The impetus for writing this piece came from a play by Tasmanian writer Tom Holloway called "Beyond the Neck", which premiered in 2007, and on which I was called in at the last minute to work on. The play explored the lives of four characters who had all been affected in profoundly different ways by the Port Arthur massacre of 1996. Although I was initially furious that anyone would dare to discuss the tragedy in such an open way, it quickly occurred to me that Tom's play was actually the first public discussion of the massacre, a matured view delivered with the benefit of time and reflection - upon what is still present in the minds of many Tasmanians, and will likely never be resolved.

In his review of Tom's play, Robert Jarman described it as "a meditation on our common grief and isolation" - and it is this feeling that I used for the greater structure and tone of the piece: The first movement, which desperately seeks responses to questions which can't be answered; the second, a "planh" or lament on the death of a friend; and the third, a more optimistic exploration of feelings and emotions complex and irresolvable. The piece is framed by a short musical phrase that symbolises the ultimately unanswerable question of "why?". The phrase appears only twice during the work - at the very opening of the first movement, and towards the conclusion of the third.

The score for this work can be purchased from the Australian Music Centre:
http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/workversion/dewey-matthew-symphony-no-1/23013

Symphony No. 1: II. (Russian Philharmonic Orchestra)

Each movement of the orchestral suite describes an image of the Tasmanian landscape that I had in my head at the time of writing: the first, the wild rocky southern coastline of Tasmania with seas pounding against the cliffs; the second, the beautiful Broad River in Southern Tasmania on a summers day; and the third, mist rising from lake St. Claire to reveal the surrounding mountains.

The score for this work can be purchased from the Australian Music Centre:
http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/workversion/dewey-matthew-orchestral-suite-no-1/23024

Orchestral Suite No.1: I. (Russian Philharmonic Orchestra)

This track is from the album Echoes and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/MatthewDewey11

Performed by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Orchestral Suite No.1: III. (Russian Philharmonic Orchestra)

This track is from the album Echoes and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/MatthewDewey11

Performed by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphony No. 1: I. (Russian Philharmonic Orchestra)

Symphony No. 1: III. (Russian Philharmonic Orchestra)

This piece was composed by Georges Enescu for solo viola with piano accompaniment. I orchestrated it several years ago and it was premiered in November, 2012, by viola soloist Roger Chase with the Western States Honor Orchestra Festival, conducted by Russell Guyver. When orchestrating the piece my intention was to capture a 19th century aesthetic in the flavour of the orchestration, to match that of the piece. I hope you enjoy the orchestration. As Russell said, the orchestra could have used another few rehearsals ... when isn't that the case?

Concertpiece

This track is from the album Liminality and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/matthewdewey16

Overture: Dead Tone Music

Postlude: Liminality

Music for TV Advertisement (Short Version), originally broadcast on Southern Cross TV. Rights belong to Matthew Dewey.

Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/seyyed_mostafa_zamani/4266283238/">seyed mostafa zamani</a> / <a href="http://foter.com/Art/">Foter.com</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY</a>

Music for TV Advertisement (Short Version)

Music for TV Advertisement (Longer Version), originally broadcast on Southern Cross TV. Rights belong to Matthew Dewey.

Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/seyyed_mostafa_zamani/4266283238/">seyed mostafa zamani</a> / <a href="http://foter.com/Art/">Foter.com</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY</a>