inventions I-III

2024 | piano | 9 minutes | 14^th September 2024 Melbourne, Australia |

inventions I-III for piano were composed for Kevin Tamanini, who gave their premiere at an Elbow Room concert of the Melbourne Composers League on Saturday 14th September 2024, at St Stephen's Church, Richmond, Melbourne.

The work is based on the three inventions for harpsichord that were composed for Polish harpsichordist Hanna Balcerzak and completed in September 2023. This version contains subtle differences that reflect the different acoustic properties of the two instruments.

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trzy mazurki

2024 | piano | 7'30"

Trzy mazurki ukończone w marcu 2024 roku, dedykowane wybitnemu polskiemu pianiście i pedagogowi prof. Andrzejowi Pikulowi. Powstały z okazji jubileuszu 40-lecia kariery zawodowej Profesora jako wyraz wdzięczności i uznania studentów i absolwentów.

These three mazurkas were completed in March 2024, and are dedicated to the outstanding Polish pianist and teacher Professor Andrzej Pikul. They were commissioned on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his professional career, as an expression of gratitude and appreciation by his students and graduates. The new work was presented to the maestro at a special celebration at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, Poland on 27 April 2024.

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blood moon

2023 solo bass flute | 6' | 17 Apr 2024 Maryland, USA and 20 Apr 2024 Melbourne, Australia

blood moon for solo bass flute was completed in July 2023. The premiere was given by renowned low flute specialist Lisa Cella on 17th April 2024 at the University of Maryland. The Australian premiere was given three days later by equally renowned low flute specialist Peter Sheridan at an Elbow Room concert of the Melbourne Composers League on Saturday 20th April 2024, at St Stephen's Church, Richmond, Melbourne.

The blood moon for the Druids and ancient Celts was a profound time that encouraged prophetic dreams and heightened intuition. It was symbolic of fertile crops, new ideas, helpful insights, and a time rich with potential. Ceremonies were conducted during the blood moon to encourage new life, rebirth, and shedding of old habits.

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inventions I-III

2023 | harpsichord | 9' | 29 Sep 2023 Tarnowskie Góry, Poland

inventions I-III for harpsichord was completed in September 2023, composed for Polish harpsichordist Hanna Balcerzak. She gave the premiere performance during the opening concert of the 2nd Festiwal im. Elżbiety Chojnackiej, Pałac w Rybnej, Tarnowskie Góry, Poland on 29th September 2023.

These three inventions were inspired by the inventions of Bach, and also by the wonderful playing of their dedicatee. Like the works of Bach, they are equally efective played on the piano.

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kyiv

2022 | solo flute | 3'15" Agata Igras

kyiv for solo flute was composed in March 2022.

I wrote this piece for my friend Robert Kemp, who is of Ukrainian ancestry. In February 2022 russian troops invaded Ukraine in order to pursue the territorial ambitions of their totalitarian leader, Vladimir Putin. (Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine). I subsequently created a version for solo clarinet.

2022 | solo clarinet | 3'15" | Fabio Costantino

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in memoriam Krzysztof Penderecki

2021 | solo harpsichord | 6'30" | 12 Jan 2022 Łódź, Poland Hanna Balcerzak

in memoriam Krzysztof Penderecki for solo harpsichord was composed for Polish harpsichordist Hanna Balcerzak and completed in September 2021. She gave the premiere during the 5th Seminar of Contemporary Harpsichord Music Cembalo no limits in Łódź, Poland on 12th January 2022.

When I was about 18 years old, I began to study composition with Felix Werder. Up to that point the most modern music I had been exposed to was that of Prokofiev, and it was Felix who introduced me to contemporary music, and in particular the enormous contribution that Polish composers had made, especially in the second half of the twentieth-century.
Foremost amongst these was Krzysztof Penderecki (1933 – 2020), whose unique sound world was a revelation. Although I no longer try to emulate the music of the great master, his recent death saddened me greatly, and I wrote this piece in his memory.

