Solo
ex tempore
piano.
2023: 7 mins. 45 secs. approx.
“…here we are…trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why.”
Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse-Five
Models of Attitude
flute.
2023: 12 mins. 30 secs. approx.
Models of Attitude (1991-2006, as revised 2023) is in 3 movements, all of which can be – and have been – performed as standalone works.
- Blitz was premiered by John McMurtery at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis, USA on 20/6/2013 as part of the 7th Belvedere Chamber Music Festival.
- Resignation was premiered by Elizabeth Barcan in May 2006 at Dizzy’s Jazz club in Melbourne.
- Agité I was premiered by Suzanne Hornsby at the Polyglot Puppet Theatre in Melbourne in 1993. Its US premiere by Linda Wetherill followed in New York in 1998, with its European premiere given by Alexandru Hanganu in Braila, Romania in 2000.
The decision to formally link these three works required that each undergo minor revision to ensure the unity of the larger work – a task that was eventually realised in mid-2023. Models of Attitude has a total duration of approx. 12½ minutes.
Cascade
piccolo.
2023: 4 mins. approx.
The Palest Light
glockenspiel.
2014 rev. 2023: 3 mins. 15 secs. approx.
*Premiere: 21/2/2015 – Timothy Phillips – Melbourne.
“The light of memory, or rather the light that memory lends to things, is the palest light of all… I am not quite sure whether I am dreaming or remembering, whether I have lived my life or dreamed it.”
Eugène Ionesco (1909 – 1994) Romanian playwright.
“What you end up remembering isn’t always the same as what you have witnessed.”
Julian Barnes – The Sense of an Ending
The palest light will ideally be performed in the least light possible, with stage lighting kept to the absolute minimum necessary for performance and with the audience in complete darkness.
The palest light is dedicated to Timothy Phillips, in appreciation of his vigorous and enduring support for Australian music. It was completed in 2014, revised in 2021, and is approximately 4 minutes long.
The palest light was premiered by Timothy Phillips, at the Church of All Nations, Carlton on 21/02/2015, as part of the Arcko Symphonic Ensemble composer portrait concert “…Like a Maelstrom”.
Photo : Graeme Farr
Clamour (transcription)
Eb (or Bb) clarinet.
2023: 6 mins. 30 secs. approx.
Amygdala Hijack
(variations for Raymond Shon)
piano.
2020-2021: 8 mins. approx.
Amygdala Hijack started as a 3 minute single movement work written in 2020 for pianist Raymond Shon in response to a call for variations on a theme of his own construction.
Further similarly brief variations were added in 2021, resulting in a three-movement work that last for about 8 minutes all up.
Amygdala Hijack is a term coined by author and science journalist Daniel Goleman to denote a personal, emotional response that is immediate and out of measure with the actual stimulus.
Schism
piano.
= Contre-Temps + Un petit jeu d’esprit + Rift
2009-2019: 16 mins. approx.
All three works can be performed individually, or as part of the larger work.
(i) Contre-Temps. 2016: 3mins. 45 secs. approx.
(ii) Un petit jeu d’esprit. 2019: 5 mins. 30 secs. approx.
(iii) Rift. 2009 rev. 2018: 6 mins. 45 secs. approx.
Un petit jeu d’esprit
piano.
[2nd movement of Schism or standalone work]
2019: 5 mins. 30 secs. approx.
Agité V
harp.
1998 rev. 2022: 5 mins. approx.
*Premiere: 5/9/1999 – Marshall McGuire – Sydney.
Agité V – commissioned by Marshall McGuire in 1997 – was originally completed in 1998 and premiered in that form at the 1999 Sydney Spring Festival, where it shared the Marienberg Award for Most Outstanding New Australian Composition. Later revised, it belongs to a series of solos that are all somewhat disturbed in nature and explore some of the more aggressive characteristics of the instruments involved.
Imperfect Memory: après la danse
piano.
2018: 6 mins. 15 secs. approx.
Memory is unreliable at the best of times. After the premiere of Dancing to the Tremors of Time – an exceptional performance by Michael Kieran Harvey (in the Nolan Gallery, MONA, Hobart, 17/11/2018) – I found myself wondering what might (or might not) be retained by those hearing such a long and challenging work for the first time.
