Pf. Garrick Ohlsson

In 2021, I was approached by Paul Kildea from Musica Viva Australia to write a piece for Garrick Ohlsson for his 2023 Australian tour. He would be playing music by Franz Liszt, Samuel Barber, Franz Schubert, Alexander Scriabin, and Frédéric Chopin (of which Garrick is a famous interpreter). While researching and reflecting on how my creative voice could complement the program I stumbled on a description of Garrick’s playing saying that he possesses a “calmly demanding presence”. 

I decided I would channel a piece by Liszt which evokes the same descriptors for me, Sposalisio (meaning marriage) from Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage). In this piece, Liszt describes Raphael’s high-renaissance painting, Sposalisio, in musical form. Though some of the motivic and structural scaffolding owes to the Liszt, conceptually and stylistically, the piece has come to resemble something more pluralistic than a marriage. Convocations combine the unlikely and disparate elements of the romantic piano giants, modernist styles, an Australian tour, a Tasmanian composer, and an American concert pianist in a congregation that aims to give life to a spiritual soundworld.

Convocations (2023)

Nominated for an APRA AMCOS award and selected for the ISCM World Msuic Days 2025.

Pf: Affinity Quartet

The endless possibilities and continuous development of the string quartet are celebrated in Infinite Affinities. This development and constant reinvention is mirrored through the pitch material, which strictly derived from Per Nørgård’s constantly developing infinity series, and the allusions to genres not considered typical for a string quartet such as progressive metal, jazz fusion, and contemporary ambient music.

Infinite Affinities (2023)

Though listener interpretations will vary my personal interpretations of De-Cadence, Decadence, Decay-Dense are as follows: 
-	Musical Commentary on the ideals of freedom and their limits. 
-	Reflection on the cultural and moral utility and opportunity-cost of traditions. 
-	A piece in three parts reflecting on the concepts of De-Cadence, Decadence, and Decay-Dense respectively.
-	A short burst of fun wacky music that ends on a more serious tone.
The outer sections are designed around the common vi, ii, V, I, and later appearing in minor keys as VI7, iiø7, V7, i chord progressions. The piano is largely responsible for these chord progressions, grounding the volatile structures of the strings. The middle section, by contrast, is infused with references to EDM, rock music, and the harmonic indulgences of jazz fusion.

De-Cadence, Decadence, Decay-Dense (2024)

Tifa's Theme - Nobuo Uematsu

This is the 7th etude of a set of 8 piano etudes written between 2015 and 2016. Each of the 8 etudes were designed around categorically contemporary techniques such as irrational meter, use of the interior of the piano and clusters. This etude is based on a notation system in which the usual assignment of mathematical values and ratios don’t apply. Instead, the note types are described in more subjective terms, either describing a desired musical effect or approximate relativity to other note types

Etude no 7 "Hymnal Soundscapes" from 8 Etudes for Piano (2016)

Performer: Jack Barnes

The Piano Sonata is in 5 movements: 
I: Auspices ex Avibus
Birds envisage of an ominous future despite the warmth, comfort and optimism of their surroundings. 
II: Ardent Narcosis
A serene, sun-kissed middle section is bookended by sections of relentlessly volatile romantic hysteria. 
III: Asphyxic Voids 
An aimless aria winds its way through this movement in wearied submission. Air bubbles can be heard in the middle of this section, seemingly in perpetual descent. At the end of this section, heartbeat-like utterances can be heard. 
VI: Amygdalic Blitz
Untamed energy, ecstatic tension between fight and flight. The last part of the section gives in to unfettered maniacal and violent instincts bringing about its own orgiastic destruction. 
V: Aftermath
A limbo-esque state of suspension between good and evil, redemption and reprimand.

Piano Sonata (2017)

YouTube video here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oBBmowVxcw

Piano Trio (2015)

Performers: Ensemble Offspring
Claire Edwardes: Vibraphone, Woodblocks, Suspended Cymbal
Lamorna Nightingale: Bass Flute, Flute
Jason Noble: Bass Clarinet
Henry Justo: Viola
Blair Harris: Cello

The more familiar I become with Samuel Beckett’s work and life story, the more endearing his duality becomes. He is, on the one hand, demanding and uncompromising; on the other a man of great modesty, bravery, humanity, generosity and forgiveness. It's absurd (not in the sense that his works are) to eulogise Beckett in under 10 minutes especially as, in his extreme modesty, he found most admiration uncomfortable. However, given our lifespans never crossed and given his bleak, funny, deeply moving and perversely humane plays have left such an impression on me I feel the need to bid him Adieu through music.

Adieu (2019)

Hijack is about how language and ideas can be warped, weaponized, manipulated and “hijacked” for sometimes malevolent purposes. After the opening cello melody the seemingly innocuous Pachelbel’s canon is slowly warped into a sickly, confrontational and fearful state. Trying to heal the situation, the viola picks up where the cello left off only to be met with hostile assaults from the other instruments. Eventually, the other instruments, seeing the viola tired and vulnerable, radicalize it into a numb state of unquestioning obedience.

Hijack (2020)

Thanks to Douglas O'Connor (Alto Saxophone) and Eunmi Ko (Piano) for their wonderful playing as part of the 2020 USF International New Music Festival.

After writing the large-scale, programmatic, emotionally effusive and self-destructive Piano Sonata in 2017 I felt that the next piece would have to be a kind of emotional counterweight. Keeping the lightness, textural transparency and humour of Mozart and Haydn in mind while writing this piece the form and structure also started to shape itself more traditionally too. Hence this became titled a sonata.

Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano (2018)

Misson’s compositions are inspired by psychology, the complexities of nature, politics, the extremes of the human condition and the ever-present imperfection central to it. His music often expresses a desire to reimagine familiar musical tropes in surreal, and blackly humorous ways.

Thomas Misson

Popular tracks