FOREVER SUNSET – JADCD 1116 An anthology of works by Australian composers in a wide range of styles and musical groupings ranging from mandolin & strings, tenor recorder & piano, voice with flute & piano, through mandolin ensemble, solo piano works and works for brass ensemble and duos for trumpet & piano. ROBERT ALLWORTH (b.1943) Track 1. FOREVER SUNSET (2004) for Mandolin-Violin-Viola and ‘Cello FOREVER SUNSET takes ideas from the poem of the Lotus Eaters by Lord Alfred Tennyson. The music is full of colouristic effects and is an evocative portrayal of a Sunset. IAN SHANAHAN (b.1962) Track 2 HARMONIA (in PP) (2001) for Tenor Recorder and Piano harmonia [Greek] = ‘a fitting together’ = compositio[nis] [Latin] = ‘a musical composition’ (i.e. a harmonious, well-structured assemblage of sounds/silences), and – of course – ‘harmony’ = a homophony = chorale, recitative, ...; pp [Italian abbreviation for 'very quiet'] = Peter Platt = the Perfect Professor. To 'Prof ... a Persistence of (Pneuma [Greek]) = ‘wind’ and ‘spirit’: “Funereal yet serene – a dignified mourning” (of surprising starkness and textural simplicity), for one who Plucks Psalteries in Pleromatic Paradise... Lest We Forget. Harmonia (in PP), written in memory of Professor Peter Platt, employs none of my typically abstract, complex paracompositional schemata: rather, I approached this concise piece much more humbly – in a way that I imagine 'Prof himself might have quietly begun to sketch out one of his own modest works. BETTY BEATH (b.1942) Tracks 3 and 4 MEETING IN THE ROAD and THE SHE WOLF Meeting in the Road and The She-wolf are the 3rd and 4th songs from the cycle for voice, flute and piano titled POINTS IN A JOURNEY. This cycle of five songs was commissioned by North Adams State College, Massachusetts. The First Performance took place during the period of my residency at the College on the 7th October, 1987. Meeting in the Road, the setting of a text by an anonymous Chinese poet of the 1st Century BC touches on a universal theme…the brief meeting which somehow touches us in a way we shall always recall. In writing from a distance of 2,000 years he describes the place where he lived as ‘easy enough to find, easy to find and difficult to forget’. In a narrow road where there was not room to pass My carriage met the carriage of a young man. And while his axle was touching my axle in the narrow road, I asked him where he lived. The place where I live is easy enough to find, Easy to find and difficult to forget. The gates of my house are built of yellow gold, The hall of my house is paved with wihte jade, On the hall table flagons of wine are set, I have summoned to serve me dancers from Han-tan. In the midst of the courtyard grows a cassia tree, And candles on its branches flaring away in the night. The She-wolf, with words by the Queensland poet, Jena Woodhouse, describes her passionate relationship with her mother. My mother gave me tempest strife and storm, Flickerings of wisdom lit from within by fires of ancient lore And left the imprint of her Celtic soul A sense of something dangerous and passionate It was she who snarled defiance at the poverty that menaced her And hurled her gypsy curses in the teeth of bitter need, And held her head still higher before strangers And damned the world for misery and greed; It was she who took in homeless dogs to feed and care for, And sad old men who drank too much and died And she who’d weep her grief at each bereavement, The nightmare visions crowding in her eyes; And chide her children for their trespasses, And toil until she dropped to give them bread, And then in feral rage devour them, And bundle them to bed with growls and muttered benedictions, And watch them grow with pride That flashed like lightning in her tawny gaze, And give them heart to sing And pit their strength against the storm. ERIC GROSS (b.1926) Tracks 5 and 6 KLAVIERSTÜCK 1V op.225 (1998) and PLAYFUL SALLY op.300 (2006) “KLAVIERSTÜCK IV”, one of a series of five Klavierstücke, is subtitled “quasi un' improvvisazione” and is meant to convey, within a formal structure, liberal amounts of contrasting tempi, dynamics, phrasing and moods, such as would be found in an improvisation. It is also intended to give the performer the opportunity to contribute creatively to the realization of the music in a free and unrestricted manner. After the opening statements, which alternate emphatic and cantabile phrases, a gentle section gives way to semiquaver phrases which increase in volume and speed and lead to several climaxes. These semiquaver phrases appear in various inversions and guises, eventually