Imperfect Memory: après la danse takes material from the major work, misremembering it with deliberate imprecision in a shorter work that might (or might not) serve as either a reminder or an introduction to Dancing to the Tremors of Time.
Imperfect Memory: après la danse is dedicated to Michael Kieran Harvey in gratitude for both his prodigious talent and his ongoing commitment to the development and support of Australian piano repertoire.
Dancing to the Tremors of Time
piano.
2017: 24 mins approx.
*Premiere: 17/11/2018 – Michael Kieran Harvey – Hobart.
Dancing to the Tremors of Time was commissioned by and is dedicated to Michael Kieran Harvey, and was premiered by him in the Nolan Gallery at MONA, Hobart, on 17/11/2018.
It takes its title from a work by the late Australian surrealist James Gleeson.
“Life is divided into three parts: what was, what is, and what shall be.
Of these three periods, the present is short, the future is doubtful, and the past alone is certain.”
Seneca, from On the Shortness of Life“Time,
He’s waiting in the wings,
He speaks of senseless things,
His trick is you and me,…..”
David Bowie.
© Gleeson O’Keefe Foundation (used by permission)
Ascension
trumpet in C.
2016: 1 min.45 secs. approx.
Ascension is dedicated to Bruno Siketa, in recognition of his talent & commitment.
Contre-Temps
piano.
[1st movement of Schism or standalone work]
2016: 3 min.45 secs. approx.
*Premiere: 4/12/2016 – Peter Dumsday – Melbourne.
Contre-Temps is dedicated to Peter Dumsday, in recognition of his talent & commitment. It was premiered by him in Melbourne in December 2016.
Semplice
guitar.
2004 rev. 2016: 6 mins. 10 secs. approx.
*Premiere: 9/11/2008 – Geoffrey Morris – Melbourne.
Semplice was premiered by Geoff Morris in Melbourne in November, 2008.
Fracture
piano.
= re-fract + Doublethink + Shard
2009-2015: 28 mins. approx.
The handful of piano solos I’d written since (and including) the major revision of Agité III in 2000 were all – to a greater or lesser extent – related, and in 2010 I’d decided that four of them were sufficiently linked to combine quite well as a set, so the original Fracture came into being.
Over following months I became increasingly dissatisfied with this arbitrary construct, and in 2012 my thoughts turned again to the piano with a conviction to create a genuinely unified work. I chose re-fract as the starting point and released the others to make their own way in the world. Later in 2012 Doublethink was completed, followed in 2015 by Shard : thus was Fracture in its present final form eventually (re)born.
All three works can be performed individually, or as part of the larger work.
(i) re-fract.2009: 8 mins. 30 secs. approx.
(ii) Doublethink. 2012: 13 mins. approx.
(iii) Shard. 2015 rev. 2024: 6 mins. 20 secs. approx.
Shard
piano.
[3rd movement of Fracture or standalone work]
2015 rev. 2024: 6 mins. 20 secs. approx.
“…trying to put the broken mirror of memory back together from so many broken shards.”
from Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Repose (for Absent Friends)
piano.
2014: 6 mins. approx.
*Premiere: 13/4/2018 – Michael Kieran Harvey – Melbourne.
Repose (for Absent Friends) is a brief, predominantly gentle piece – looking back to a time when the future held infinite possibilities, and friends and family were immortal.
Repose was premiered by Michael Kieran Harvey in Melbourne on 13/4/2018.
Torque
viola.
2013 rev. 2024: 4 mins. 15 secs. approx.
*Premiere: 21/12/2015 – Phoebe Green – Melbourne.
torque:
to cause to rotate ot twist.
a force or system of forces that tend to cause rotation.
the tendency of a force applied to an object to make it rotate about an axis.
Torque was premiered by Phoebe Green, at the Church of All Nations, Carlton on 21/02/2015, as part of the Arcko Symphonic Ensemble composer portrait concert “…Like a Maelstrom”.
Photo : Zachary Johnston
Twitch
‘cello.
