Elena Kats-Chernin, photo by John Feder - source
Some time already passed from those upside-down posts. Well, more than a month from the first one, and later the upside thing wanted to go back to normal state with a bit of humour (from the other side of the world).
In that second post, my initial idea was to bring classical music and composers from Australia, New Zealand or Tasmania. Classical music from the last century, so it would not be that old and so serious music. Even the Spanish National Classical Radio station served me some additional information while I was heading to work one Friday afternoon about a certain Elena Kats-Chernin and an interesting story about her and her childhood. Also, another composer was mentioned, Peter Sculthorpe. I noted down their names and later, in the evening found the compositions that were the choice of the broadcaster and listened to them once again.
The broadcaster lady announced and presented a story about Elena Kats-Chernin. It seemed to me as a strange name for an Australian composer, so it turned out that she was born in one of the states of the former Soviet Union, but moved to Australia to finish her studies. What I learned about her that afternoon is that she used to express herself through music even before she started to talk. She was two years old, but she played the pieces that her older brother was learning. I am wondering how it is even possible. So amazing to imagine that she was spending hours improvising on the piano without concern for time or goal. With that, I can somehow relate, as children like to improvise. They are the best and most creative artists. The same case was with Elena as improvisation became her favourite pastime. Her first composition was a lullaby. But what I heard on the radio station was Calliope dreaming:
video source YouTube
It is not easy to have a huge success for a classical composer nowadays. Modern classical music is often difficult to listen to, however, this piece is so uplifting and accessible. Do you agree? Well, if you would like to listen to her other pieces, she can be found on Spotify too. I really enjoyed the melancholic atmosphere of the piece Lullaby for Nick and the very fast passages of the composition Butterflying.
The next composer that was brought to me in that short travelling time to work (I stayed a bit more to listen to the radio even it meant being a few minutes late to the lessons) was Peter Sculthorpe. Ok, his name was noted down while these sounds were approaching me.
This composer was born in Tasmania in 1929, and because of his father, who told him stories about discrimination that were committed in their country, he became interested in Aboriginal culture. In those times, it was something extraordinary to recognize. He started writing musical themes when he was 7 years old and at 13 he decided that his profession was going to be that of a composer. Melbourne was the place where he went to study, and later Oxford. Throughout his life as a composer, he wrote two operas, chamber music, music for solo piano, film soundtracks, but the reason why he went down in history has to do with the unusual fusion that he made between the occidental musical tradition and the oceanic folklore. Listening to this first movement from the work Island Songs, I was indeed transported there, to the upside-down world. So remote and exotic sounds that this saxophone (or is it clarinet?) and string orchestra offers. The work consists of two movements: Song of Home and Lament and Longing, and it is based on three melodies from the far north of Australia. We are listening here to the first movement:
video source YouTube
A dark feeling at the beginning of the composition, showing me some wide space. Ocean. When the saxophone enters it changes the mood, like witnessing the sunrise and awaking of the birds, but not for a long time. The melancholic reality hits back with a recitative tune that the soloist plays. Wow, the cello part is beautiful and the random percussion sounds are exciting. We can enjoy again a more optimistic sound (listen to those glissando passages in the violin section) but the wide and eerie feeling is back at the end of the movement. Well, these are my observation, maybe you have a different perception. If yes, please, let us know in the comment section.
How nice was for me to travel a bit to those remote countries (ok, it is relative, depending on where do you live read this post). I didn't need so many hours of flying to arrive there, it was solved by clicking on those play buttons on the videos. You can do the same if you want, so have a pleasant journey!
