trios

unearth III, for violin, viola and cello (2021)

c. 7 mins

Score availability: Enquire

program note

Unearth III, for violin, viola and cello, was commissioned by the UKARIA Cultural Centre for premiere performance at the 2021 UKARIA 24 festival in the Adelaide Hills, curated by Umberto Clerici.

This piece is the third instalment in a series of works entitled Unearth, the first of which was a flute and oboe duet composed in response to the 2019-20 Bushfires across south-eastern Australia, and the second of which was a cello quartet written near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. Unearth III is far more substantial than its predecessors, but similarly responds to themes of displacement and uprooting. However, with this piece it was also my intention to assimilate my experience of world events over the past eighteen months with a cautiously optimistic eye to the future, acknowledging that alongside tremendous change occurs permanence and resilience in the natural world, the arts community, and in human relationships.

performances

• 27 November 2021; Andrew Haveron, Tobias Breider & Umberto Clerici; UKARIA Cultural Centre, SA

Score Sample and media

hat-trick, for flute, oboe and bassoon (2020)

c. 7 mins

Score availability: Published by the Australian Music Centre

Program note

Hat-trick was composed for Joshua Batty, Diana Doherty and Todd Gibson-Cornish for performance in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s chamber music series. Loosely cast in a rondo form, lively and virtuosic fast sections are interspersed with more lyrical, introspective interludes.

There is a certain paucity of trios for flute, oboe and bassoon in the repertoire. To me, this statistic is rather perplexing considering the sense of balance, blend, and virtuosity of which this combination is capable. When Diana Doherty approached me to compose the trio for this pair of concerts my thoughts soon turned to the idea of an up-tempo, high octane work, in no small part due to the extraordinary musicianship of the three performers involved, all world class soloists in their own right.

Hat-trick, as the work eventually became known, is guided by some of the same principles that denote a typical ‘hat-trick’ (the scoring of three goals by a single player) in a football match. In the case of this trio, the ‘player’ is not an individual but in fact a collective outcome of the three players working as a taut, energised ensemble. Rapidly interweaving lines are passed from performer to performer, partnerships between pairs of instruments are temporarily formed but then transferred, whilst each instrument also has several of their own soloistic moments in the sun. Not all of the music is fast – a short, slow interlude partway through the work brings out more introspective, expressive melodic lines before a vigorous conclusion.

Performances

• 5 July 2020; Joshua Batty, Diana Doherty & Todd Gibson-Cornish; Online Performance, Sydney Symphony Orchestra Facebook.

sCORE SAMPLE And media

serenade, for flute, clarinet and cello (2019)

c. 7 mins

Score availability: Published by the Australian Music Centre

Program note

This piece was commissioned by Pamela and Neil Hardie for the occasion of their wedding anniversary. A slow, reflective introduction gives way to an energetic, positive fast section.

Performances

• 17 October 2021; Rebecca Quigley, Jarrett Hoffman, Zachary May; St. John’s Episcopal Church, Pleasantville, NY, USA

sCORE SAMPLE And media

summer ballad, for flugelhorn, violin and piano (2017)

c. 4 mins

Score availability: Published by the Australian Music Centre (ISMN 9790720208657)

Program note

This little piece was written for fine musicians Joel Brennan, Tomomi Kondo and Anthony Halliday, who premiered the work in January 2018. It should be played with a gentle, flowing character to bring out the introspective lyricism of the music.

Performances

• 16 January 2018; Joel Brennan, Tomomi Kondo & Anthony Halliday; Castlemaine Town Hall, Victoria

• 21 November 2018; Joel Walmsley & Calvin Bowman; University of Melbourne, Victoria; Trinity College, Melbourne, Victoria

sCORE SAMPLE And media

further reading

Review of the premiere performance by The Courier

Aubade, for trumpet, trombone and Electric guitar (2017)

c. 5 mins

Score availability: Enquire

Program note

Aubade was commissioned by Joel Brennan, Don Immel and Ken Murray of Ensemble Three. The title carries no specific programmatic significance. Nevertheless, the introspective and lyrical mood sustained throughout much of the piece may be likened to the gentle radiance of a crisp, autumnal morning. Expressive and interweaving melodic lines are underpinned by subtle twists in chromatic harmony. It was my desire to make this unusual instrumental combination sound as natural and inevitable as possible. Indeed, I have tried to explore a range of colouristic and textural possibilities that this intriguing combination offers.

