Two Ducks Swimming
Premiére: 22nd January 2000, Iwaki Auditorium, Melbourne, Australia
Composers: Willy Zygier, Elena Kats-Chernin, Paul Grabowsky
Program
- 'The End of Music', Willy Zygier (20 minutes)
- 'TurnTableTurn', Elena Kats-Chernin (20 minutes)
- 'Variations "du'n gout etranger" on a theme by Marin Marais', Paul Grabowsky (35 minutes)
Program Notes
Of all Australian cities Melbourne leads the way in presenting and attending contemporary music events; in republican Melbourne we look to the future-the cityscape itself speaks of solidity and vision, of the value of experiences that take us beyond the ordinary. The contribution to that reputation made by Paul Grabowsky's Australian Art Orchestra, is considerable as the AAO continues to present programs of the calibre of January 22: Two Ducks Swimming which premires the work of three leading composers from widely different backgrounds.
Since its inception in 1994, the Australian Art Orchestra has quietly gone about shifting the goal posts in terms of contemporary music practice. The Orchestra's work has now embraced the traditions of South India in a major collaboration with Karaikudi R. Mani, (Into the Fire ABC Classics '99) the state of the art 'notated' music in its work with composer, Mary Finsterer, and new interpretations of J. S. Bach in the Passion project (Passion ABC Classics 1998). January 22: Two Ducks Swimming (aka 'Twin Beaks') expands the pool of musicians available to the AAO to include people whose particular skills as composers and improvisers bring yet another dimension to its work.
Willy Zygier's career as a composer, arranger and guitarist straddles various types of music: to many he is best know for his work in rock music. His reputation was established with his early experiments in subverting musical genres in the form of Government Drums and Tootieville. More recently he has been the primary collaborator with Deborah Conway on the gold-selling recordings, Bitch Epic, Ultrasound (with Paul Hester) and My Third Husband.
Classically trained, Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent and migrated to Sydney with her family in 1975 where she continued her studies in piano and composition at the Sydney Conservatorium. Her work is regularly performed in Europe as her reputation continues to grow elsewhere. Her commissions include those for Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt), Sydney's Alpha Ensemble, Bang on the Can Allstars (NY) the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. TurnTableTurn, Elena's first commission for the AAO features the brilliant saxophonist and fellow Sydney-sider, Sandy Evans.
Paul Grabowsky comes from the heartland of modern jazz and is a pianist of consummate skill and creativity. Highly regarded as a composer for many artforms, his composition, on this occasion, draws into the ensemble the considerable talents of pianist Stuart Campbell and electronics wizard, Ollie Olsen, in a work which takes its inspiration from the late 17th century French gamba composer Marin Marais.
Guest musicians
- Stuart Campbell (harpsichord & piano)
- Ollie Olsen (electronics)
- Sound Technician: John O'Donnell
Press for Two Ducks Swimming
- "Paul's Big Splash "
- Herald Sun (Xenia Hanusiak)
- "Ensemble Glories in Diverse Sounds"
- The Australian (Jeremy Vincent), Monday 24 January 2000
- "A Mixed Offering"
- The Age (Joel Crotty)