leading back into a gentler melodic section, previously heard soon after the beginning. A cadenza builds up to a strong climax after which the work is brought to its close with a succession of pianistic statements."Klavierstück IV" was originally written for Katarina Kroslakova as a gesture of thanks for participating in an earlier recording of a composition of mine for mandolin and piano. “PLAYFUL SALLY” is dedicated to its performer Sally Mays because of her strong and generous support of Australian composers. This composition is a lighthearted tribute to her outstanding musicianship and technical excellence. After commencing mischievously in the style of a two-part invention, the piece playfully employs cross-rhythms and unexpected harmonic aberrations to mislead performers and listeners alike. EG. ANN CARR-BOYD (b.1938) Track 7 FOXTROT (1993) FOXTROT was commissioned by Adrian Hooper, Director of the Sydney Mandolins, to be performed by his ensemble. The music is another dance form piece and is meant as a companion piece to Fandango, one of Ann Carr-Boyd’s most popular compositions, which was also written for the Sydney Mandolins. ERIC GROSS Track 8 HABAÑERA-SERENADE op.31/4 (1960-2007) This composition, originally for Violin and Piano, was written as a study in an "Habañera" style of composition and has also been transcribed for Piano alone. This version for Soprano Saxophone and Piano was arranged in 2007 especially for the two performers on this recording, Berndt Klinke (Soprano Saxophone) and Idil Ugur ( Piano) for a performance in Germany. The music relies on its obvious melodic appeal based on its ternary form and its minor–to–major key- transformation. EG. DEREK STRAHAN (b.1935) Track 9 SEISMIC MURMURS for Solo Piano (1992) – Derek Strahan - piano This is the closing section from Pt. 1 of Atlantis Variations for Solo Piano, one of several works written to develop material for inclusion in a proposed cycle of 4 operas suggested by Plato’s account of the rise and fall of Atlantis. A 3-note whole tone figure heard as a bass rumble at the outset and continuing, represents the trident of the Greek sea god Poseidon, by which he controlled the movement of wind and tides. The motif for Poseidon is immediately heard over it followed by a more elegiac theme for his consort as ruler of Atlantis, the native woman Cleito. A monumental theme for their son Atlas follows. Atlantis and the Atlantic Ocean are named after him. The responsibility of rule over his expanding empire is figuratively implied in the image of Atlas bearing the world on his shoulders. These and other motifs form the basis for passages signifying the seismic instability of the area in the Atlantic known as Dolphin’s Ridge where Atlantis is placed by some writers. Heraldic fanfares depicting the Golden Age of Atlantis conclude this section. D.W.S. Recording, New Music Theatre, 8/7/2002. The complete work “Atlantis Variations” can be heard on the Revolve CD of that title RDS009. DANIEL WILLIAMS (b.1935) Tracks 10 and 11 DEO GRATIAS (2007) and FANFARE FOR HORROCKS (2007) Fanfare for Horrocks and Deo Gratias were written in 2007 by trumpeter and composer, Daniel Williams. Williams took on the position of Head of Bands at the The King’s School in 2006, and it was there these compositions emerged. Deo Gratias was commissioned for trumpeter, Andrew Jenkins in 2006. Based on Deo gratias (Gradualia I, 1605) by William Byrd (c. 1539-1623), the title translates from the Latin to “Thanks be to God”. In his Gradualia I (1605), Byrd attempts to cover all the occasions where music for the Marian Mass is required, All Saints proper and Corpus Christi and represent the second half of its title, Gradualia ac Cantiones Sacrae. With one exception, the pieces are not 'graduals' or Propers of the Mass, but devotional works, probably intended for domestic use and reflecting the intense and all-embracing spirituality of Roman Catholic practice in Byrd's England. Originally written for SATB, the work is twelve bars in length and has been transcribed by Williams to satisfy brass music in the church service. It was this richness of the Elizabethan Age that attracted Williams to setting of Deo Gratias. The work calls for one solo trumpet, dealing with a constant change between chamber and solo roles. Our soloist is clear voiced and righteous, able to stand alone as the other (three) trumpeters try to mask his voice into one of theirs. Many battles ensue, as many with constant ebb and flow of roars of trumpets and kettledrums (in our case, tom-toms). The ‘chorus’ make their presence of agreement in the form of electric bass and the