Andrew Schultz: Chamber Music

Andrew Schultz is a younger Australian composer. This first disc devoted to his music gathers chamber works from the rollicking solo piano Sea-Change to the dramatic ensemble piece Mephisto and the poignant song cycle Dead Songs.

Perihelion ensemble
Gwyn Roberts conductor
Nigel Sabin clarinet
Jenni Fleming piano
Margaret Schindler soprano
Patricia Pollett viola
Sonia Croucher flute
Karen Schaupp guitar
Michele Walsh violin

Andrew Schultz composer

Dead Songs sets fragments of epitaphs the composer noted in seaside cemeteries at Wombarra, Bulli, South Head and Waverley.

The programme also includes the solo piano work Sea-Change, the chamber piece Stick Dance II, and the multi-movement Mephisto for mixed ensemble.

Reviews

Andrew Schultz is among the most accomplished of younger Australian composers.… Dead Songs is a splendid song cycle set to fragments of epithets on gravestones that the composer has noted in seaside cemeteries at Wombarra, Bulli, South Head and Waverley. Schultz manages to accommodate in his settings some examples of simple, impressive words and one or two touching pieces of bathos.… The performances are strong and vital. The music is remarkable.

— Roger Covell, Sydney Morning Herald

Andrew Schultz is indeed a very talented composer. His music is full of vitality, and there is a welcome freshness in his use of contemporary compositional devices.

— CASS Journal

Artists

Perihelion

Perihelion's rare lineup of clarinet, viola, piano and cello made the Brisbane chamber group a commissioning engine for Australian composers. Their recordings catch scores written for that mix at full colour and bite.

Andrew Schultz

Andrew Schultz, a graduate of the Universities of Queensland and London, has received numerous awards and commissions for chamber, orchestral and vocal works, and is Emeritus Professor of Music at UNSW Sydney.

Tracks

Dead Songs Andrew Schultz

i. Buried at Sea 3:08
ii. His Dust 4:10
iii. And Underneath Are the Everlasting Arms 1:51
iv. Ahead of His Time. Little Jackie, Killed by a Taxi Cab 3:11
v. Dead Devils (Open Book with Graffiti) 2:52
vi. The Tahiti–Greycliffe Disaster, Sydney Harbour 2:50
vii. Peace Perfect Peace 4:58
viii. Unreconstructed Sentiment (Crumbled Deploration) 6:35
ix. Agnus Dei 3:25
Sea Change Andrew Schultz 15:36
Stick Dance II Andrew Schultz 7:04

Mephisto Andrew Schultz

i. Dead Song 2:21
ii. Wave Music and Strange Hymn 5:03
iii. Interlude 1:50
iv. Nightflight – v. Trans 12:26

Performers

Perihelion · ensemble · all except track 10
Gwyn Roberts · conductor · tracks 1–9, 12–15
Nigel Sabin · clarinet · all except track 10
Jenni Fleming · piano · tracks 1–11
Margaret Schindler · soprano · tracks 1–9
Patricia Pollett · viola · track 11
Sonia Croucher · flute · tracks 12–15
Karen Schaupp · guitar · tracks 12–15
Michele Walsh · violin · tracks 12–15

Where to listen

Andrew Schultz: Chamber Music is available for streaming through Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.

Andrew Schultz: Chamber Music is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.

Product details

Catalogue number: TP065
Total playing time: 77 minutes 20 seconds
Release date: 18 Aug 1995
Label: Tall Poppies
Sound recording copyright: ℗ 1995 Tall Poppies Records
Category: Australian Classics
Genres: Contemporary Classical, Vocal & Opera
Barcode: EAN 9399000006527

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