Spoken Word & Sound Art
Thinking with Paulo Freire
Paulo Freire (1921–1997), the Brazilian educator then in exile, was a staff consultant with the Office of Education at the World Council of Churches in Geneva when these talks were recorded. Made during his 1974 visit to Australia, they were given in English.
War Sonatas
Three piano sonatas by Michael Kieran Harvey, written as a response to twenty-first-century war. Spoken poems by Arjun von Caemmerer stand between the works, framing a triptych of anger, friendship and warning.
Catalogue des Errances Bibliques
Michael Kieran Harvey’s epic Catalogue des Errances Bibliques deploys eight keyboardists and four percussionists with spoken narration by Arjun von Caemmerer: twenty-five musical pieces alternating with twenty-five short narratives.
The Green Brain Cycle
Michael Kieran Harvey’s ninety-two-minute multi-instrument solo cycle draws on Frank Herbert’s 1966 ecological novel The Green Brain, pairing intense keyboard writing with Arjun von Caemmerer’s concrete poetry and spoken passages.
Remembering Gallipoli
Premiere recordings of two Australian works—one contemporary, one nearly a century old—mark the centenary of the Gallipoli landings. Thomas Jones (violin), Laura Chislett Jones (bass flute) and Rachel Valler perform.
Uttered Nonsense (The Owl and the Pussycat)
Uttered Nonsense (The Owl and the Pussycat) sets eight Edward Lear poems, spoken with grave poise by Ivan Smith, among fourteen instrumental jazz pieces drawn from the Nonsense Books. Sangster’s large Australian ensemble answers the verse with playful colour.
Catalogue d'oiseaux
Virtuoso pianist Michael Kieran Harvey’s dazzling pianistic pyrotechnics are on full display in this live performance recorded in Hobart in April 2005. Each of the thirteen pieces in Messiaen’s Catalogue d’oiseaux explores the calls and environment of a single bird species.
Hearing Place
Ten sound artists and composers from around the world respond to notions of place. With binaural sound, electroacoustic composition and field recordings, Hearing Place journeys the acoustic environment and our internal response to it.
Fairy Tales, Monsters and Wild Animals
Made for young and old, Meredith Connie’s solo guitar performances on this recording have enchanted audiences across two continents, evoking fantastical worlds and speaking to classical and non-classical listeners alike.