Listen & tracks
12 works · 57:18
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1 Precious Colours Alice Chance (Pallah-Pallah) 4:16
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2 Lullaby for a Broken World Susie Bishop (World premiere recording) 4:31
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3 If Michael Nyman 3:30
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4 Christchurch Monody Gordon Kerry (World premiere recording) 6:21
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5 The Aboriginal Father Isaac Nathan 3:30
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6 The Aboriginal Mother Isaac Nathan 4:43
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7 O dive custos Auriacae domus Henry Purcell Elegy on the death of Queen Mary 7:44
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8 An Evening Hymn Henry Purcell 3:32
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Suite in A minor for viola da gamba and continuo, Book VMarin Marais 4 movements7:21
- 9 Prélude le Soligni 1:45
- 10 Allemande la Facile 1:45
- 11 Sarabande 3:00
- 12 Menuet :51
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13 La Petite Tarantelle Jennifer Eriksson (World premiere recording) 1:20
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14 Now O Now I Needs Must Part John Dowland 6:32
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15 Love Me Sweet Carl Vine 3:58
The repertoire for Australian Monody reaches from Henry Purcell, John Dowland, Marin Marais and colonial composer Isaac Nathan to living composers Carl Vine, Gordon Kerry, Alice Chance and Michael Nyman.
Marais Project singer Susie Bishop contributes an original song. Ensemble leader and viola da gambist Jenny Eriksson adds a new final movement to a suite by Marin Marais, the group’s namesake.
The album’s spark was Gordon Kerry’s Christchurch Monody, written with support from the late Marena Manzoufas and responding to the Christchurch massacre. The ensemble already performed two Isaac Nathan settings, including The Aboriginal Mother, Eliza Dunlop’s poem on the 1838 Myall Creek Massacre of Wirraayaraay people. From that pairing grew a programme of Australian songs, with a few works from further afield – all sung by Australians.
Reviews
The Marais Project’s latest album Australian Monody on the Move Records label is an eclectic mix of music which is drawn together by several underlying themes, spanning the music of composers like John Dowland from the mid-16th century, to the present, represented by Carl Vine, Gordon Kerry and Michael Nyman. The album is titled after the early 17th century term “monody” which was used to describe vocal works written for a single voice. Perhaps the tracks of most interest are the three pieces influenced by Australian Indigenous themes. The opening piece, Alice Chance’s Precious Colours tells the vivid story of the rainbow winged butterfly inspired by the story of Gamilaroi Dreaming. It is gently sung by Harcourt and Bishop in imitative style with the two gambas, theorbo and violin.
The pieces on this album have been meticulously curated to explore universal themes from multiple perspectives. The unity of purpose imbued in the performances is a delight.
Artists
The Marais Project
ensemble
The Marais Project is a celebration of music for the viola da gamba inspired by Marin Marais, the great French virtuoso viola da gamba performer and composer. Formed by Jennifer Eriksson in 2000, the ensemble’s original aim was to perform the complete viola da gamba works of Marais – a monumental task which is more than 85% complete.
Russell Harcourt
countertenor
Tommie Andersson
composer
Tommie Andersson was born in Sweden and has been based in Sydney since 1984. He is regarded as Australia's leading specialist in lutes and early guitars, and as a continuo player and soloist across the early-music repertoire.
Alice Chance
composer
Alice Chance is an Australian composer, conductor, arranger and lyricist. Her works are heard in concert halls from the Sydney Opera House and City Recital Hall Angel Place to the Kennedy Centre, and in cathedrals in Sydney, California and New York.
John Dowland
composer
John Dowland's lute songs and ayres carry a rare, deliberate melancholy: tears that fall in measured pavans, love that stings in galliards, darkness that still sings. His music remains the living heart of the English Renaissance songbook.
Jennifer Eriksson
composer
Jennifer Eriksson completed her initial musical studies at the Sydney Conservatorium before moving to the Netherlands for three years of viola da gamba tuition with Jaap ter Linden at Rotterdam Conservatorium.
