Category Archives: Chamber Works

Five Movements for Saxophone Quartet (1996)

for saxophone quartet

total duration: 23 minutes


Audio Excerpts

Programme Notes

The Five Movements for Saxophone Quartet were composed for the Senarius Saxophone Quartet, and were performed by them at the International Saxophone Festival in Wakefield, England.

Saxophone quartets seem to be overtaking string quartet in sheer numbers of performers, and in the composer’s opinion forms a fascinating way in which issues of ensemble and the like can be address with wind instruments, providing as it does an entire family of instruments in a similar way to the idiom of string quartet.

Each of the five movements of this work are contrasting. The first evolves from an amorphous sound-world, gradually accelerating until the end of the movement, with figures being passed around each instrument, building in texture. The second movement is a showcase in atmospherics for the tenor saxophone, utilizing extensive multiphonics to create eerie soundworlds. The third movement starts in total contrast, with the entire ensemble playing repetitious rhythmic figures, broken up only by short figures on the tenor saxophone, evolving to a series of different textures, some almost pointillistic in nature. The fourth movement is a slow, tender movement which makes much use of canonic figures being passed around the accompanying instruments to create a rippling mood. The final movement, subtitled “GameBoy Music”, again showcases a total contrast with the previous material, utililizing aspects of techno music to produce an infectiously joyous celebration in music.

notes by Matthew Hindson.


CD Recording Available?

    A recording of the last movement, GameBoy Music, is available on the CD Continuum Sax.

Other Information

Velvet (1998)

for two guitars

duration: 3 minutes


Audio Excerpt

None available at the present time.


Programme Notes

Velvet was especially written for the Australian Guitar Miniatures book published by Red House Editions in Melbourne. For two guitars, it was described by the Melbourne reviewer Joel Crotty as “an effective exploration of the composer’s merging of popular and contemporary music styles”.

notes by Matthew Hindson.


CD Recording Available?


Other Information

Piano Trio (2007)

for violin, cello and piano
duration: 16 minutes

Faber Music publishing details, including online score preview


Audio:

Live recording of the third movement at the Camden Haven Festival
Recording of the first movement, Piano Trio (NB is a little slow, but an impressive performance nonetheless)

Programme Notes

The structure of this Piano Trio follows that of many classical and romantic works for the same instrumentation: fast, slow, fast.

The work opens with a spirited, very fast movement that is scherzo-like in most of its character: light, airy and playfully rhythmic. It is written as a Moto Perpetuo, i.e. it doesn’t really stop from start to finish. It does slow down in places… but quickly speeds up again.

In contrast, the second movement, entitled “Repetitions”, is much more lyrical in content. This movement explores melodic ideas placed upon a repeated chord progression from start to finish. The chords themselves are reminiscent of those found in the trance music genre.

The final movement, “Epic Diva”, takes its title from the genre of singing commonly found in anthemic electronic-based dance music. Much of the musical content in this movement is similarly derived from contemporary dance music genres, especially repetitious chord progressions and the piano writing. It is very much an upbeat movement, full of energy and vitality.

 
This piece was funded with the assistance of the Australia Council, the Federal Government’s arts funding and advisory body.
notes by Matthew Hindson.


CD Recording Available?

This piece has been recorded by the Benaud Trio in 2012.  While the tempos are perhaps a bit on the careful side, it is a good recording!


Siegfried Interlude No. 4 (1998)

aka. Ride of the Viola Valkyries

for 8 violists

duration: 4 minutes

based upon The Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner

Faber Music publishing details


Programme Notes

Siegfried Interlude No. 4 was commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for first performance at the launch of their 1999 Season. At the time, the SSO viola section was made up exclusively by women, and since the SSO were going to perform Die Walküre the following year, it seemed fitting that an arrangement of one of the best known parts from that opera, “The Ride of the Valkyries”, was done for this section.

So whilst not technically part of Siegfried, it nevertheless forms part of the Siegfried Interlude series. The arrangement takes into account what sort of things the Valkyries might get up to (i.e. going clubbing) if they were living in the late 20th/early 21st century.

notes by Matthew Hindson.


CD Recording Available?

    Not as yet.

Ride of the Viola Valkyries


Other Information

This work has been performed as part of the Australian Viola Festival, curated and organized by Roger Benedict.

Performance from 2012, ViolaMania! Festival, Berkeley, California

Lullaby (2003)

for string orchestra

duration: 4 minutes

Faber Music publishing details


Audio Excerpt: performed by MLC School Chamber Orchestra


Programme Notes

At the end of 2002 I was at my Aunt and Uncle’s farm near Bathurst, NSW, supposedly writing my Ph.D. exegesis. However, as sometimes happens, a certain melody entered my head and refused to leave. I felt that it had the character of a father singing a soft song to a young child, and the result is this pastoral piece, Lullaby.

Lullaby was premiered in Wales at the Vale of Glamorgan Festival in 2003 by a massed group of local young string players.

notes by Matthew Hindson.


CD Recording Available?

      This work is recorded on the disc

Matthew Hindson: String Music for Young Players

    . This disc is available free of charge by contacting the composer.

Other Information

This piece is not difficult for a high school string orchestra.