performed by .abeceda [contemporary music ensemble]

I have been holding on to the term ‘copse’ for quite a while as a potential title. It refers to a particular type of small forest; not so densely populated and often quite isolated. 

Upon further research into its etymology, I discovered a poem by Charles Granville - a contemporary of Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allen Poe - titled ‘The Copse’, which elicited a darker, more sinister imago of such a type of wood; transliterated mainly as a kind of human, in this case full of inner turmoil. 

'copse' (2024) is a caption to this poem, exploring the string quartet as its own kind of coppice - instigating a multidimensional interplay of the various players across sweeping, scintillating trilling, morbid husk of lower melodies and the gradual entangling of ‘brambling’ improvisation palettes; wild and tumultuous, free yet trapped. 


Oskar Longyka, violin 1
Anja Kralj, violin 2
Domen Kužnac, viola
Urban Megušar, violoncello

premiere - June 24th 2024, Bled Festival Hall (SL)

copse (2024) - for string quartet

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold..."
- opening from "The Second Coming" (1919), W. B. Yeats

As part of my Master of Music (Composition) at the University of Melbourne, I was privileged to have the opportunity to compose an orchestral work for a workshop with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. For all its rough edges as my first orchestral composition, I'm still astonished at the raw emotional intensity that the MSO was able to capture in this recording after just one hour of rehearsal...

Turning, as implied by the title, is loosely based on W. B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming". As an allegory of post-war Europe, the poem strongly resonated for me with symphonic potential, particularly in response to the drastic geo-political shifts of 2016-17. Indeed, out of an omnipresent two-note oscillation based on the opening word ("turning"), the music gradually builds in impending doom towards an appropriately apocalyptic climax.

In the years since, Turning would take on a completely different personal meaning for myself in response to the 2020-21 COVID pandemic, and the consequent Melbourne lockdowns. (Yeats' poem was also written in the shadow of the 1918-19 Spanish Flu pandemic.) It's probably the most raw and honest music I've ever written, and remains a source of personal satisfaction, even if Turning is unlikely to ever receive a live premiere performance in concert as of March 2025.

I hope this recording encourages you to revisit Yeats' poem, as well as reflect on the poem's themes in relation to the increasingly dysfunctional and fractured world we currently find ourselves in. Finally, if you enjoyed this recording, please let me know and/or share it with other friends and musicians.

Daniel Riley
Canmore, Canada
March 3 2025

Music recorded on December 5 2017 as part of an orchestral workshop with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Brett Kelly. Uploaded with kind permission of Brett Kelly and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, for non-retainable streaming purposes only.

Cover artwork: William Kogoi (2021)

From the Archives: Turning, symphonic outtake for orchestra after poetry by W. B. Yeats (2017)

Title: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Ferry (for solo piano) (Excerpt)

Composer: Matthew Orlovich (https://mattheworlovich.com)
Performer: Michael Kieran Harvey, piano.

CD: 70 More Variations on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (MOVE MD3405)

Details: This composition was inspired by a trip on a Hong Kong Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central Pier.

Sheet Music: https://www.waratahmusic.com/shop/twinkle-twinkle-little-star-ferry-for-piano/

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Ferry (Excerpt)

Title: "Crazy Logic" (for alto saxophone and piano)
Composer: Matthew Orlovich (https://mattheworlovich.com/portfolio-items/crazy-logic/)

Performers: Anna Stepanova (saxophone) & Viola Demidova (piano)
CD: "Crazy Logic": Anna Stepanova – Saxophone

Sheet Music: https://www.waratahmusic.com/shop/crazy-logic-for-alto-sax-and-piano/

Crazy Logic (for alto saxophone and piano) (Excerpt)

Title: "Communion of Reparation (for Our Lady of Sorrows) [Excerpt]
Composer: Matthew Orlovich [https://mattheworlovich.com]
Text: Sister Mary Julian Baird RSM
Performers: Brisbane Chamber Choir, directed by Graeme Morton with soloists Colleen Guilfoyle & Timothy Grantham.

