Composition Lunchtime Concert Program

QUEENSLAND CONSERVATORIUM GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY

Composition Lunchtime Concert

IAN HANGER RECITAL HALL

12:30pm October 25th 2023

Phot ogra phy b y

Eric Hart

Echoes of Elegance Movements 1-4 Russell Dunnett

This work is inspired by 4 composers split into the 4 movements, with themes reappearing throughout. It is inspired by Tchaikovsky, Bartok, Mahler and Ilan Esherki.

Violin 1: Yvonne Spina Violin 2: Guy Tomlinson Viola 1: Jasmine Smith Viola 2: Eben Ding Cello 1: Ben Crosby Cello 2: Andrew Udal

Journey of a Butterfly Inge Dekker

My piece, Journey of a Butterfly, explores different notions of a butterfly, including its life cycle; starting from its chrysalis (cocoon) stage, taking its first flight and finally ending in death. Rather than conveying a lighthearted flight, I took a different approach, by creating an unpredictable overarching sense of darkness to depict a lonely flight and the reality of a butterfly’s short life. The manipulation of tonality, from alternating between whole tone and minor, helped create this sense of haunting beauty.

Piano: Julia Zhu

It Is Now Ethan Wall

A guided improvisation on the war within darkness, which implodes on itself then symmetrically exploding outwards becoming the expansion of peace.

Violin: Lauren Mellor Flute: Nate Smith Oboe: Jade Wolter Bassoon: Mairin Thompson Bass Clarinet/ Clarinet: Angus Hall Trumpet: Michael Ufer Piano/voice: Ethan Wall Tuba: Ryan Collier

Doubtful Love, Salvation of Some Christopher James

Doubtful Love, Salvation of Some was commissioned by the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (I originally wrote it for a music theory assignment). After studying Italian madrigal I became intrigued by 5 part vocal harmony, this piece is my attempt at a madrigal style piece. I was heavily inspired by Luzzasco Luzzaschi’s Quivi Sospiri as well as Carlo Gesualdo’s Moro, lasso, al Mio Duolo (you’ll hear these influences though the chromaticism in the piece as well as chromatic harmony). Both of these pieces featured highly gruesome lyrics (in Italian) so I went searching for lyrics of a similar nature in Latin/ Italian but as I don’t speak either language splitting the words into their syllables would have been a nightmare. However, the language I do speak has an abundance of gruesome material featured in the bible, so I went through and selected lines from Isaiah 13 (6-16) and that makes up almost the entirety of the lyrics. I now invite you to listen to the haunting beauty of five-part vocal harmony that intertwines the macabre verses of Isaiah 13 with madrigal inspired chromatic tapestry.

Soprano: Rebecca Goobanko Alto: Caitlin Monique Tenor: Elliott Beau Baritone: Harrison Hammett Bass: Oscar Gill

Duo Impromptu Luka Ison

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

Piano: Luka Ison

Control Danika James

Originally starting out as an energetic and upbeat piece full of technical challenges for the performers, this piece evolved into something slower and more serious as I continued writing, eventually hitting a compromise and settling into two main contrasting sections. Throughout the music it details the feelings of always wanting to have absolute control of something, and completely devoting yourself to it. But in the end, you sadly find that you were so lost in the obsession that you have completely lost yourself along the way.

Violin 1: Jonathan Kositsin Violin 2: Danika James Viola: Eben Yeh Cello: Faith Spriggs