Dewa Gede Teja Nata
KANTILAN 3: Gusti Ngurah Trisna Adi Putra
KANTILAN 4: 

CALUNG 1: Gusti Ngurah Oka Wardana
CALUNG 2: Kadek Krisna Ripayana
JEGOG 1: I Wayan Sukadana
JEGOG 2: I Putu Okto Saputra

REONG 1: I Kadek Janurangga
REONG 2: I Putu Astianawan
REONG 3: I Wayan Wahyudika
REONG 4: I Kadek Krisna Arimbawa

SULING: I Wayan Ariadi
SULING: Made Dwi Cahya Diva
SULING: I Kadek Prima Santosa Dwi Putra

CENG-CENG: I Kadek Prima Santosa Dwi Putra
KENTUK: I Putu Raka Suantana
GONG: I Gusti Putu Alit Indrawan Mataram

Waringin

A piece on the subject of finding clarity as the immediate surrounds continue to blur. Composed for the Gildas Quartet and Lucy Humphris - written at Dartington while studying with Sir Harrison Birtwistle.

Duets

Somewhere in the Middle explores the notion of cultures and composers feeling a loss of identity and place in their own music. It leads the listener to question whether feeling a sense of identity and place in a work of music is important and whether imposing labels on music is really necessary. This work seeks to blend traditional and contemporary musical worlds and is influenced the contemporary classical music of Seoul, South Korea.

Performer: Elliot Pascoe
Recorded: 2012
Composed: 2011

The String Quartet Project (I) The Slow Unfolding of the Self [2019]

Joseph Franklin