From CD: "Mass of the Dreaming" (TP239)
Available from: Tall Poppies Records [http://www.tallpoppies.net]

Mass of the Dreaming

Communion of Reparation (for Our Lady of Sorrows)" [Excerpt]

Music by Matthew Orlovich; Text by Roland Robinson
https://mattheworlovich.com

Waratah (for SATB choir, brass and percussion) (Excerpt)

Title: "Slipstream" (for Saxophone Quartet)
Composer: Matthew Orlovich (https://mattheworlovich.com)
Performers: Nexas Quartet (Sydney, Australia)
CD: "Current" – Available from http://nexasquartet.com/recordings

Sheet Music available from: https://www.waratahmusic.com/shop/slipstream-for-sax-quartet-and-bicycle-bell/

Current

Slipstream (for Saxophone Quartet) - Excerpt

Butterflies Dance – Excerpt
Composer: Matthew Orlovich (https://mattheworlovich.com)
Lyrics: Michael J. Smith
Performers: Voyces (Perth, Western Australia)
CD: Voyces

Butterflies Dance – Excerpt

Night (for SATB choir, piano, percussion and didgeridoo in C)
Composer: Matthew Orlovich (https://mattheworlovich.com)
Lyrics: Judith Wright
Performers: Voyces (Perth, Western Australian)
CD: Voyces

Night (for SATB choir, piano, percussion and didgeridoo in C) – Excerpt

Whirled Music (arr. by Mix't Trio)
Composer: Matthew Orlovich (https://mattheworlovich.com)
Performers: Mix't Trio
CD: Home By Eleven (Tall Poppies TP245)

Whirled Music (arr. by Mix't Trio) – Excerpt

G’day!

I am a freelance composer based in Sydney, Australia. I write music for solo instrumentalists, large and small ensembles, choirs, bands and orchestras.

My compositions are regularly performed and broadcast around the world by acclaimed musicians at prominent venues including Sydney Opera House, (Australia), Steinway Hall (New York, NY, USA), Banff Center for the Arts (Canada), Golden Hall Musikverein (Vienna, Austria), National Concert Hall (Taipei, Taiwan), Wigmore Hall, (London, UK), Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts (PRC), as well as at opening concerts for international music symposia & congresses in UK & USA, All-State Honor Choir festivals (USA), plus on ABC Classic FM (Australia), BBC Radio 3 (UK), US cable networks, MBS network (Australia) and assorted streaming services.

My music has received performances by numerous Australian and international artists, including BBC Singers • San Francisco State University Chamber Singers • Sydney Philharmonia • The Choir of London • Scottish Chamber Orchestra • The Grevillea Ensemble • The Australian Voices • The Song Company • United States Navy Band • RompDuo • The Harvard University Choir • Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival Choir • Grainger Wind Symphony • The Hunter Singers • Translucent Duo • Concordis Chamber Choir • Zurich New Music Ensemble • Anhinga PianoSAX Duo • Oriana Chorale • Joubert Singers • Gondwana Chorale • St Peters Chorale • Da Capo Singers • Sydney Conservatorium Chamber Choir • Sydney Symphony Orchestra • Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra • Heterodyne Duo • Plus many more…

Amongst my recent works is a concerto for alto saxophone and band entitled "Flying Colours". It received its first performance in January 2011 at the 34th International Saxophone Symposium in Fairfax, VA, USA, with soloist Barry Cockcroft (alto sax) and the United States Navy Band, conducted by Captain Brian O. Walden. The US Navy Band’s latest Concert Band CD, entitled “Derivations” includes a performance of the work featuring Musician First Class Jonathan Yanik.

My latest commissions include a soprano saxophone concerto entitled "Carnival Capers" which was premiered at the 16th World Saxophone Congress by Barry Cockcroft (soloist) with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, a new work for a cappella choir entitled Dreams for the 63rd Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival, and a new work entitled “Whirled Music” (for alto saxophone & marimba) which received its premiere performance by Translucent Duo at the Australasian Saxophone & Clarinet Conference 2013, held at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Do feel free to get in touch! I look forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,
Matthew Orlovich.

Night (for SATB choir, piano, percussion and didgeridoo in C) – Excerpt

Matthew Orlovich

Related tracks