Musica Viva: 60th Anniversary, Selected Commissions 1975–2004

This disc marks sixty years of Musica Viva Australia’s work commissioning Australian chamber music. Since 1945 the organisation had helped bring nearly a hundred new works into being, building a distinctive national repertoire. A full list of those commissions is included with the CD.

Australia Ensemble performer
Goldner String Quartet performer
Takács Quartet performer

Peter Sculthorpe composer
Ross Edwards composer
Mark Isaacs composer
Gordon Kerry composer
Carl Vine composer

The programme spans nearly thirty years. Carl Vine’s String Quartet No. 4 receives its world-premiere recording here: the Takács Quartet gave the first performance on their 2004 Musica Viva tour of Australia, and this track was taken from the ABC Classic-FM relay of their Hobart concert.

The remaining works are played by the Australia Ensemble and the Goldner String Quartet. They come from Peter Sculthorpe, Ross Edwards, Gordon Kerry, and jazz pianist–composer Mark Isaacs.

The release was funded by the Australia Council.

Reviews

An anniversary brings expectations of a celebration of past achievements, perhaps a taste of things to come. With this recording marking six decades of often path-breaking concert presentations, we get both. Musica Viva has included works by composers who have something interesting to say, both now and for the next half-century. Through excellent, expressive performances, each composer emerges with a characteristic voice. Peter Sculthorpe’s String Quartet No. 9 is, by turns, yearning, gently rhythmical, passionate and tragic. Ross Edwards (so like Haydn in his unfeigned musical joy) contributes the sextet Laikan that draws inspiration from around the world. In So It Does, Mark Isaacs synthesises jazz and contemporary idioms. Gordon Kerry pays tribute to the late Phillip Henry, a former Musica Viva artistic director, in Sonata de camera, which takes cues from some of chamber music’s greats. Finally, Carl Vine, Musica Viva’s current AD, offers a quartet (No. 4) that refuses easy answers. This recording also acknowledges the financial contributions of the commissioners, both Musica Viva and individuals, without which we might otherwise only hear the sounds of silence.

— Stephen Schafer, Soundscapes

Artists

Peter Sculthorpe

Peter Sculthorpe (1929–2014) was a Tasmanian-born composer whose orchestral and chamber music drew the Australian landscape, neighbouring Asian traditions and Indigenous materials into a clear, personal language. He wrote extensively for strings, piano and voice.

Ross Edwards

One of Australia's best known and most performed composers, Ross Edwards lives and works in Sydney. His commitment to music as a positive and regenerative force has led him to explore beyond the confines of Western art music.

Mark Isaacs

Mark Isaacs writes chamber music that lets jazz breathe inside contemporary classical form. So It Does moves from sprightly rhythm to slow expressiveness and back; his Cantilena and solo bass-koto Chinkon keep that same lyrical, open ear.

Gordon Kerry

Gordon Kerry's music ranges from the symphonic through chamber music to choral music and opera. Australian orchestras, chamber ensembles, festivals and soloists commission him regularly, as do ensembles in the USA and Europe.

Carl Vine

Carl Vine AO is one of Australia's best-known and most often performed composers, with an orchestral catalogue of eight symphonies and thirteen concertos. His piano music is played widely around the world, and recordings of his work appear on more than seventy albums across the major streaming services.

Tracks

String Quartet No. 9 Peter Sculthorpe 13:08

Laikan Ross Edwards

i. 1:52
ii. 3:16
iii. 2:27
iv. 3:19
v. 2:42

So It Does Mark Isaacs

i. Sprightly and rhythmic 4:24
ii. Very slowly and expressively 4:33
iii. Fast and very rhythmic 4:13
Sonata da camera Gordon Kerry 16:58
String Quartet No. 4 (live concert recording) Carl Vine 16:49

Performers

Australia Ensemble · tracks 2–10
Goldner String Quartet · track 1
Takács Quartet · track 11

Contributors

Cover Design

Belinda Daw

Liner Notes

Tim Matthies

Where to listen

Musica Viva: 60th Anniversary, Selected Commissions 1975–2004 is available for streaming through Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.

Musica Viva: 60th Anniversary, Selected Commissions 1975–2004 is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.