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tjukurpa

2021 | solo contrabass clarinet | 4' | Fabrizio Bardelli

tjukurpa for solo contrabass clarinet was composed in March 2021 for Italian clarinettist Fabrizio Bardelli.

tjukurpa is the foundation of Anangu life and society. Tjukurpa refers to the creation period when ancestral beings, Tjukaritja, created the world as we know it, and from this the religion, law and moral systems. ‘Dreamtime’ or ‘Dreaming’ is often used to describe the way we and other Indigenous Australians see our origins. This translation suggests the beliefs are unreal. Tjukurpa is no dream, and there is no such word as ‘Dreamtime’ in Anangu languages.¹

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lament for antoniou

2020 | solo flute | 3' | Iwona Glinka

lament for antoniou for solo flute was was composed in July 2020, for Polish flautist Iwona Glinka, who has previously premiered a number of the composer's flute works.

This piece was written in memory of Greek composer Theódoros Andoníou, who passed away in December 2018 at the age of 83. My lament reflects the composer’s own habit of writing laments for lost friends and colleagues, and the music is loosely based on the Mixolydian tonos, in acknowledgment of Antoniou’s interest in ancient Greek music.

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requiem

2018/revised 2020 | solo bass clarinet | 4' | Fabrizio Bardelli

requiem for solo bass clarinet was composed in March 2018, in memory of the great Dutch bass clarinettist Harry Sparnaay, who passed away in December 2017 at the age of 73. The first performance of the original version was given by Italian bass clarinettist Sauri Berti at the 5th International Clarinet Festival in Lima, Peru (2019). Minor revisions were completed in January 2020, and Fabrizio Bardelli later recorded this version.

I first met Harry when he was artist in residence at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne in 1987. I met him twice more after that when he visited Australia, and wrote a number of bass clarinet works for him. Shortly after he passed away I decided to write this short piece to honour him, a wonderful musician who pushed the bass clarinet to the forefront of contemporary composition—and also a beautiful human being.

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three preludes

2019 | solo harpsichord | 12' | 12 Jul 2020 Tarnowskie Góry, Poland Hanna Balcerzak

The three preludes for solo harpsichord were composed in 2019 for Polish harpsichordist Hanna Balcerzak, who gave the first performance on 12 July 2020 at the Pałac w Rybnej, Tarnowskie Góry, Poland.

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hanna

2018 | solo harpsichord | 5' | 11 Apr 2019 Bytom, Poland Hanna Balcerzak

hanna for solo harpsichord was composed for Polish harpsichordist Hanna Balcerzak, and is a musical portrait of the dedicatee, who gave the premiere performance during a solo recital on 11 April 2019 at the Opera Slaska (Silesian Opera) in Bytom, Silesia, Poland.

Who is Hanna? This is what my piece is about.
How did I meet her? I never have.
But we have three mutual friends on Facebook, and this is how I met her…
Why did I want to add her on Facebook? Because I just finished two pieces for mutual Facebook friends, and I like writing for harpsichord. Plus, her Facebook persona looked interesting…
So, how to write a piece about someone you don't know?
Research! Research on the Internet!
Ask her? Too easy.
What did I find? Listen…

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finis temporis

2018 | solo flute | 5'30" | 10 Nov 2018 Katowice, Poland

finis temporis for solo flute was composed for Polish flautist Alicja Lizer Molitorys, who gave the premiere on 10 November 2018 at the Szymanowski Academy of Music, Katowice, Poland.

finis temporis-end of time-refers to the end of the concept that musical style proceeds chronologically in a straight line, never to be repeated.

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elegia

2007 | alto flute | 5' | 29 Jan 2007 Birmingham, UK

Elegia for solo alto flute was composed for British flautist Carla Rees, who gave the first performance on 29th January 2007 at the University of Birmingham, England.

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lavender mist

2007 | solo flute | 6' | 20 Jul 2006 Tuscany, Italy

lavender mist for solo flute was completed in April 2006, and is a musical response to the painting of the same name by American artist Jackson Pollock (Lavender Mist 1950). The work was premiered by Lisa Cella during the Cortona Contemporary Music Festival in Tuscany, Italy on 20th July 2006.

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totenlied

2003/revised 2017 | solo clarinet | 5' | 18 Dec 2017 Porto, Portugal and 9 Feb 2018 Carnegie Hall, New York, USA

Totenlied for solo clarinet was composed during April and May 2003 as part of the composer's contribution to the collaborative piece Conversations (see below). In November 2017 a revised version of the score was prepared for the brilliant Italian clarinettist Sauro Berti, who gave the world premiere performance at the 7^th European Clarinet Festival, on the 18th December 2017 in Porto, Portugal, followed soon after by a performance at the Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York on 9^th February 2018.

