Songbirds
Ensemble Offspring’s new album Songbirds is a surprising and beguiling collection of chamber works for flute, clarinet and percussion inspired by butcherbirds, blackbirds, lorikeets and leafcutter ants, frogs and flamingos.
LISTEN
Originally intended to accompany the Ensemble’s 25th birthday concert tour, Birdsong at Dusk (presented as part of Sydney Festival’s Salon Series in 2020), the album was released to celebrate both this major milestone and the creativity and endurance of the ensemble even in the face of a global pandemic.
Tracklist
Fiona Loader – Lorikeet Corroboree
Hollis Taylor & Jon Rose – Owen Springs Reserve 2014
Brett Dean – Notes from the Twittersphere
Jane Stanley – Desert Rose (from Four Desert Flowers)
Felicity Wilcox – People of this Place
Tristan Coelho – Daybreak
Gerard Brophy – Beautiful Birds I. Lyrebirds II. Flamingos III. Hummingbirds
Hollis Taylor & Jon Rose – Bitter Springs Creek 2014
Kate Moore – Blackbird Song
Performers
Claire Edwardes (percussion / Artistic Director)
Jason Noble (clarinet, bass clarinet)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Acclaim
“Stunning…Songbirds is an album of splendid, thought-provoking and evocative new music.” – City News
“A beautifully conceived and richly rewarding album” – Limelight
“… an injection of warmth and colour with new and recent pieces influenced by, and depicting, birdsong and nature all expertly played with energy and commitment.” – Tempo Magazine
“Jason Noble handles the demands of these extended techniques with agility and style. Be astonished by his playing in this lengthy journey backwards and forwards through time.” – Loudmouth
Credits
We are deeply grateful to our donors and funding partners who have supported the commissions on this recording.
Bitter Springs Creek 2014 by Hollis Taylor and Jon Rose was commissioned with the generous support of Robin Budden and Linda Matthews.
Daybreak was commissioned with the support of the APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund and recorded with support of the Australia Council for the Arts.
Thanks to Brooke Green, Stephen Adams, Hugh Robertson and the entire team at ABC Classic.
Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts advisory body, and the NSW Government.
We work and play on Gadigal Land.
Released 2020
