Category Archives: Forthcoming Performances

Week of many performances

This week I am fortunate to have four pieces performed (that I know of).

The first is my new ballet for the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Faster. I am in Birmingham for the rehearsals and the performances. It’s tremendously exciting to see the work of such an outstanding choreographer as David Bintley, and a joy to see music ‘interpreted’ to movement in this manner.

Back in Sydney, the major work that I co-composed with William Barton, Kalkadungu, will be performed with William as the soloist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David
Robertson.

William Barton and Matthew Hindson

When premiered in 2008, this work was reviewed as “winning the audience and given a standing ovation… Kalkadungu opens new opportunities for Australian music” (Murray Black, The Australian), and “The most compelling few minutes of indigenous – inspired fast music to come from any white Australian.” (Graeme Skinner, The Sydney Morning Herald).

More recently it received standing ovations at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and at the National Reconciliation Concert with the Monash Academy.

A CD containing Kalkadungu has very recently been released on ABC Classics.

In Melbourne, my Siegfried Interlude No. 4 – Ride of the Viola Valkyries, will be performed as part of the Viola Festival being held at the Australian National Academy of Music. This work is for 8 violas, and is a contemporary reinterpretation of Wagner’s famous excerpt from Die Walkure.

On the other side of the world again, in Alaska, my string quartet no. 1, Industrial Night Music, will be performed by The Attacca Quartet in the Sitka Festival.

The Attacca Quartet

The only shame is that I can’t be in 4 places at once to hear them all.

Some performances May-June 2012

If you know of any other performers not listed here, please don’t hesitate to contact me about it.

 

Date

Title

Venue/Performers

Country

3 May 2012

Chrissietina’s Magic Fantasy

Vale of Glamorgan Festival, Ewenny Priory, Ensemble Midtvest

United Kingdom

4 May 2012, 5 May 2012

House Music (Flute Concerto)

Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, NSW

Alexa Still/Sydney Conservatorium SO/Imre
Pallo

Australia

13 May 2012

Piano Trio

Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne

Australia

19 May 2012

Boom-Box

Gävle Konserthaus

Gävle Symphonieorkester/Hans Ek

Sweden

27 May 2012

Kalkadungu

Melbourne Town Hall, VA

Monash Academy/William Barton/Fabian Russell

Australia

2 June 12

The Rave and the Nightingale

Conservatorium Theatre, Griffith University, South Bank, Brisbane

Camerata of St John’s/Goldner String Quartet

Australia

15 June 12

Light is both a particle and a wave

Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne

Australia

27 June to 30 June 12

Faster – a ballet inspired by the Olympic motto, “Faster, Higher, Stronger”

Birmingham Hippodrome

Birmingham Royal Ballet/ch. David Bintley

United Kingdom

27 June, 28 June 2012

Kalkadungu

Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Sydney

William Barton/Sydney Symphony Orchestra/David Robertson

Australia

28 June 2012

Siegfried Interlude No. 4

Australian National Academy of Music,
Melbourne

Australia

Two works performed at 2010 Edinburgh Festival

This year, I have two works being performed at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival.

The first is “Energy”, the first movement from my recent ballet for the Birmingham Royal Ballet e=mc2, which will be performed by the Sydney Symphony conducted by Maesto Vladimir Ashkenazy. This concert is on 2 Sept.

Maestro Vladimir Ashkenazy

The second piece is “Little Chrissietina’s Magic Fantasy”, performed by the amazing violin/piano duo, Duo Sol. This concert is on 3 Sept.

Kalkadunga at G’Day USA 2009

The final movement of the Kalkadungu (co-composed by and featuring didjeridu virtuoso William Barton) was performed recently as part of the 2009 G’Day USA celebration concerts in Royce Hall, LA and Carnegie Hall, NY.

The performers were William Barton and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Arvo Volmer.

The concerts were favourably reviewed, including by the LA Times.

“Heartland” performance

Heartland

This Saturday, 7 July, my work Heartland will be performed by the Sydney Philharmonia Choir at the Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music. The conductor is Brett Weymark.

Written for massed choir and two pianos, Heartland explores various ideas of “home”. At the rehearsal on Wednesday it was sounding really good, with the choir suitably energetic and the pianists right on track. Interestingly, the Sydney Philharmonia are doing the original, “full” version of the piece before it was revised, and it was great to hear some musical material that was excised before the other previous performances of the work.

It is a fun piece (in my opinion), and leads me to wonder why some people believe notions of high art and fun are mutually exclusive.