Listen & tracks

4 of 34 tracks have a preview · 19 works · 37:01

1 Stillborn Emily Hall ‘She isn’t, but she was’ 2:03
2 Instrumental I Emily Hall 1:04
3 And so I test myself Emily Hall :51
4 I am the pregnant woman Emily Hall 1:18
5 We are counting Emily Hall 1:09
6 The very thought of children being hurt Emily Hall 2:38
7 Instrumental II Emily Hall :47
8 A ghostly home Emily Hall 2:52
9 Instrumental III Emily Hall Amnio – ‘Skeleton I see and sense’ 3:20
10 I am alone Emily Hall 1:58
11 Hello Emily Hall :50
12 Look at my child Emily Hall 2:51
13 Upon your chest Emily Hall 1:13
14 The gap so small Emily Hall 1:24
15 Not just milk Emily Hall There used to be a woman in this body 3:06
16 Hushabye Emily Hall 2:58
17 The first turn Emily Hall 2:09
18 Instrumental IV Emily Hall 1:01
19 A field of snow Emily Hall I see you here, all clear and all aglow 3:29

Moving, occasionally shocking and ultimately uplifting, the story moves through the anxiety and impatience that often come with pregnancy, sleepless nights nursing a newborn, and the shifting perspective of watching a child grow.

Life Cycle turns on the rarely explored wonder and lurking fear of motherhood. Hall’s music is set to lyrics by Toby Litt, whose writing has an almost uncanny feel for female experiences of motherhood; he has returned to losing and having children in both fiction and autobiographical work.

Commissioned by Opera North (UK) and premiered in 2011, the cycle is one of three collaborations between Hall and Litt. The others are Befalling, on unrequited love, and Rest, on death.

In the artist’s words

Song cycles invariably tell an emotional story, but this one hit me immediately with the absolute sincerity of the text and the way the music hugs the words. It is the ultimate tribute to motherhood. In first hearing these songs, I felt simultaneously grateful for my mother and also for the gift of motherhood which is one of life’s most precious. One of the most extraordinary elements of this work is that the words truly get inside the pregnant psyche … and they were written by a man.

— Zoe Knighton

Reviews

This is a fascinating recording. Gian, Sonya and Zoe have combined their imaginations to perform and produce a unique addition to the world of vocal music. Gian Slater has the unusual ability to sing with a basically untempered scale even when she sings with piano, which, by definition, forces the use of the tempered scale. On this recording, Gian uses her talent, ear and heart to ever so slightly ‘brighten’ or ‘darken’ specific intervals. This ability as well as adapting to the restraints on intonation when working with the piano, is truly amazing.

— Dobbs Franks, Music Trust e-zine Loud Mouth

Artists

Zoe Knighton

cello

Zoe Knighton is at the forefront of a new generation of performers intent on forging an innovative path for the enjoyment of classical music. A founding member of Flinders Quartet, she is a leading Melbourne cellist and chamber musician.

Sonya Lifschitz

piano

Praised by the New York Times and The Age for her “dynamic” and “powerful” performances, and by the Woodstock Times for her “miraculous keyboard technique and musicianship”, Ukrainian-born pianist Sonya Lifschitz is internationally recognised as one of Australia’s most innovative, fearless and fiercely creative musical voices.

Gian Slater

voice

Prolific Australian Vocalist and Composer, Gian Slater is known for her agile and pure voice, virtuosic improvisations and inventive compositions.

Emily Hall

composer

Emily Hall is a British composer of classical music, electronica and songs. Her song cycle Life Cycle traces the emotional journey of impending motherhood.