Ironwood
saw 2015 in with lots of new music & new ways of hearing old music. A long
planned collaboration with Sydney’s cutting edge new music group Ensemble
Offspring hit the road in mid-Feb.
A
brand new commission written especially for us & Ensemble Offspring by
Australian composer Felicity Wilcox had been in the planning for over a year,
and we were very excited to workshop its first draft just before Christmas
2014.
To
work with a living composer on an evolving work is a gift in direct relation to
what we do as ‘historically informed performers’ – all those style things not
written down in the score are right there in the composer’s head – waiting for
you to discuss with them. Instead of doing the detective work through scores,
letters, diaries, early recordings (sometimes), we get to chat about it
directly with the person who is working in a compositional style right here and
now.
You
become very aware that the pencil markings you scribble on a first printed
draft of a part or a score are significant not only for the composer but
subsequent performers, as a ‘how to’
Felicity’s
“Uncovered Ground” mixes modern instruments – prepared modern piano, bass
clarinet, percussion – vibraphone, gongs, wood blocks and lots of other
sounds, flutes – alto flute, as
well as a classical flute at A=430hz and baroque strings.
Also
on the program was Damien Ricketson’s 2002 work “Trace Elements” which is a
work written in tablature, for any two wind & two string instruments.
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes) & Jason Noble (clarinets) were paired with
Danny & I on our gut strung early cello & viola. An amazing spectral
composition, which just kept getting more interesting for us with each
performance.
Claire
Edwardes (percussion) and Zubin Kanga (piano) made a wacky & very cute
version of 17th century composer Matthew Locke’s The Tempest suite
by preparing both instruments with things like ping pong balls, blu tack, metal
chains, paperclips and even an toy cicada. Claire’s toy bells (in assorted
bright colour coding) were a hit pairing with bass clarinet in a sarabande.
Theatre music anyone?!
ABC
Classic FM recorded us in our first performance in Hobart, in the wonderful and
unusual circular acoustic of the Baha’i Centre for Learning, and we think it
will probably go to air in early April – listen out for it.
Our
tour took in Hobart – Julia’s home town; a road trip up to Tassie’s beautiful
North West coast & Burnie; then a full house in Melbourne at a very
atmospheric and theatrical fortyfivedownstairs, and on the final weekend two
shows in the Utzon Room at Sydney Opera House, and another road trip to visit
Newcastle Museum – the home of Newcastle Youth Orchestra. Thanks especially to
Anna McMichael, who stepped in for Sydney & Newcastle shows when Julia was
extremely sick and couldn’t fly from Hobart due to flu. Thanks to all who came
along and supported such an interesting collaboration.
It
was fab to work with the marvellous Ensemble Offspring & great to get
around a large part of Australia’s east coast. We’ll see you all again soon
with more new music for old instruments, and interactive commissions by
Australian composers in Tassie in March at Ten Days on The Island (Nicole), at
Tyalgum Festival in September (all of Ironwood string quartet), and a sneak
peek/listen at our planned new works for 2016 and beyond in December’s series.
New Australian work – vital and fascinating.
PS
– Did you know that Matthew Locke was murdered by a 17th century
hitman, after being noted as a royal supporter and sent into hiding away from
London? Clearly, being a composer is a MUCH safer job in the 21st century!