Because much of the creation of Conversations was concerned with the technical aspects of music composition, I felt that in order to make a genuine contribution to the work, I should compose something that was concerned primarily with expression. Academic composers, of which I am proudly not one, can become so mired in the concept and technique of what they do, that they forget that music is for someone to listen to! The title of this solo pays homage to the music of Gustav Mahler, whose influence can be felt in the work's opening and closing passages.

In its original form (as part of Conversations) the solo was a collaborative effort with composer Steve Adam, whose computer enhancement and modulation of the clarinet line greatly enhanced the expressive qualties of the music (not to mention the beautiful playing of Karen Heath); however, it became clear that the music would also work well as a "stand alone" clarinet solo.

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blackbird's song of peace, the

2003 | solo flute | 3' |

The Blackbird's Song of Peace for solo flute was composed in 2003, and is dedicated to the late Geoffrey Tozer (pictured), who was one of the finest pianists Australia has produced. He gave the composer the opening 3 bars, an actual blackbird call that Tozer had transcribed in Tasmania in 1964. The music is based on a seven note scale extracted from the Blackbird's call, and the work's title reflects the coincidence that composition of the work was begun on 20th March 2003, the first day of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The Blackbird's Song of Piece is available on CD (Move Records), performed by Italian flautist Luciano Tristaino of Trio Altrove 1.3

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ocean greyness

2003 | solo clarinet | 5' | 1 Jun 2003 Melbourne, Australia

Fabio Costantino, clarinet

Julia Mrazek, clarinet

ocean greyness for solo clarinet was composed in May 2003, and first performed by Paul Todd, during a Melbourne Composers League concert at the Retro Café, Fitzroy on 1st June 2003. Minor revisions to the score were undertaken in 2022.

The title refers to a 1953 painting by Jackson Pollock, currently exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York:

Ocean Greyness, one of Pollock's last great works, depicts several disembodied eyes hidden within the swirling colored fragments that materialize from the dense, scumbled gray ground. "When you are painting out of your unconscious," he claimed, "figures are bound to emerge." Manifest in this painting is a dynamic tension between representation and abstraction that, finally, constitutes the core of Pollock's multileveled oeuvre.

Nancy Spector

2003 | solo bass clarinet | 5' | 9 Oct 2003 Melbourne, Australia

A version of ocean greyness for solo bass clarinet was composed during July 2003, and premiered by Harry Sparnaay on 9th October 2003 at the Performing Arts Centre, Monash University. The bass clarinet version has subsequently been performed many times around the world.

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elegies

1998 | solo clarinet | 9' | 13 Sep 1988 Melbourne, Australia

Elegies for solo clarinet was written in 1998 for Phillip Miechel, former principal clarinettist of the Melbourne Symphony, who premiered the work during a concert by the Australian Chamber Soloists, at the University of Melbourne on 13 September 1998.

The work consists of five movements: three elegies separated by two interludes.

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monologue

1997/revised 2000 | solo oboe | 6' | 16 Sep 1997 Melbourne, Australia

Monologue for solo oboe was written for Jeffrey Crellin, principal oboist of the Melbourne Symphony, who gave the first performance on 16th September 1997 at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. Subsequent performances include those by Linda Walsh at the 1998 International Double Reed Society Conference in Arizona, US; a recording for ABC FM radio by Rainer Gibbons, and Kazimierz Dawidek in Belfast, 2003.

In June 2000 the composer undertook a substantial revision of the work, and this revised version was premiered by Jeffrey Crellin on July 25th 2000, during an Australia Pro Arte concert at Melba Hall.

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mysterium

1994 | solo bass clarinet | 5' | September 1995 Buenos Aires, Argentina

mysterium for solo bass clarinet was composed in 1994 for Dutch Bass Clarinetist Harry Sparnaay, who gave the first performance on 18 Sep 1995 during the Encuentros '95 Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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every now and then...

1987 | solo bass clarinet | 5' | April 1987 Melbourne, Australia

every now and then... for solo bass clarinet was composed in 1983 for the renowned Dutch Bass Clarinetist Harry Sparnaay.

Harry was in residence at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne in 1987, and along with a number of other composers and musicians, I attended a workshop he gave. I was one of the last to arrive, and before taking my seat, Harry greeted me and I gave him my score. To commence his workshop, without saying a word, Harry proceeded to perform my piece perfectly from sight! He subsequently made a recording at the VCA studios on the 5th of April.

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