The concept for this playlist came from the idea of the human relationships that underpin all creative practices. How we interact with one another is the foundation of live performance and inherent to the process of creating new music. This month’s playlist was curated by Making Waves team member Marlēné Claudine Radice @marlene-claudine-pringle-radice 

The pieces featured in this month’s playlist explicitly highlight what it means to to relate to ones humanity through music. Whether it be through the physical body such as Caerwen Martin’s exploration of the relationship between mother and child or Mark Holdsworth’s musical depictions of Frida Kahlo’s self portraits.

A fundamental part pf human relationships and identity stems from our ability to act and think autonomously. The notion of what it means to be an autonomous individual is examined by Rishin Singh and Sophie Van Dijk. Both pieces by these composers explore how individuals react to one another in various situations, how the human and an individual can shape and mould their performance.

Aaron Pelle and Antonia Zappia’s works depict a subtler aspect of the humanity inherent to music composition, the ideas expressed though emotion and how these ideas form, reform and collapse into each other. These ideas are extended further in Joseph Tabua’s work as he depicts our relationship between what it means to be human and how we as humans relate to the idea of consciousness within our creations.

Take some time to delve into adventure, art, the self and robots.

Enjoy!

Human Waves (October 2018)

2018 Waves

International Women's Day 2019

Commissioned by the Silo Collective and performed by the Enigma Quartet, this is my recording of the world premiere performance of my String Quartet, "The First Movement" on November 17, 2015. 

String Quartet: The First Movement [Live recording]

@2016 
Performed by the Briar String Quartet (Matthew Rigby- Violin 1, Navin Gulavita- Violin 2, Georgia Stibbard- Viola, Sage Fuller- Cello) 
Premiered at the Composer's Concert, St Stephen's Church Richmond, Victoria

Recorded at Sing Sing Studios, South Yarra, Victoria
Engineer: Aaron Dobos 

I always heard the phrase ‘The first step is always the hardest’.
Beginnings spark a potential energy, waiting to burst out. The endless possibility and avenues a road can lead is enthralling; blossoming new and dynamic waves. It’s exhilarating, yet restrained, not knowing where the road leads or how it will end.

This piece is my first step.

String Quartet No. 1 - "First"

This is the 2nd movement of a work written for my mother's 80th birthday, this work explores the complex relationships between mother and child.

The Beauty Of Now Movt 2 Mix 1

In​/​Her​/​Him​/​Raining​/​Phosphorous​/​Gardens - for 7 Spatialised Flutes

First performance on May the 9th, 2017 in the Barr Smith Library Reading Room as part of the New Sounds for an Old Room Vol. 3 Concert.

Performers:

Flute - Madeleine Stewart
Oboe - Hannah Kovilpillai
Bb Clarinet - Eric Begley
F Horn - Natalie Williams
Bassoon - Chris Buckley

Copyright Aaron Pelle (c) 2017

Kindred Spirits

The Robot was inspired by English writer and philosopher Colin Wilson. Interestingly, Wilson’s oeuvre explores the heights and depths of consciousness. "The robot is a servant, a valet. A type of servant who does things for you. So you learn something like talking French, driving a car or skiing, painfully and consciously, step by step. Then the robot takes it over and does it far more quickly and efficiently than you could do it consciously. However, the important thing is not to interfere with the robot once he has learned it because you'll completely screw him up if you do. Now the problem is the robot does all these valuable things like talking French and so on for us. The trouble is that he also does the things we do not want him to do."

The Robot (For Colin Wilson)by Joseph Tabua (2018)

1st movement of "An Australian Backyard Suite". This 6-part composition depicts various flora and fauna commonly found in Australian gardens.

The movements are:
Lorikeet
Fire Ant
Tree Fern
Blue Tongue Lizard
Cicada
Poinciana

This piece received 2nd Prize in the Franz Schubert International Composition Competition in Vienna in 2012.
It was also selected for performance by the Fresh Squeezed Opera Company in 2014.

Lorikeet (Live)

5th movement of "An Australian Backyard Suite". This 6-part composition depicts various flora and fauna commonly found in Australian gardens.

The movements are:
Lorikeet
Fire Ant
Tree Fern
Blue Tongue Lizard
Cicada
Poinciana

This piece received 2nd Prize in the Franz Schubert International Composition Competition in Vienna in 2012.
It was also selected for performance by the Fresh Squeezed Opera Company in 2014.

Cicada (Live)

"Towards Adventure" is a 'choose-your-own-adventure' style structured improvisation. Performers make their own way through the piece by following different paths. One leads to a pit of spiders while the other leads to a crystal cave. The goal for this piece was to give performers the freedom to respond to one another, and to explore how sound travels through the performance space.

This is a live recording of the premiere of the arrangement at 'Aftersound' at the Verge Gallery, 2 June 2018.
Performed by Marcus Whale, Rainbow Chan, Isabella Fiorentino and Oscar Saran.

June 2018.

Towards Adventure

Towards Adventure | Saxophone Quartet

Also known as "Sol Tempest", if you want the more pretentious title. Written in December 2011, revised January 2012 at National Music Camp.

Summer Thunderstorm

What is 'space'? Where is 'nohwere'? How do we understand these concepts? How do we cultivate 'nowhere' and 'space'? These are questions that I considered when approaching this work. Into Ethereal Space responds to the exhibition title 'Nowhere=Space' by exploring contrasting peaceful, meditative sections and flurried rhythmic sections. This piece invites you to enter into a space of contrasts and to explore, contemplate and consider what 'nowhere' and 'space' might mean.

This piece was commissioned for the opening of 'Nowhere=Space' at 107 Projects. This is a live recording of the premiere performance, 11 July 2018.
Performed by Quart-Ed: Caitlin Sandiford, Sarah Qiu, David Tocknell and Karen Cortez.

July 2018.

Inside the Mosaic

Into Ethereal Space

Matthias Bamert
West Australian Symphony Orchestra

This work was commissioned as an education piece, and is
designed to showcase the sections of the orchestra at the circus or at the zoo:
Brass (opening): fanfare, welcome to the circus/zoo;
Woodwinds: the monkeys;
Strings: the trapeze/the swans;
Percussion: lions and tigers;
Tutti, and brass fanfare to end.
The conductor may pause at each new section to introduce the instruments
of the orchestra, or may have the opening few bars of each section of music
played before performing the piece without pause.

Roar!

For solo soprano and SSAATTBB. Commissioned and recorded by The Australian Voices, 2012. Conducted by Gordon Hamilton.

Dedicated to William Duckworth and Jocelyn Wolfe.

Text:
DROUGHT

BY JUDITH WRIGHT

The summer solstice come and gone,
now the dark of the moon comes on.
The raging sun in his pale sky
has drunk the sap of the world dry.
Across the plains the dustwhirls run
and dust has choked the shrivelling tree.

This is my world that dies with me, 
cries the curlew in the night.
I have forgotten how the white
 birdfooted water in the creek
used in spring to call and speak.
All is fallen under the sun
and the world dies that once I made.

The strength that brandished my green blade,
the force uncoiling from the cell,
 drains like water from a wrecked well,
 says the dried out corn of the earth.
The seed I cherished finds no birth.

Now the dark of the world comes on.

Towards Adventure | Saxophone Quartet

Sophie Van Dijk - Composer