2011 rev. 2024: 5 mins. 15 secs. approx.
twitch:
to move or cause to move in a spasmodic way.
to pull or draw something with a quick jerky movement.
to move (a part of the body) with a sudden motion.
to move convulsively.
Doublethink
piano.
[2nd movement of Fracture or standalone work]
2012: 13 mins. approx.
“…the labyrinthine world of doublethink. To know and not to know, …to hold simultaneously two opinions…knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, …to forget whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment when it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again…”
from 1984 by George Orwell (1903-1950).
“…The maelstrom of my memory is a vampire and it feeds on me;…”
from A Plague of Lighthouse-keepers by Peter Hammill.
Figuration in Search of Identity
assorted percussion: Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Drum ‘A’ (2 Congas, 2 Djembes, 2 Bongos), Drum ‘B’ (Bass Drum, 6 Tom-toms, Snare drum), 6 Gongs, 6 Temple Blocks, 6 Wood Blocks, 5 Ceramic Bowls, 5 Glass Bottles, 5 Saw Blades, 5 Steel Bowls, 2 Temple Bowls, 2 Triangles, Ceramic Wind Chimes, Glass Wind Chimes.
2011: 27 mins. approx.
*Premiere (mvts I,V,IX) : 20/5/2017 – James Townsend, Madi Chwasta, Mathew Levy – Melbourne.
Figuration in Search of Identity takes its title from a 2005 work by the late Australian pre-eminent surrealist painter James Gleeson (1915-2008).
Figuration in Search of Identity is dedicated to Brenton Broadstock and Riccardo Formosa – my composition teachers in the 1980s – both significant influences in the early years of my personal musical explorations. Completed in 2011, it comprises nine movements and is about 27 minutes long.
Figuration in Search of Identity has several acceptable performance options:
1. with one soloist performing all 9 movements
When option 1 is employed, the instruments should be distributed in 2 main positions as follows:
A. Xylophone, Drum A, 6 Gongs, 6 Temple Blocks, 5 Ceramic Bowls, 2 Temple Bowls, 2 Triangles, Glass Wind Chimes, Ceramic Wind Chimes.
B. Glockenspiel, Drum B, 6 Wood Blocks, 5 Glass Bottles, 5 Steel Bowls, 5 Saw Blades.
with both positions requiring access to the Bass Drum.
2. with 2 soloists sharing workload, with performer 1 playing those movements built around Drum A / Xylophone set up (i.e. movts I, III, IV, VII, & VIII) and performer 2 playing those built around the Drum B / Glockenspiel set up (movts II, V, VI, & IX). In this option, it is appropriate that movement I be further shared, with performer 2 playing Bass Drum only.
3. with 4 soloists sharing workload, performer 1 (I, IV, & VII), performer 2 (Bass Drum in I, V, & IX), performer 3 (II & VI), and performer 4 (III & VIII).
If either option 2 or 3 is used:
the set up should naturally be varied to suit, and may necessitate additional instrumental resources for convenience.
consideration should be given to making full use of the available performance space by setting convenient subsets in positions other than directly in front of the audience.
4. It is also permissible to extract any movement – or sequence of movements – for performance in isolation as long as the movement(s) so treated are clearly identified as such.
Figuration in Search of Identity by James Gleeson.
© Gleeson O’Keefe Foundation (used by permission)
Resignation
flute.
2001 rev. 2023: 5 mins.
*Premiere: 28/5/2006 – Elizabeth Barcan – Melbourne.
Resignation was premiered by Elizabeth Barcan in Melbourne on 28/5/2006.
Fret (Agité IV)
guitar.
1992 rev. 2010: 5 mins. 25 secs.
*Premiere: 10/10/1993 – Stefano Cardi – Melbourne.
Fret (Agité IV) takes its more individual title from both the obvious link with the instrument, and from the relationships between other meanings of the word itself and various aspects of the piece.
Fret:
agitate, disturb, enrage, irritate, torment, vex;
adorn, diversify, variegate;
an interlaced angular design.