trombone. Deo Gratias calls for four Bb trumpets (solo trumpet and flugelhorn), trombone, electric bass (doubled with trombone), snare, suspended cymbal, tom-tom and tambourine. Instrumentalists - Deo Gratias Alex Biasi (Trumpet) • Andrew Jenkins (Trumpet) • Alex MacInnes (Trumpet) • Keegan Joyce (Trumpet) • Jason Gough (Trombone) • Deborah English (French Horn) • Tom Harvey (Percussion) • Avenish Chellah (Percussion) • Conductor – Daniel Miller Williams 2007 The Fanfare for Horrocks was written for the official opening of Horrocks Hall situated on the campus of the Preparatory School. This occasion was held the 13th of March, 2007, the guest of honour was Mr Roy Horrocks, retired Headmaster of the Preparatory School. Fanfare for Horrocks calls for four Bb trumpets, three trombones, tuba and timpani. Instrumentalists - Fanfare for Horrocks Deborah English (French Horn) • Alex Biasi (Trumpet) • Andrew Jenkins (Trumpet) * Alex MacInnes (Trumpet) • Keegan JoycE (Trumpet) • Jason Gough (Trombone) * Mr Phil Beverley (Trombone) • Tom Harvey (Timpani) ERIC GROSS Tracks 12 and 13 FANTASIA FOR TRUMPET AND ORGAN op.213 (1996) and EPILOGUE FOR STEPHEN OP.274 (2004) The “FANTASIA FOR ORGAN AND TRUMPET” requires musicianship and technical expertise of a high standard from its performers as exemplified in this recording. A quiet organ introduction precedes the trumpet entry which then leads to a thematic development that make much use of idiomatic trumpet phrasing. This is followed by a quicker, lighter-textured middle section which eventully builds up to a climax before the very opening phrase concludes this composition. “EPILOGUE FOR STEPHEN” a composition for Plectrum Quintet, is dedicated to the memory of Stephen David Caldwell (1965 – 2003). Stephen was carrying out a field research trip as part of his Ph.D. studies at Queensland University of Technology when he suffered a severe accident. He was of a joyful and positive nature, very outgoing and had a fascination with nature, animals and all our natural surroundings. He was interested in music as evidenced by his membership of the Strathfield Light Opera Company (Sydney) and he also participated in performances of J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. This delightful person lives on in our memory as a true “Renaissance Man”. My musical tribute to his memory alternates gentle with playful passages which can be related to his personal and intellectual qualities.This composition was released previously on JADE CD 1102 (Dangerous by Moonlight). E.G . ROBERT ALLWORTH Tracks 14, 15, 16 and 17 ANTIPHONS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (2007) for solo piano There are Four Antiphons of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, each with its season. During Advent and until the Purification of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, ALMA REDEMPTORIS MATER. Thence until Wednesday in Holy Week, AVE REGINA COELORUM. THENCE UNTIL WHITSUN, REGINA COELI LAETARE. From the Octave of Whitsun until Advent, SALVE REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIAE. The music that the composer has written are his own musical expressions of the ANTIPHONS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. ROBERT ALLWORTH Track 18 ARIOSO (2004) FOR TRUMPET AND ORGAN This composition is a rather strident fanfare enclosed within a quiet opening and ending. The music is majestic and flowing. Eric Gross Track 19 SUZANN’S FANCY op. 298/1 (2007) This impish piece for piano is dedicated to a little girl called Suzann Ugur who lives in Germany. The performer in this recording is her aunt, the concert pianist Idil Ugur who resides at Weimar. CREDITS Track 1 Recorded at 2MBS FM 22/10/02 Sound Engineer Kerry Joyner Track 2 Recorded at The Main Studio Music Department School of Contemporary Arts, The University of Western Sydney Kingswood, Sydney Produced by Ian Shanahan Sound Engineer and Digital Editing – Emma Stacker Tracks 3 & 4 Grevillea Studios, Albion Queensland Tracks 5, 6, 14, 15, 16 & 17 Recorded at 2MBS FM 10/10/07 Sound Engineer Kerry Joyner Track 7 Recorded 2MBS FM 8/9/93 Sound Engineer Kerry Joyner Tracks 8 &19 Private recording – Weimer Germany Track 9 Recording – New Music Theatre 8/7/2002 Tracks 10, 11, 12, 13 & 18 Recorded Futter Hall, The King’s School with the Director of Music Barry Walmsley, Sound Engineer – Greg Chavalis 28/8/07 Cover Photo RAROTONGA IN THE COOK ISLANDS AT SUNSET Photographer LORRAINE CAIN of Newport Beach NSW, Australia Compilation mastered by STEVE SMART Studios 301 Sydney 16/10/2007 Cover Design – Craig Peterson – Handpress Graphics 02 9918 5271