Hear and Now 20.08 City of London Festival 2011: Australian Composers

[Quarky]

Hear and Now goes "Down Under" with a concert from this year's Antipodean-themed City of London Festival featuring the Australian-based Goldner Quartet.

The most interesting of the New Music offerings on Radio 3 last week in my view. I must admit to enjoying the teaming up of string quartets with unusual instruments, in this case the didgeridoo.

I'm not sure however that Hear and Now did go entirely Down Under. A large part of the programme seemed to be Oxbridge types, ex pats from Aussie land. This seemed to me too great a dilution of the Australian influence, and I preferred the didgeridoo expert. It might not have had the intellectual rigour of the Euro Aussies, but who cares?

[hackneyvi]

I'm not sure however that Hear and Now did go entirely Down Under ....

I don't know if you heard the New Irish H&N a few weeks ago but some of that music was 20 years old. It did seem to be scraping a show together from off-cuts.

Brett Dean is one of the Total Immersion composers next year so we'll be hearing a good dose of thoroughly Australian music in 2012.

[Serial_Apologist]

I don't know if you heard the New Irish H&N a few weeks ago but some of that music was 20 years old. It did seem to be scraping a show together from off-cuts.

Brett Dean is one of the Total Immersion composers next year so we'll be hearing a good dose of thoroughly Australian music in 2012.

Indeed, I haven't yet heard any modern Australian music which has impressed me greatly.

[Lateralthinking1]

The programme was nicely put together. However, I didn't take to the music.

[hackneyvi]

Indeed, I haven't yet heard any modern Australian music which has impressed me greatly.

I don't think you should pin your hopes on Hear and Now this Saturday. I was at the evening concert of the Total Immersion in Brett Dean (we were up to our eyes, by the way) and it was - I regret to say - pretty unimpressive.

[John Skelton]

Indeed, I haven't yet heard any modern Australian music which has impressed me greatly.

Have you heard any of David Lumsdaine's music and "soundscapes", S_A? From a much younger generation the music I've heard by Robert Dahm has impressed me http://www.elision.org.au/ELISION_En..._composer.html.

[MrGongGong]

This was revolutionary and almost unknown (like the Oramics machine)

http://www.abc.net.au/arts/adlib/stories/s880987.htm

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Indeed, I haven't yet heard any modern Australian music which has impressed me greatly.

Agree about Lumsdaine, and what about Liza Lim, S_A? (I know she's resident in the UK, and in charge of one of the most vibrant courses for composers, but an Australian nonetheless!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiezf8IMLoA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wgbg4Eybyo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mNt-F6hc7w

(Agree with Phil about Dean, too; worthy, well-crafted, inoffensive - and all the other synonyms for "a bit dull"!)

[Quarky]

If Oz not to your taste, how about NZ? The NZ String quartet is currently performing at King's Place, with a gentleman who does various things with gourds - blows into them, strikes them, and swings them through the air.

Was an interesting concert last Saturday evening, with an NZ composer, Gillian ?? (sorry don't have programme) and Beethoven op. 132 - have to hand it to Beethoven, he really had a great sense of rhythm!

The acclaimed New Zealand String Quartet will be joined this month by other leading New Zealand musicians, including Grammy Award winning bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu and traditional Maori instruments expert Richard Nunns, for a celebration of New Zealand music, poetry and ideas. This exciting programme contrasts works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Schubert with soundscapes by contemporary NZ composer Michael Norris and a UK Premiere of Gao Ping’s new work which Kiwi Jonathan Lemalu is singing in Chinese!

[John Skelton]

and what about Liza Lim, S_A? (I know she's resident in the UK, and in charge of one of the most vibrant courses for composers, but an Australian nonetheless!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiezf8IMLoA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wgbg4Eybyo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mNt-F6hc7w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvnAwCcDl6U