Fret (Agité IV) was commissioned by ELISION and premiered in Melbourne in October 1993 by Stefano Cardi, who also gave its European premiere in Chiaravalle, Italy, in January 1994.
re-fract
piano.
[1st movement of Fracture or standalone work]
2009: 8 mins. 30 secs. approx.
*Premiere: 1/9/2016 – Michael Kieran Harvey – Sydney.
re-fract:
re-: again, backward, intensify.
pref. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin.]
fract: to break, to violate. [Obs]. Shak.
v.t. [L. fractus, p.p. of frangere to break.]
refract: to deflect from a straight path, to alter or distort
tr.v. [Latin refringere, to break up.]
“…to express the sensation of experiencing a disintegration of identity, a shattering of the self. This is what I mean when I speak of a poetics of refraction.”
from “The fragmentary Muse and the poetics of refraction in Sappho, Sophocles, Offenbach. by Gregory Nagy
re-fract was premiered by Michael Kieran Harvey at the Creativity Unlimited Festival, Sydney, on 01/09/2016.
Rift
piano.
[3rd movement of Schism or standalone work]
2009: 7 mins. approx.
Thrust
violin.
2008 rev. 2024: 7 mins. approx.
thrust:
to push or drive quickly or forcibly.
to force one’s way.
a driving force or pressure.
a piercing movement made with or as if with a pointed weapon: a stab.
the thread or current of thought uniting or occuring in all the elements of a text or discourse.
the essence: the point..
as the waves…
vibraphone.
[3rd movement of The Eternal Surge or standalone work]
2007: 5 mins. 30 secs. approx.
as the waves… can be performed either as a standalone work, or as the third of seven in the cycle The Eternal Surge.
“Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
So do our minutes hasten to their end,
Each changing place with that which goes before…”
from Sonnet 60, by William Shakespeare.
as the waves… is dedicated to Peter Neville.
Blitz
flute.
2006 rev. 2023: 4 mins. 30 secs.
*Premiere: 20/6/2013 – John McMurtery – Memphis.
Blitz was premiered by John McMurtery at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis, USA on 20/6/2013 as part of the 7th Belvedere Chamber Music Festival.
Clair-Obscur
Bb clarinet.
2006: 1 min.
*Premiere: 31/5/2006 – Joshua Rubin – New York.
Clair-Obscur was premiered on 31/5/2006 by Joshua Rubin (of the New York Miniaturist Ensemble) at the Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, New York.
Quicksand
piano.
2005: 7 mins. 15 secs. approx.
*Premiere: 21/8/2009 – Michael Kieran Harvey – Melbourne.
Quicksand was premiered by Michael Kieran Harvey at the Iwaki Auditorium, Melbourne, on 21/8/2009.
“…Quicksand years that whirl me I know not whither…”
from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (1819-1892).
“…I’m torn between the light and dark
Where others see their targets
Divine symmetry… “
“…I’m sinking in the quicksand of my thought,
and I ain’t got the power anymore…”
from Quicksand by David Bowie.
Clamour
oboe.
2005 rev 2023: 6 mins. 30 secs. approx.
Solitary
bass flute.
2005: 3 mins. 10 secs. approx.
*Premiere: 30/7/2007 – Linda Wetherill – New York.
Solitary was premiered by Linda Wetherill in New York in August, 2007.
Pro Tempore
5 octave marimba.
[5th movement of The Eternal Surge or standalone work]
2002 rev. 2004: 7 mins. 15 secs.
Pro Tempore can be performed either as a standalone work, or as the fifth of seven in the cycle The Eternal Surge.
“…Since there is nothing but this moment, ‘for the time being’ is all the time there is.”
Dogen Zenji (1200-1253).
Pro Tempore (Latin: for the time being) had something of a complicated birth. It was originally written for 4 octave marimba, and comprised 4 sections with a flexible format that allowed its duration to range from 8 to 16 minutes. It was originally subtitled Provisional Solutions I-IV; the uncertainty implied by a ‘provisional pro tempore’ suggesting that even then the piece was a strong candidate for later revision.
This in fact proved to be the case. When Pedro Carneiro suggested creating a version for 5 octave marimba, the opportunity was taken to revise rather than arrange, the new final version being for 5 octave marimba, inflexible in format, and approximately 7’ 15″ long.
