End of year playlist from Making Waves:  this is a marathon collection of all Soundcloud tracks featured in playlists this year.  Your holiday listening sorted!

2017 Waves

Live performance by Decibel New Music ensemble, 05-07-2013

Bass Flute - Cat Hope
Bass Clarinet - Lindsay Vickery
Violin - Aaron Wyatt
Cello - Tristen Parr
Electronics - Stuart James

Live stereo recording of spatialised 8-channel electronics

The Aura Implicit

Sirenity explores the mythology of the siren - hybrid woman with either bird-like or mer-like physical qualities, whose beautiful voices lured the all-too-easily corruptible minds of sailors to their peril.

Channelling spectralist, minimalist and ecoacoustic approaches, the work retains this dyadic relationship of characters: the sirens through humpback whale song and the sailor/victim in the airborne caws and calls of the wandering albatross (both sourced from recordings), with the former drawing the latter to its impending doom; the aftermath decaying back to the torrents of the sea.

Performed by the Australian String Quartet - Kristian Winther, Ioana Tache, Stephen King, Sharon Draper - as part of the National Composers' Forum 2013 in Elder Hall on 17 October 2013. Recorded by Kym Wilson, with technical assistance from Iran Sanadzadeh.

Sirenity

'AURAS'  - First movement (2013)

Auras is a piece for string quartet that consists of two movements. The concept of an individuals aura can be found in many different religions and are associated with the notion of a spiritual field of luminous radiation that surrounds an individual,  reflecting their personality traits, thoughts and feelings. 

The first movement of Auras represents the aura of the individual where its slow moving harmonies and sonorities create a reflective soundscape for the listener. The second movement contrasts to the first in tempo, starting at a much quicker speed with a consistent rhythmic drive. The second aims to represent the interaction and changes of a persons aura as they interact with others and the world around them mainly through the use of  alternating dissonant and consonant harmony.


Performed by students of Sydney Conservatorium of music

Auras I

Fregoli Delusion

How can one represent the aural landscape of an environment that is potentially beyond the understanding of the audience, whilst using sound material which is embedded with association to the known human world?

A collection of soundscape compositions from my 2014 Honours submission. 

6. Selective Analysis - Life - Form 1b

flute and violin with electronic processing
played by Maddie Remont and Harry Nguyen
using Jeff Noon's Cobralingus Engine

cobralingus art run 1

Performed by Ensemble Offspring

Lamorna Nightingale – alto flute
Jason Noble – bass clarinet
Elizabeth Welsh – violin
Geoffrey Gartner – cello 
Claire Edwardes – percussion
Zubin Kanga – piano

Recording courtesy of ABC Classic FM

read/write error (mixed ensemble)

For Soprano and Chamber Orchestra

Live recording of world premiere by Caroline Cartens and RKST21 (Orkest de Ereprijs & HGO), conducted by Arjan Tien. 'Brand New Day' at Musis Sacrum, Arnhem, The Netherlands, February 13, 2016.

And Whether Pigs Have Wings

Responsibility

A short guide to an improvisation

2 flutes, clarinet, alto saxophone, 3 vibraphones, 2 pianos, viola, double bass 

Commissioned by the Queensland Conservatorium New Music Ensemble. An exploration of time-based phrases and varying levels of improvisation. The piano focused opening and closing sections of the work are inspired by Brisbane-based composer, Erik Griswold’s, work for 16 pianos, written for the unveiling of The Piano Mill. Thick choir-esque textures were heard in much of this work which are translated into layers of polyrhythms over two pianos in "A short guide to an improvisation". This layering of polyrhythms and piano resonance also has origins in an improvisation performed with trombonist, Ben Marks, at the same event Erik’s work was premiered. Ben and I stood on a wooden stage on one side of a small valley, surrounded by thick Australian bush. As we performed, I would sound short but rapid phrases and hear the pitches linger in the air, creating lasting harmony as they died away. The piano resonance in "A short guide to an improvisation" emulates this idea of a note still having an effect on our ears as it decays into silence. 

The first improvised section gives performers intervals and lines depicting how they might move between respective intervals. Rhythm, articulation and phrasing are at the performers’ discretion. The proceeding improvisation is a duet between the alto saxophone and clarinet, where each is given a set of pitches but, again, with no indications of rhythm, articulation or phrasing. The climax of the improvisations is a freely improvised section between the full ensemble. 

A short guide to an improvisation

A response to the lives lost in Paris, November 2015. The piece attempts to portray the confused but overwhelmingly energised inner workings of a young, fanaticised mind and give form to their misshapen and distorted reality.

Works by playwright Wole Soyinka influenced my choice of perspective when approaching this topic. 

… the shadowy one, the waiter-stalker, a youth
 Fed on dreams of sarabands of houris
 Doe-eyed virgins, wine and sweetmeats in the afterlife 
But to his paradise, a key - the plunging knife. 

an excerpt from Samarkand
by Wole Soyinka

The Fanatic or I Am Right You Are Dead

From 'The Homeric Hymns'

In Greek mythology, Hermes was the Olympian god of boundaries and transitions. He was depicted as a capricious and astute character able to move freely between the mortal and divine worlds. Hermes was an emissary for the gods; a conciliator between the mortals and the divine. He was also charged with guiding souls into the afterlife.

Hymn to Hermes

Commissioned by Samantha Wolf for International Women's Day 2016 concert: This Will Be Our Reply. First performed on 7th March 2016 by Tamara Kohler, Gemma Tomlinson, Aaron Klein, & Adam McMillan.

There is usually more complexity on the inside than what is initially seen.

