Concerto
Eden Adjusted by Climate Change (after James Gleeson)
for piccolo, piano
& small orchestra [2 perc, strings]
(2025: 10 mins. approx.)
the pulse returns
vibraphone
& small orchestra [2 perc, strings]
2016: 14 mins. 30 seconds approx.
…like a Maelstrom
piano & trumpet in C
& small orchestra (2 x perc, strings).
2013: 26 mins. approx.
*Premiere: 21/2/2015 – Arcko Symphonic Ensemble cond. Timothy Phillips : Peter Dumsday & Bruno Siketa (soloists) – Melbourne.
…like a Maelstrom takes its title from the opening lines of a poem by Emily Dickinson, and is – as the title suggests – energetic and turbulent, providing a thorough workout for both soloists. It was commissioned by Arcko Symphonic Ensemble‘s artistic director Timothy Phillips to feature the talents of Arcko regulars Peter Dumsday (piano) and Bruno Siketa (trumpet), and was premiered on 21/02/2015 at the Church of All Nations in Carlton.
…like a Maelstrom is in one continuous movement, has a duration of about 26 minutes, and is dedicated to Joseph Bono (1926-2013).
“’Twas like a Maelstrom, with a notch,
That nearer, every Day,
Kept narrowing its boiling Wheel…”
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).
Video Complete :
Photos: Kevin English
Shades of Futures Past
flute/alto flute/piccolo
& small orchestra (3 x perc, piano, strings).
2003 rev. 2010 / 2022: 18 mins. approx.
*Premiere: 6/8/2011 – Arcko Symphonic Ensemble cond. Timothy Phillips : Sarah Beggs (soloist) – Melbourne.
*Premiere (CD + soloist): 2/8/2004 – Linda Wetherill – New York.
As a title, Shades of Futures Past could perhaps be explained in a number of ways. One reading might imply that any fears the future might once have held have been successfully resolved, whilst another could be seen to suggest an unreconciled past haunted by regrets and lost opportunities. As it relates to this work however, a more appropriate interpretation would most likely be found somewhere in between; in the uncertainty of the now that links the past to the future, and in the bittersweet blend of regret and optimism that is the lot of us all.
Shades of Futures Past is in 1 continuous movement comprising 12 linked sections. This commission was assisted by the [Australian] Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and is dedicated to Linda Wetherill.
Shades of Futures Past was originally intended to feature on a tour of China in 2003 / 4, but due to regional concerns (the ‘first’ SARS-Cov) the tour never took place, the work therefore being premiered in a version for soloist and CD in New York in 2004.
Revised in 2010 to accommodate the use of smaller string sections, Shades of Futures Past was given its first full performance in Melbourne in August 2011, with the Arcko Symphonic Ensemble conducted by Timothy Phillips, featuring Sarah Beggs as soloist.
Further revisions eventuated during SARS-Cov2 lockdowns of 2020-21 and Shades of Futures Past was eventually and finally (re)completed in May 2022. The work is in one movement and has a duration of approximately 18 minutes.
Photo: Elaine Beggs