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Sheet Music: ScorePort Kembla : for orchestra / John Peterson.by John Peterson (1998)
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Product details
This piece was written as my personal homage to my hometown of
Port Kembla, New South Wales and is a musical expression of my
own mixed feelings, both past and present, about this place. In
the 1960s and 1970's, Port Kembla, mainly because of the
steelworks that is situated there, was justifiably notorious as a
dirty, polluted and ugly place to live. Imbued with an almost
savage beauty, the vast conglomeration of rust-red coloured
buildings, blast furnaces, coking ovens and chimney stacks which
made up the steelworks was something completely at odds with the
surrounding environment, the Illawarra coastline having the
reputation as being one of the most beautiful in Australia. It is
my memory of this enormous industrial blight on an otherwise
scenic landscape that is described in the first section of this
piece. The music is dark and sombre and unfolds in a very
ritualistic manner representing not only the physical appearance
of the steelworks but also, perhaps, the shift-work ethic
(24-hour production) and the oppressive working conditions which
had an enormous impact on the many thousands of people who worked
there.
In 1998, the steelworks at Port Kembla is a vastly different
place. Increased use of automation and the installation of more
efficient processes have made it much cleaner and more
environmentally-friendly; it is still dominates the landscape but
its influence over the surrounding areas is, in many ways, much
less intrusive. There is still a sense of energy and power about
this place but, to me, it has been tempered somewhat by the
reduction in human involvement in the steel-making process.
Thirty years ago, masses of people worked there, providing a
human link between the industrial titan and the sprawling suburbs
that surround it. Today, the steel mills are eerily silent with
very little visible outside activity. Production continues, but
fewer people are needed to control the manufacturing processes
that now occur, for the most part, out of sight.
In the second half of this piece I have attempted to capture the
spirit of industrial energy which was once pervasive there but
which now exists, I believe, only as a memory for those who
remember a time when people were proud of Port Kembla's
achievements. Musically, the final moments of this piece are also
tinged with a sense of regret reflecting my feelings about
whether this place has indeed changed for the better.
Port Kembla is dedicated to the memory of my father.
Published by: Australian Music Centre — 1 facsimile score (75p. -- A4 (portrait))
Difficulty: Advanced
Duration: 11 mins
First performance by Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, David Porcelijn — 13 Nov 98. Australian Composers Orchestral Forum, Odeon Theatre, Hobart
Includes programme note.
Typeset edition.
Related products
This work is also available in the following products:
CD: Australian Composers' Orchestral Forum, 1998.
Parts: Port Kembla : for orchestra / John Peterson.
- Browse other works for Full orchestra
- Browse other works by John Peterson
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