Performances

• 17 September 2017; Ensemble Three; Macedon Music, Victoria

• 19 February 2018; Ensemble Three; Melbourne Recital Centre, Victoria

• 16 July 2022; Ensemble Three; Born Creative Festival 2022, Toyko, Japan.

sCORE SAMPLE AND MEDIA

Further reading and listening

Review of Melbourne Recital Centre performance by classikOn

Review of Melbourne Recital Centre performance by CutCommon

Aubade has been released on an album by Ensemble Three

joybox, for violin, cello and piano (2017)

c. 6 mins

Score availability: Published by the Australian Music Centre (ISMN 9790720174075)

program note

Joybox was commissioned for Musica Viva Australia under the auspices of the Ken Tribe Fund for Australian Composers. Predominantly, it is an energetic and fast-paced exploration of a single thematic idea which is subject to a multitude of transformations and interruptions. The title is derived from the word 'jukebox', and the rapid changes in mood and style may be likened to a jukebox quickly cycling through different musical tracks.

performances

• 3 October 2017; Streeton Trio; Melbourne Recital Centre, Victoria

• 12 August 2018; Streeton Trio; Serenata Series, NSW

• 19 August 2018; Streeton Trio; Macedon Music, Victoria

• 26 August 2018; Streeton Trio; The Independent Theatre, North Sydney, NSW

• 14 September 2019; Streeton Trio; Elder Hall, Adelaide, SA

• 15 September 2019; Streeton Trio; Byron Theatre, Byron Bay, NSW

• 22 September 2019; Streeton Trio; Wentworth Falls, NSW

score sample and media

further reading

Review of North Sydney performance by Sounds Like Sydney

Review of North Sydney performance by Carol Wimmer

Prisms, for flute(+piccolo), violin and piano (2016)

c. 12 mins

Score availability: Enquire

Program note

Prisms was commissioned by Macedon Music, based in the Macedon Ranges, for the Syzygy Ensemble. Prisms received the 2016 Glen Johnston Composition Award at its premiere performance.

The work is in two parts, separated by a break. Each part is itself divided into two highly distinct sections, making for a total of four movements: Introduction, Dance, Nocturne and Toccata.

As an object, a prism will separate a beam of light into its constituent spectrum of colours, in turn drastically transforming the visual appearance of the original beam and creating a spectacular display of colour. In this piece, I have specifically made the concept of musical colour the main focus. The ways in which the work’s musical objects (for example – melodies, chords or textures) are developed may be considered analogous to the behaviour of a prism. Motives or harmonic colours are often transformed or dissected in combination with other more foreign elements in the music.

The Introduction is played by piccolo and violin only. Here, the piccolo insists on a gentle, modal melody while the violin circles around it, altering the melody’s harmonic context and therefore presenting it in different shades of light. The Dance is lively and busy but rarely rises above pianissimo, with its energy bubbling frantically below the surface.

The Nocturne is more reflective and lyrical in mood, beginning with a tender violin solo accompanied by gentle ripplings in the piano. After slowly building to a rather intense climax, the music returns to a gentler, mysterious atmosphere before leading into the Toccata, an energetic finale which demands considerable virtuosity and ensemble cohesion between the performers.

Performances

• 18 September 2016; Syzygy Ensemble; Macedon Music, Victoria

• 13 August 2017; Syzygy Ensemble; Clarence Valley Conservatorium, Grafton, NSW

• 3 September 2017; Syzygy Ensemble; Lyrebird Music Society, Victoria

• 10 September 2017; Syzygy Ensemble; Burrinja, Victoria

• 4 June 2020; Syzygy Ensemble; Melbourne Digital Concert Hall

sCORE SAMPLE AND MEDIA

Evocations, for clarinet, violin and piano

c. 11 mins

Score availability: Published by Wirripang (ISMN 9790720172644)

program note

Evocations was commissioned by Monica Curro, Philip Arkinstall and Stefan Cassomenos of the outstanding Melbourne-based trio, PLEXUS. The work is in four movements:

1. Incantation I

2. Dance

3. Incantation II

4. Lullaby

The title of this work has no specific programmatic significance. Nevertheless, I have attempted to evoke in musical terms a dreamlike sense of mystery and drama. The two Incantations, characterised by stark and declamatory insistence, may be considered musically analogous to the casting of spells. The Dance is lively and energetic, though often bubbling with the music rarely attaining any great volume. Sections of extended polyphony contrast with ever-changing rugged rhythmic elements and the overall movement places considerable demands on the virtuosity of the performers. The Lullaby is unwaveringly gentle and, in many ways, a self-contained response to the often frantic or unsettled nature of the earlier movements. At times, the stillness and veiled dissonance in the piano recall harmonic textures of Messiaen, though deployed within a different context and harmonic language. The final pages eventually fade into tranquil silence, albeit with a sense that not all is resolved.

performances

• 10 August 2016; PLEXUS; Melbourne Recital Centre, Victoria

• 3 September 2016; Daphnis Trio; The Arts Centre Melbourne, Victoria

• 6 November 2016; Daphnis Trio; South Melbourne, Victoria

• 24 July 2017; PLEXUS; Yellow House, Sydney, NSW

• 11 September 2022; Ros Dunlop, Fiona Ziegler, David Miller; Rozelle, NSW

score sample and media

further reading

Review of premiere performance by Partial Durations

Evocations formed part of my MMus (Melbourne) thesis, which includes an introductory analysis of the work and perusal score