"On the Inside" explores the many aspects of identity throughout a woman’s life, from growth to complexity, (as opposed to innocence to uselessness). It rejects the idea that women are to be seen as objects only, that a woman’s value lies in her physical attributes and functionality to another. 

Musically, this piece started with a single small motif that is heard about a third of the way in, which I then grew and developed continuously. Despite rejecting external ideals, aspects that might be perceived as "beauty" have been retained because, like all characteristics, beauty is not something to be ashamed of or feared.

On The Inside

Performed by Adrian Soares (harpsichord) and Louise Devenish (percussion).

Clock-sung Lullaby - Prepared Harpsichord & Percussion

[text by Rhys Nixon, composed && performed by Dan Thorpe].

going wild here on the footpath

a dog looked at me, walked away

going to buy a dog off amazon after getting something to eat

send pictures of dogs to strangers

no one sends any back

windows fogged up 

cant see inside

 

what am i doing between tabs i’m not looking at

another day, another empty mail box

no we don’t want to subscribe to your newsletter

no we are happy with our bandwidth 

no we don’t care about your coupons

no this letter isn’t meant for us


been waiting outside way too long

yes, it’s exactly what it looks like, more than one train approaching

walk down the street in pajamas, will people even look 

they glance and mutter

they really do need to subscribe

looks like their bandwidth is low

probably uses coupons

 

walking on footpaths, broken rubbish bag

empty milk bottles rolling into gutters

think of picking them up

we don’t, look at the bus drive past

everyone waiting

 

i can use this, open a store, sell my ideas

watches don’t tell the time, coffee tastes like water

inbuilt spelling mistake maker

automatic Facebook liker

app that answers the door

service that compares all the dogs in your area

white noise dream catcher

 

if i tackled a police officer would people stop me

or will the police officer step aside

consider this while waiting for a coffee

consider this while you exit the train station

consider that the police officer 

didn’t look at you

 

i walked into traffic and all the cars stopped politely, 

the drivers weren't watching me

if you were waiting for me

i’m sorry about that

it must be the water

can i get a drink

 

i’ll look at a sad picture and not feel the need to cry

until someone says ‘wow that made me cry a lot’

we’ll walk to the bank

take all our money

throw it on the road

watch cars drive over it

pick it up and deposit it again

 

don’t worry about it, honestly, 

i’ll make sure to stand up straighter

and meet up with friends

we’ll be the friendliest people

on the end of our street

in our complex

in our combined bank account

linked to our insurance company

 

bury my face in funny videos

don’t want to know anymore

turn the volume down here so i wont be noticed

give up sleeping

stay up every day

everything feels blue

we won’t be photographed

Considerate

What can we do, there's nothing to do,
about sickness and hunger and dying.
What can we do, there's nothing to do,
nothing but cursing and crying.

Find something to burn.
Let it go up in smoke.
burn your troubles away.

Sometimes it's witches or what will you choose?
Sometimes it's lunatics, shut them away.
It's blacks and it's women and often it's Jews.
We's all be quite happy if they'd go away.

Find something to burn.
Let it go up in smoke.
burn your troubles away.

The lyrics of Caryl Churchill from her play 'Vinegar Tom'. Performed and composed by ALPHAMALE (https://soundcloud.com/dad-dreams) and Marlene Claudine Radice. This piece premiered in COUP Canberra's 2016 production of Vinegar Tom.
http://www.agac.com.au/2016/12/the-musicians-of-vinegar-tom/

Cut Common interview with Hannah and Marlene: http://www.cutcommonmag.com/how-can-we-use-music-to-achieve-social-change/

Something To Burn

A piece composed for 5x5x5 at the Arts Centre Melbourne.

Thea Rossen, percussion
Kaylie Melville, percussion
Jennifer Timmins, flute
Emmanuel Cassimatis, cor anglais
Kenny Keppel, bass clarinet
Matthew Horsley, conductor

Matthew Horsley - Spaces Without

For guitar and marimba (3 movements)
David Malone, guitar
Gary Wain, marimba
"Fretsongs" CD - Tall Poppies TP 175

Di Primavera I

Written for KARAK Percussion - two marimbas. 

Squirrels In Hyde Park

Written for KARAK Percussion (two marimbas). This piece was inspired by a poor lonely Kookaburra - silent in his cage - surrounded by tropical noisy birds at the zoo. The warped version of the song "Kookaburra Sits on the Old Gum Tree" is used - but  unrecognisably...

Kookaburra Sits In Antwerp Zoo

Making Waves is a monthly series of curated playlists streaming one hour of quality, new composed music.  Founded in 2015, Making Waves shines a spotlight on the music of Australian composers. Fresh playlists are released on the first day of each month and older playlists are made available all year round via our archives; perfect for those with just a few minutes to explore one track or for hours perusing a myriad of diverse sound-worlds.


The project offers wider exposure to emerging composers, their music and the talented performers who champion it. We also provide an easy-to-access platform for listeners to sit back and enjoy a curated hour of exciting new music or explore our living composers more actively.  The playlist themes (and media through which they’re shared eg. Soundcloud, YouTube) evolve each month depending on the content received directly from our talented composers.

At its core Making Waves is a curated listening space. In 2016 we branched into producing our own content through a special project, Making Conversation, thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign. Making Conversation: Australian Composers Project is a series of podcasts and vodcasts presenting the human side of living Australian composers, released on popular audiovisual and social platforms mid-2017.
Composers Lisa Cheney (Melbourne) and Peggy Polias (Sydney) are curating this project.

 Listeners, we encourage you to explore current and past playlists and discover more about our featured composers. 

Composers, we encourage you to send us links to your streamable audio via our website. Visit: www.makingwavesnewmusic.com for more information.

2017 Waves

Making Waves New Music