Gordon Kerry
composer
Gordon Kerry's music ranges from the symphonic through chamber music to choral music and opera. Australian orchestras, chamber ensembles, festivals and soloists commission him regularly, as do ensembles in the USA and Europe.
Marin Marais
composer
Marin Marais (1656–1728) was a French composer and master of the viola da gamba. His five books of Pièces de viole remain the summit of the French baroque viol repertoire.
Henry Purcell
composer
Henry Purcell (c. 1659–1695) was an English organist and composer of the middle Baroque. His sacred music, theatre songs, instrumental works and the opera Dido and Aeneas shaped a distinctly English Baroque style.
Carl Vine
composer
Carl Vine AO is one of Australia's best-known and most often performed composers, with an orchestral catalogue of eight symphonies and thirteen concertos. His piano music is played widely around the world, and recordings of his work appear on more than seventy albums across the major streaming services.
Susie Bishop
composer
Susie Bishop is an Australian singer and violinist whose work moves freely between opera, early music, jazz, folk and world fusion. She writes and arranges as well as performs.
Isaac Nathan
composer
Michael Nyman
composer
Michael Nyman's music thrives on motoric pulse, clear harmony and borrowed baroque material, heard in film scores from the Greenaway years to The Piano and in works written for his own amplified band.
Digital booklet
Digital booklet Notes, texts and credits — read online or download the PDF Download the PDFPerformers
- The Marais Project · ensemble
- Russell Harcourt · countertenor · all except tracks 2, 4–6, 9–13
- Susie Bishop · voice & violin · all except tracks 8–13
- Jennifer Eriksson · viola da gamba · all except track 6
- Catherine Upex · viola da gamba · tracks 1, 4, 14 and 15
- Tommie Andersson · theorbo, 9-course lute & 9-string classical-era guitar · all except track 13
- Anthony Abouhamad · continuo organ · tracks 7 and 8
Technical credits
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Producer
Jennifer Eriksson
Llew Kiek
Philip Pogson
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Recording Engineer
Chris Doherty
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Editing Engineer
Jennifer Eriksson
Llew Kiek
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Mixing Engineer
Chris Doherty
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Mastering Engineer
Michael Lynch
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Venue
EMI Studios 301
Details
- List price
- $25.00 AUD
- Total playing time
- 57 minutes 18 seconds
- Release date
- 7 May 2022
- Categories
- Australian, Early music
- Musical work copyright
- © 2022 The Marais Project
- Sound recording copyright
- ℗ 2022 Move Records
- Catalogue
- MCD 633
- EAN
- 9314574063325
More to explore
Exquisite Harmonies
Exquisite Harmonies features works for viola da gamba and harpsichord, and several harpsichord solos, largely from the French Baroque. The exceptions are Telemann, Abel and Australian composer Troy Russell. A nice treat is an improvised harpsichord fantasia in the style of Telemann.
Nordic Moods & Baroque Echoes
A collaboration between Duo Langborn/Wendel and The Marais Project, this album blends baroque repertoire, new compositions and arrangements, and folk music from Australia and Sweden.
Two
Two brings together Marais Project founding members Jennifer Eriksson, viola da gamba, and Tommie Andersson, gallichon, theorbo and baroque guitar. Each plays alternate brackets of solos before they join in a splendid suite by Marin Marais.
The Garden Party
The Marais Project’s anniversary disc The Garden Party has a festive flavour, mixing world-premiere Marais arrangements and Eriksson’s title track with earlier Move recordings across French baroque, Swedish folk and South American song.
Spinning Forth
The title points to music still to come. The programme gathers French baroque viola da gamba repertoire with Swedish roots and newly commissioned Australian works, spinning forth in fresh directions.
Smörgåsbord
The Marais Project’s fifth disc gathers Swedish folk, Bellman songs, Roman and Marais chamber works, a jazz pavane and even ABBA, all heard for the first time in Australia on period instruments.