Listen & tracks
4 of 9 tracks have a preview · 9 works · 74:58
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1 Passing Barry Conyngham 15:20
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2 So It Goes Chris Gendall 4:55
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3 Future of Water Julian Yu 6:49
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4 New Year Fanfare Helen Bowater 3:58
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5 Promiscuous Mark Zadro 10:08
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6 Frond Leonie Holmes 10:18
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7 Icescape Chris Cree-Brown 8:39
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8 Fault Samuel Holloway 6:45
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9 Republic of Dreams Gerard Brophy 8:06
The programme ranges from Barry Conyngham’s tribute to Toru Takemitsu, Passing, through Helen Bowater’s gamelan-tinged New Year Fanfare and Chris Cree-Brown’s Antarctic-inspired Icescape, to Gerard Brophy’s concertante Republic of Dreams.
Guest artists include the Choristers of Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, harpist Genevieve Lang and percussionist Arnold Marinissen. The disc takes its title from Conyngham’s long opening work and closes with Brophy’s modal, Middle Eastern-tinged finale.
In the artist’s words
Since its establishment in 1973, the Asian Composers League has been very active organising new music festivals and promoting collaboration between composers in the Asia-Pacific region.
The music of the Australian and New Zealand composers has its unique qualities which play an important role in this meaningful exchange. ACL is very grateful to the organiser of the Asia Pacific Festival 2007, a marvellous event that contributes to the world some great music of our region.
For many years New Zealand composers have looked to Asia for inspiration, and we continue to do so in increasing numbers. CANZ was proud to host the 2007 Asia Pacific Festival on behalf of the Asian Composers League. This is the third time New Zealand has hosted the festival, and it was again under the visionary leadership of Jack Body, assisted by many other enthusiastic composers and musicians. I believe this CD is a fine summary of what the Asia Pacific festival is all about: diversity, innovation and cross-fertilisation of cultures.
The Asia Pacific Festival held in Wellington in February 2007 was the 26th in a series of such festivals organised under the aegis of the Asian Composers League, an organisation established in 1973 by a group of prominent Asian composers.
It is significant that Australia and New Zealand have been members of this organisation for some years, reflecting the socio-political shift that has taken place as we reposition ourselves within the Asia-Pacific region and draw closer to our Asian neighbours.
The program recorded here was a feature concert of the Asia Pacific Festival. This sampling of Australian and New Zealand orchestral music was a way of presenting ourselves, the non-Asian members of ACL, to the many Asian guests at the festival.
We heard Asian resonances in Helen Bowater’s gamelan inspired New Year Fanfare, in Barry Conyngham’s moving tribute to Toru Takemitsu (Passing), and in Julian Yu’s exquisite Future of Water. Gerard Brophy’s Republic of Dreams, with its intriguing modal melody suggested Middle Eastern models. Sophisticated responses to environment we heard in Chris Cree Brown’s Antarctic-inspired Icescape, and in Leonie Holmes’ Frond, whose curving shape suggested the Maori koru motive. Youthful aspirations made their point in Chris Gendall’s So It Goes, in Samuel Holloway’s Fault, and in the startling orchestration (and title!) of Mark Zadro’s Promiscuous.
This was a program that both entertained and illuminated – which is what every concert should aim to do, surely?
Reviews
This recording sprang out of the 2007 Asian Composers' League Festival in Wellington, an overdue witness to the presence of Australia and New Zealand as members of this organization. Under conductor Kenneth Young, the NZSO performs nine works with impressive zeal, bringing to contemporary music-lovers' attention some disparate and demanding scores. The CD takes its title from the longest work performed, written by Barry Conyngham in 1998; the final track is also Australian and two years older – Gerard Brophy's Republic of Dreams featuring powerful solos from harpist Genevieve Lang and percussionist Arnold Marinissen. Five New Zealand voices are heard, ranging from mature writers Helen Bowater and Chris Cree-Brown to near-30-year-olds Chris Gendall and Samuel Holloway in lively if sometimes minatory works. A sample of trans-Tasman compositional/intellectual similarities and differences, this disc is both informative and remarkably entertaining: a true cross-section of voices with an often surprising congruence of emotional content.
Artists
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
orchestra
Kenneth Young
conductor
Gerard Brophy
composer
Gerard Brophy is a contemporary Australian composer whose colourful, rhythmically alert scores range from solo miniatures to orchestral works and have been heard widely at home and abroad.
Barry Conyngham
composer
Barry Conyngham, born in Sydney, has received numerous awards and fellowships for composition, among them Churchill, Harkness, Australia Council and Senior Fulbright grants. He holds an ARIA, two Sounds Australian Critics Awards and two Maggs Awards.
Julian Yu
composer
Julian Yu is a multi-award-winning Australian composer whose musical language is imbued with elegance and expressiveness, both enhanced by impeccable craft and a special attention to detail.
Helen Bowater
composer
Chris Cree-Brown
composer
Chris Gendall
composer
Samuel Holloway
composer
Leonie Holmes
composer
Mark Zadro
composer
Digital booklet
Digital booklet Notes, texts and credits — read online or download the PDF Download the PDFPerformers
- New Zealand Symphony Orchestra · orchestra
- Kenneth Young · conductor
- Choristers of Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul · choir · track 3
- Genevieve Lang · harp · track 9
- Arnold Marinissen · darabuka · track 9
- Michael Fulcher · choir master · track 3
Technical credits
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Producer
Martin Wright
Wayne Laird
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Recording Engineer
Paul McGlashan
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Venue
Lower Hutt Town Hall
Michael Fowler Centre
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Thanks to
Australian Music Centre
Creative Australia
Lilburn Trust
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Turnovsky Endowment Trust
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Credit
Andrew Caldwell
Details
- List price
- $25.00 AUD
- Total playing time
- 74 minutes 58 seconds
- Release date
- 2009
- Categories
- Australian, Classical, Orchestral
- Musical work copyright
- © 2009 Move Records and Atoll
- Sound recording copyright
- ℗ 2009 Move Records and Atoll
- Catalogue
- MD 3327
- EAN
- 9314574332728
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Old and Yu: The Clarinet Music of Julian Yu, Vol. 2
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