Mary Finsterer
Mary Finsterer's chamber scores favour ethereal, carefully spun textures. Spherica I sets two violins in a web of glistening harmonics, an otherworldly landscape shaped by ideas of spheres and the astronomical universe; Tract is among her solo cello writing for Australian players.
On disc her music sits at the calm, celestial end of programmes of new Australian work: starry-eyed dreaminess rather than drive, built almost entirely from natural and artificial harmonics and kindred devices. Reviews of Spherica I mark that ethereal close as music that lingers after denser, more abrasive companions. Beyond the chamber pieces recorded here she has written large-scale orchestral scores, film music, and the operas Biographica and Antarctica, and is published by Schott. The same ear for colour and slowly unfolding space runs through the smaller works that define her presence on these recordings.
Compositions by Mary Finsterer appear on
The Metallic Violins
This CD is crammed with world premiere performances and scintillating playing. These two violinists inspired wonderful new works by Australian composers, yielding the first recording of Australian music for two violins, from Hindson’s raunchy title piece to Finsterer’s dreamy Spherica I.
Credit: Liner Notes
Cello Dreaming
Pereira has inspired more new works for his instrument than any other Australian musician. This is his first solo CD of works mostly written for him, and the first of three such discs then planned. His performances are powerful and persuasive.