Name: Perpetual Inertia by petermcnamara in Long Waves - August 2016
Duration: 11 min 56 s
Description: For large chamber ensemble, NJO conducted by Hans Leenders.

This month we decided to program a playlist theme we'd been thinking about for a while. Long Waves gives the listener a chance to savour some of the broader, single-movement works that composers have put forward to Making Waves.  We really enjoy how this set of works visit contemplative or evocative themes, some via solo instrument, others for ensemble, with or without voice.  With thanks to Making Waves Intern, Angus Baxter, for his thoughtful curatorial input on the playlist.

Long Waves - August 2016

'One Word Full of Meaning' is a composition for six voices and a percussionist composed for the Sydney based Song Company in 2007. It is a musical setting of a number of Theravada Buddhist texts in the Pali language used for daily chanting by the monks- the texts focus on themes of transience of life and beauty, reflections of death, impermanence etc. and also includes the beautiful metta sutta ('may all beings be well and happy ....').

One Word Full of Meaning

Performed by Michael Kieran Harvey on the Stuart and Sons piano at the Conservatorium of Music November 19, 2015. Recorded by ABC Classic FM. This piece won the 2014 University of Newcastle Jean Bogan Prize

Piano Sonata No.2 (A Universal History Of Infamy)


Springtime Dances, Winter Weeps


When confronted with the need for more music to fill a rapidly approaching concert program, I contacted flutist Brijette Tubb to see if she would be willing to learn something on short notice. She very kindly agreed - and I very frantically got to composing, as the music had not yet been written.

Four days later 'Springtime Dance, Winter Weeps' was affixed with a double bar line and sent to Brijette for her appraisal. Along with the music I sent her a profuse apology about the difficulty of the music, as much of my music ends up far more virtuosic in nature than I intend when starting out - and this piece was no exception.

To my great delight, excitement and amazement she was completely and utterly undeterred. The performance, just two weeks later, was a tremendous success.
 Springtime Dances, Winter Weeps is a work of contracts with two starkly different musical feels; it captures the bleakness of winter and the feverish play of spring. It is a virtuosic work that is a great contribution to the flute’s solo repertoire, and one which can be at home in a wide variety of concert programs.

Performed by Brijette Tubb (Flute)
Recorded by Chris Healey

Springtime Dances, Winter Weeps

A work for pre-recorded electronics, piano and percussion.  Based on the story of Russell Keats, son of Australian composer Horace Keats, who was killed in action on the HMAS Canberra in 1942.

Voice of the Depths-Peter McNamara (Excerpt)

Ever wondered what a broken computer hard drive would sound like in music?  Well here is the piece that realises it!  Performed by the Sam Gill Quartet and Brad Gill-vibraphone.

Failing Hard Drive Study-Tristan Coelho (Excerpt)

Excerpt of "Transfigured Continent" by Peter McNamara.  Amplified bowed cymbal-Brad Gill, alto flute-Jane Bishop, alto saxophone-Andrew Smith, cello-Mary Rapp, work also includes video.

Peter McNamara's Album

Transfigured Continent [excerpt]

Excerpt of "Cadenza II" by Peter McNamara.  Mary Rapp-cello.

Cadenza II [excerpt]

An excerpt from "White Noise" by Peter McNamara for soprano, bass flute and vibraphone.  Performed by Zoe Drummond-soprano, Jane Bishop-bass flute and Brad Gill-vibraphone.

White Noise [Excerpt]

Peter McNamara-composer, Chloe Lankshear-soprano, Alicia Crossley-tenor recorder, Brad Gill-percussion

De Rerum Natura II excerpt

I composed this piece as part of my Masters degree at Excelsia college, in a composition unit that required I use more technology and audio processing than I ever have before (which isn't a hard feat, as I've never really used any technology to compose before!) I recorded various audio elements using my phone and a Mikme recorder, and edited the audio using Logic Pro. I also processed audio using programs called SoundHack and Cecilia. 

This piece was inspired by my mother's experience of moving to Australia from Scotland when she was 17. She has often shared memories of that time in her life with me. This was combined with friends I have made at uni who are international students, and hearing about their experiences of adjusting to living in a different culture, and the struggles but also joys of that experience. I wanted to use this piece to help others to connect with the experiences of people who move to another country and have to cope with the differences of life in a new place. I included musical interludes inspired by music of significance to the three people who feature in this work; firstly, the music of the Beach Boys, which was important to my mother when she first moved her; secondly, Christian worship music that marked my Malaysian friend's early days in Australia singing with the Christian group at uni; and finally, folk music from the Haryana region which is significant for a friend who comes from India.

Home

Premiered by: Dean Newcomb, cl, Martin Phillipson, tpt, Amanda Grigg, perc, Xiaoxia Zhao, guqin, Janet Anderson, vln, Ewen Bramble, vc and James Ledger, cond.

Recorded at the Space Theatre, Adelaide, 20/9/2012.

As the Dust Rises (guqin/mixed ensemble)

For large chamber ensemble, NJO conducted by Hans Leenders.

Perpetual Inertia

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.

I am a contemporary classical composer working in Sydney, Australia.  I have composed across a wide variety of areas including orchestral, chamber, electronic, film and installations.  Please visit my website or contact the Australian Music Centre or my publisher Wirripang Pty Ltd for more details.

Perpetual Inertia

petermcnamara

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