Dorian Le Gallienne
Dorian Le Gallienne's piano miniatures balance reflective lyricism with bush-born energy, while his Shakespeare songs sit in the lyrical-pastoral English tradition. The music is carefully made, with clear melodic construction.
The Nocturne is quiet and inward; Jinker Ride takes its jolting pulse from the two-wheeled cart once common in the Australian bush. Three Shakespeare Settings for voice and piano share that early twentieth-century lyrical mode of nature and feeling. Beyond the short forms, his Sinfonietta and Symphony show affinities with Shostakovich, Hindemith, Prokofiev and Vaughan Williams, and the song-cycle Four Holy Sonnets of John Donne stands among his most substantial vocal works. He also wrote scores for film.
Compositions by Dorian Le Gallienne appear on
Recital: Australian Art Song
Merlyn Quaife (soprano) and Michael Kieran Harvey (piano) present a recital of Australian art song spanning the twentieth century, from Percy Grainger and Fritz Hart to Keith Humble and David Horowicz.
Retrospect: Pre-War Australian Miniatures
Larry Sitsky is known throughout Australia as a composer. He is also one of the finest pianists, and he has a healthy respect for the work of his fellow Australians. Here he plays pre-war miniatures with evident affection.