Recorded live performance of Ashley Smith & Raymond Yong at St George's College as Part of "Portraits of the University of Western Australia" in November 2014. 

Program Notes: 
“ Respiration” is a work that describes my experience of witnessing Cheyne-Stokes respiration, a type of breathing exhibited by humans and animals close to death. The Cheyne-Stokes respiration cycle is characterised by progressively deeper and faster breathing, followed by a gradual decrease that results in stops in breathing for an extended period of time. As the breaths would draw further apart I would wait anxiously for the next breath, not knowing if it was to be the last. This process very much sets the form of the work. The bass clarinet musters increasingly desperate melodic gestures between the ever-growing gaps of breathless silence to which it eventually succumbs. The process is narrated by a simple string accompaniment echoing my own feelings of fright, despair, sorrow and eventually relief. The work was premiered under the name “Elegy for a Duck” as the writing of the piece was prompted by the haunting experience of watching an injured duck slowly pass enroute to the vet hospital. The experience was particularly haunting as I realised the duck was not the first time I’d heard it.”

Respiration

Respiration for Bass Clarinet & Strings (2014) [Live]

Recording of the world premiere performance in Valdeblore Nice, France. 

PROGRAM NOTES
"“Sfidare” is Italian for “Defy” and Romanian for “Defiance”. It’s interesting how art, whether deliberately or not, can echo undercurrents in the artist’s life during the time of its creation. At its premiere, the work bore only the name “String Quartet No.1.” It was only after I wrote this piece that I realised it was a statement of empathy and hope for individuals whom I knew to be enduring hardship, yet continued nonetheless. This work is titled as a tribute to any who must defy to declare their place."

Respiration for Bass Clarinet & Strings (2014) [Live]

Michael Grebla

Related tracks