orchestral
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FLASHOUT, for orchestra (2021, Rev. 2024)
c. 10 mins
Score availability: Enquire
program note
A fire alarm. A creak in the floorboards. Some approaching footsteps. An unexpected gust of wind.
Each of these sounds – these events – can interrupt our focus, our casual attention, or our inattention. They do so through their novelty: as humans, we accept what is familiar in our environment in an unconscious way but react to what is unexpected or extraordinary. Flashout – commissioned by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra – explores, in musical terms, a kind of opposition between familiarity and continuity on the one hand, and disruption or impetus on the other. It begins with a discordant, declamatory brass fanfare which quickly dissipates into a series of busy, rapid textures punctuated by flashes of instrumental colour. The harmonic language remains rich and chromatic throughout the work, with heavy and often abrupt contrasts between forceful orchestral tuttis and soft, sparse soundscapes. The second half of the piece is marginally more relaxed but builds to a forceful, energetic conclusion which revisits the starkness of the opening. Though relatively brief, Flashout is intended to make for a vivid and frenetic listening experience.
Performances
27 April 2024; Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra cond. Johannes Fritzsch; Federation Concert Hall, Hobart, TAS
score sample
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Torrent, for orchestra (2021)
c. 7 mins
Score availability: Published by the Australian Music Centre
program note
This work was made possible through the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s 50 Fanfares Project and was commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, supported by the Sharon & Anthony Lee Foundation.
Torrent begins with immediate, unrelenting forward motion. Flurries disperse among the winds and strings, supported by bold, fanfare-like interjections from the brass and percussion. But before long a second theme emerges – one of complete rhythmic simplicity and contrast, first heard in the pizzicato strings and then passed to the woodwinds. After a brief return of the opening flourish, a languid oboe solo heralds the beginning of a gentle, slow intermezzo. Muted brass and vibraphone accompany an extended violin solo, eventually entwined with lyrical responses from the piccolo. However, the relative peace of this passage proves short-lived – trumpets and snare drum drive towards an extended recapitulation in which the second theme is entirely transformed to make for a martial, tumultuous conclusion.
Performances
16 June 2021; Sydney Symphony Orchestra cond. Nicholas Carter; Sydney Town Hall, NSW
17 June 2021; Sydney Symphony Orchestra cond. Nicholas Carter; Sydney Town Hall, NSW
18 June 2021; Sydney Symphony Orchestra cond. Nicholas Carter; Sydney Town Hall, NSW
19 June 2021; Sydney Symphony Orchestra cond. Nicholas Carter; Sydney Town Hall, NSW
10 September 2022; Melbourne Symphony Orchestra cond. Fabian Russell; Hamer Hall, Melbourne, VIC
28 July 2023; Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra cond. Bellincampi; Federation Concert Hall, Hobart, TAS
16 February 2024; Queensland Symphony Orchestra cond. Douglas Boyd; Redland Performing Arts Centre, QLD
17 February 2024; Queensland Symphony Orchestra cond. Douglas Boyd; Queensland Performing Arts Centre, QLD
9 June 2024; Western Sydney Philharmonic cond. Fabian Russell; Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney, NSW
score sample
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flourish, for string orchestra (2019)
c. 5 mins
Score availability: Enquire
Program note
Flourish was commissioned by Laura McDonald and Masaki Nakamura for the occasion of the 40th Anniversary Nakamura Violin Christmas Concert. It is a bright, up-tempo and energetic piece celebrating the legacy of Yasuki and Masaki Nakamura’s violin teaching studio which continues to have a profound and wide-reaching impact on music education in Australia.
Performances
To be announced
sCORE SAMPLE
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icarus, for solo piccolo and orchestra (2019)
c. 10 mins
2020 APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards - Large Ensemble Category - Finalist
Score availability: Published by the Australian Music Centre
instrumentation
Solo piccolo, flute, oboe, 2 clarinets (2nd doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons (2nd doubling contrabassoon), 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (1 player), harp, strings
Program note
Icarus was written in 2019 for Lloyd Hudson and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
The structure of this tone poem is inspired by the famous Greek mythological tale of Icarus and his master craftsman father, Daedalus. Both were imprisoned in a tower by King Minos. Daedalus' resourcefulness led him to collect bird feathers and wax for the purpose of creating wings for both he and Icarus to escape the tower. On the day of their escape, Daedalus warned Icarus of both complacency and hubris, urging him not to fly too low lest his wings became damp nor too close to the sun otherwise the wax in his wings would melt. Icarus ignored his father's advice and, revelling in the ecstasy of flight and his newfound powers, flew too high and eventually plunged to his death.
Performances
25 September 2019; Lloyd Hudson, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra cond. Elena Schwarz; Federation Hall, Hobart, TAS
sCORE SAMPLE and media
Interview with composer and soloist, including excerpts of Icarus
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colourscapes, for orchestra (2018)
c. 9 mins
Score availability: Enquire
instrumentation
2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (1 player), harp, strings
Program note
Colourscapes was written in 2018 for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. It is in two closely connected movements, each of which explores the orchestra as a colour palette. The first movement begins calmly and lyrically, the texture gently glowing as differing hues emerge with varying degrees of light and shade. The second movement (though based off the same material) is fast and energetic, eventually building to a considerable climax before receding to a mysterious epilogue which recalls the beginning of the piece.
Performances
17 August 2018; Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra cond. Elena Schwarz; TSO Studios, Hobart, TAS
sCORE SAMPLE And media
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vortex, for orchestra (2018)
c. 2 mins
Score availability: Published by the Australian Music Centre
instrumentation
2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (1 player), harp, strings
Program note
Vortex was written in 2018 for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. It maintains an unrelenting pace and energy across its brief span, beginning with bubbling activity before descending into a veritable whirlpool. In the final bars, the full power of the orchestra caves into the vortex.
Performances
17 August 2018; Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra cond. Elena Schwarz; TSO Studios, Hobart, TAS
23 October 2019; Queensland Symphony Orchestra cond. Richard Davis; Queensland Conservatorium of Music, QLD