Move Records Australian classical & art music, est. 1968
Front cover art for Together Apart

New release

Together Apart

Together Apart gathers original chamber works by Sydney composer and UTS lecturer Brent Keogh. Written in the Covid-19 lockdown, the music holds the strain of that period alongside a clear hope of renewal.

Brent Keoghoud, mandola Emily Grangerharp Andrew Blanchguitar Elizabeth Woolnoughviola Maharshi Ravaltabla Katie Andersonflute Elden Loomescello
  • CatalogueMCD 643
  • Released24 Jun 2025
  • Playing time40 minutes 10 seconds

Listen & tracks

3 of 12 tracks have a preview · 6 works · 40:10

  1. Hagia Sophia SuiteBrent Keogh 4 movements13:26
    1. 1 i. Prelude 3:40
    2. 2 ii. first movement 3:20
    3. 3 iii. second movement 3:39
    4. 4 iv. third movement 2:47
  2. Turimetta SuiteBrent Keogh 3 movements11:52
    1. 5 i. Kite 6:20
    2. 6 ii. Eagle 2:24
    3. 7 iii. Heron 3:08
  3. 8 Stormfront Brent Keogh 2:49
  4. 9 The Red Candle Brent Keogh 5:10
  5. 10 Rosie's Dance Brent Keogh 2:32
  6. 11 Alunir Brent Keogh 4:21

The album opens with the four-movement Hagia Sophia Suite for guitar and harp duo, played by Emily Granger and Andrew Blanch. The Turimetta Suite, for mandola, flute, tabla and cello, follows, with Brent Keogh, Katie Anderson, Elden Loomes and Maharshi Raval; it was commissioned by the Northern Beaches Council.

Stand-alone pieces complete the programme. Stormfront is a lively trio for Arabic oud, viola and tabla, with Keogh, ACO violist Liz Woolnough and Raval. Other works include the solo oud meditation The Red Candle, the folk-tinged Rosie's Dance, and the cello–oud duet Alunir.

In the artist’s words

The Hagia Sophia suite is named after the great cathedral/mosque/museum in Istanbul, one with immense historical and religious significance. Hagia Sophia was built as a cathedral in the 6th century A.D. during the Byzantine Empire and was then converted to a Mosque in the 15th century when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire. In 1935 it was converted to a museum, and in 2020, was converted back to a Mosque. These pieces reflect on this hugely significant building — a reservoir of memory, a place of contestation and a meeting place between Occident and Orient, of transcendence and immanence, that reflects on the profound complexities of the human condition that traverses time and culture. Musically this suite is characterised by the intricate interplay of the harp and guitar that demonstrates the beauties of these instruments and their power to invoke memory, place, story, darkness and light.

This suite is inspired by the many walks along Turimetta beach that my family and I did during the 2020 and 2021 lockdown periods. As we have a child with significant health issues, Turimetta was a safe haven for us, entertaining the kids and being revitalised by its natural beauty. The Turimetta suite comprises three movements based on three types of birds we’ve seen frequently on these visits — Hawk, Eagle and Heron.

Stormfront, for oud, viola and tabla, is characterised by a driving, odd-time signatured groove. It plays with the predictable unpredictability of a storm, the anticipation that comes with seeing dark clouds over the sea, an icon of the divine. The Red Candle is a meditative piece for solo oud. A symbol of presence, of mysteries made known in part, and a comfort beyond the pains of this life. Rosie's Dance is a folk dance composed for oud, cello, flute and tabla. It was co-written with flautist Katie Anderson and is dedicated to my niece. Alunir, for cello and oud duet, in French means to land on the moon. Written in the Lydian mode, this piece is rubato throughout, creating a sense of floating on the edge of the known.

— Brent Keogh

Artists

Photograph of Brent Keogh

Brent Keogh

oud, mandola

Brent Keogh is an Australian Music Centre represented artist and multi-instrumentalist, performing on the Arabic oud, mandolin, mandola and guitar.

 Photograph of Emily Granger

Emily Granger

harp

Emily earned her Bachelor of Music from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music where she studied with famed pedagogue, Susann McDonald, and her Masters of Music from the Chicago College of the Performing Arts studying with Principal Harp of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sarah Bullen.

 Photograph of Andrew Blanch

Andrew Blanch

guitar

Andrew Blanch is regarded as one of Australia’s leading musicians and is at the forefront of a new wave of classical musicians internationally.

 Photograph of Elizabeth Woolnough

Elizabeth Woolnough

viola

Elizabeth joined the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 2019.

 Photograph of Maharshi Raval

Maharshi Raval

tabla

Maharshi Raval is a musician and maestro tabla player from the Benaras Gharana (school) living in Sydney.

 Photograph of Katie Anderson

Katie Anderson

flute

Katie Anderson is an accomplished musician, conductor and teacher.

 Photograph of Elden Loomes

Elden Loomes

cello

Elden Loomes is a contemporary classical composer, cellist and physics student.

Digital booklet

Digital booklet Notes, texts and credits — read online or download the PDF Download the PDF

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$25.00 AUD

Compact disc

Buywell Music Australian Music Centre

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Also available to download from the iTunes Store.

Performers

Technical credits

Details

List price
$25.00 AUD
Total playing time
40 minutes 10 seconds
Release date
Categories
Australian, Classical
Genres
Contemporary Classical, World & Cross-cultural
Musical work copyright
© 2023 Brent Keogh
Sound recording copyright
℗ 2025 Move Records
Catalogue
MCD 643
EAN
8721215138976