Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

During the lock-down, we went most mornings to the beach to walk and swim in the ocean. There I would sit and meditate, occasionally seeing the waves - moving, yet within the constant flux of being, utterly still. This became the driving energy of The Stillness of Waves.

Work Details

Year: 2020

Instrumentation: Flute, piano.

Duration: 15 min.

Difficulty: Advanced — Long lines, tricky scalic passages, and the inevitable birdy-tweety passages!

Commission note: Composed for my partner, Carla Thackrah "Dedicated to my toots!"

The composer notes the following styles, genres, influences, etc in relation to this work:

The composition came from my work over the last couple of years rehearsing the French repertoire for flute and piano; including works by Albert Roussel, Poulenc and Milhauld and Enesco. Playing works by these composers completed a process begun in my early days as a student. I was fortunate, (even more so now in retrospect) to have studied piano with Gordon Watson at the sydney Conservatorium of Music, who introduced me to the works of Roussel, Chabrier, Poulenc and Milhaud, as well as Liszt. While studying in Paris Gordon had friendships with some of these composers, and with Milhaud in particular, a working relationship. I feel I have been influenced by all of them in some aspects of my writing of this work. And so, the circle has closed.