Pro Tempore is dedicated to Pedro Carneiro.
Schräg
trombone.
2003: 6 mins. 45 secs.
*Premiere: 18/4/2004 – Barrie Webb – Melbourne.
Schräg: [German] oblique.
“All art is a kind of confession, more or less oblique. All artists, if they are to survive, are forced, at last, to tell the whole story; to vomit the anguish up.”
James Baldwin (1924 – 1987) US novelist, essayist.
Schräg was premiered by Barrie Webb at Melba Hall, Melbourne, on the 18th of April, 2004, with its European premiere following in Bucharest on the 27th of May.
Photo : Howard Dillon
Scorn
Bb bass clarinet.
2002: 5 mins.
*Premiere: 8/3/2004 – Carl Rosman – London.
“…There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn…”
from The Myth of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus.
Scorn was premiered in the Great Hall at King’s College London on 8/3/2004 by Carl Rosman, who also gave the first performance in Germany in Stuttgart on April 6th the same year.
Agité III
piano.
1992 rev. 2000: 12 mins.
*Premiere (orig) : 30/10/1993 – Haydn Reeder – Melbourne.
*Premiere (as rev) : 27/9/2001 – Michael Kieran Harvey – Melbourne.
Agité III was originally completed in the early 1990’s, and premiered in that form by Haydn Reeder in 1993. It was comprehensively reworked in September 2000; this new version being premiered by Michael Kieran Harvey during the Federation Music Week Festival in Melbourne in September 2001.
Akkord III
vibraphone.
1998: 2 mins.
*Premiere: 23/9/1999 – Peter Neville – Brisbane.
Akkord III was premiered by Peter Neville on 23/9/1999 at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, with its US premiere given by Michael Caterisano in New York in October 2005.
Akkord I
piano.
1997: 4 mins.
*Premiere: 30/5/1998 – Danae Killian – Melbourne.
Akkord I was premiered by Danae Killian at the Richmond Town Hall, Melbourne in 1998 as part of the Melbourne Composers’ League ‘Mosaics’ series of concerts. Its US premiere featured Cory Smythe in New York in 2007.
Akkord II
guitar.
1997: 4 mins. 30 secs.
*Premiere: 20/10/1998 – Norio Sato – Melbourne.
Akkord II was premiered by Norio Sato at the Melbourne International Festival in October 1998, with its European premiere featuring Gisbert Watty in Prato (Italy) in 2007.
Akkord II is published in “Australian Guitar Miniatures” from Red House Editions. ISBN 0 9587342-3-2
Agité II (transcription)
vibraphone.
1995: 5 mins. 30 secs.
*Premiere: 23/9/1999 – Peter Neville – Brisbane.
Agité II was originally commissioned as a mandolin solo by Stephen Morey. Upon Stephen’s retirement from performing in 1995, it was transcribed for vibraphone & premiered in that form by Peter Neville in Brisbane in 1999. Speak Percussion’s 2005 tour saw Peter give its European premiere in Barcelona, with follow up performances in Livorno, Trieste, Espinho, Porto, Oslo, and Copenhagen.
Agité II also features regularly in solo recitals given throughout Spain by Sisco Aparici.
Agité I
flute.
1989-91 rev. 2023: 3 mins.
*Premiere: 7/11/1993 – Suzanne Hornsby – Melbourne.
Agité I was premiered by Suzanne Hornsby in Melbourne in 1993. Its first US performance was by Linda Wetherill in New York in 1998, and its European premiere was given in Braila, (Romania) by Alexandru Hanganu in 2000. It has been performed and broadcast many times by Melanie Chilianis of the Melbourne-based ensemble re-sound, and is available on their self-titled CD.
Agité II
mandolin.
1989: 5 mins. 30 secs.
*Premiere: 9/8/1990 – Stephen Morey – Melbourne.
Agité II is dedicated to Stephen Morey, who commissioned the work and premiered it in Melbourne on 9/8/1990. Its first European performance was given by Michael Hooper in York in May 2009.
