Repetition, chaos and beauty become one in this program of musical extremes. A bouquet of contemporary composers examine everything from love and death to reality TV.

DETAILS

Saturday 26 August, Sydney Opera House

PROGRAM

Steve Reich – New York Counterpoint (1985, arr. 2022)

Samantha Wolf – new work (Noisy Women Commission) (2023)*

Missy Mazzoli – Still Life with Avalanche (2009)

Kaija Saariaho – Oi Kuu (1990)

Paul Dean – the weight we carry (SAMM Commission) (2023)*

* World Premiere

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Jason Noble (clarinets)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Véronique Serret (violin)
Benjamin Kopp (piano)
Freya Schack-Arnott (cello)

DESCRIPTION

Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint plucks rhythmic patterns from everyday life, with a transfixing impression of New York’s restless heartbeat. Beauty is found in both chaotic movement and stillness in Missy Mazzoli’s Still Life with Avalanche, and a new work by Australian Samantha Wolf explores our connection with reality TV. The recently passed and sorely missed Kaija Saariaho is remembered with a rendition of her colourful duet Oi Kuu. To close the program, we’re thrilled to present a world premiere by Paul Dean. His new work the weight we carry was composed especially for the sextet, commissioned by Mark Wakely as the 2023 Steven Alward Memorial Music Commission. Taking inspiration from Allen Ginsberg’s poem Song, Dean’s work expresses the importance, burden and desperation of love.