From The Hungry Waiting Country

FTHWC.jpg

Recording dates: 14 & 15 August 2009 (FTHWC), 27 May 2011 (PT), 1 & 2 October 2014 (GV)
Recorded at Trackdown Scoring Stage by Daniel Brown (FTHWC, PT, GV) and Evan McHugh (GV)
Mastering by Christo Curtis
Produced by Halcyon
Photo © Richard Woldendorp "Forrest River, Kimberley, WA"
Cover design: Elizabeth Duck-Chong

Released by Tall Poppies on 6th August 2018
TP258

Available to buy as CD from Tall Poppies
Available to stream and download from bandcamp

Audio Excerpts

Live performances

Petit Testament (2008) Filmed live in concert on the 19th of November 2011 at The Music Workshop, Sydney Conservatorium. Artists: Alison Morgan soprano, Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo-soprano, Sally Whitwell piano "'Petit Testament, the last of the Ern Malley poems, is intimate and autobiographical in tone, at times veering perilously close to confessing the bogus nature of the author's identity.
From the hungry waiting country Part 1: Wet by Elliott Gyger Recorded live at Halcyon concert 'Extreme Nature' on 7 August 2009 at the Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music Artists: Matthew Coorey conductor, Alison Morgan & Belinda Montgomery sopranos, Jenny Duck-Chong and Jo Burton mezzo-sopranos, Genevieve Lang harp Commissioned by, and performed at, the inaugural Aurora Festival in 2006, this is the first work written by the composer especially for Halcyon.

A tour-de-force of vocal writing and the culmination of more than a decade of collaboration, From the Hungry Waiting Country features three important works by Elliott Gyger written for Halcyon: giving voice for mezzo and ensemble, Petit Testament for two voices and piano and the title track, From the hungry waiting country for four voices and harp. 

TRACK LIST

  • giving voice (2012)
    1. Movements 1-4 2. Movements 5-8

  • Petit Testament (2008)

  • From the hungry waiting country (2006)
    4. Part One: Wet 5. Part Two: Dry

ARTISTS
Roland Peelman conductor, Matthew Coorey conductor, Alison Morgan soprano,  Belinda Montgomery soprano, Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo-soprano, Jo Burton mezzo-soprano, Sally Walker alto flute/piccolo, Alexandre Oguey oboe/cor anglais, Genevieve Lang harp, Sally Whitwell piano, Vladimir Gorbach guitar, Ewan Foster viola, Geoffrey Gartner cello

Reviews

Reviews
From the Hungry Waiting Country - CD

“I would encourage even those disinclined to engage with unfamiliar contemporary work to challenge yourselves with this strikingly lush collection of vocal chamber works by Elliott Gyger, performed masterfully by Halcyon.”

Alex Rainieri, Loudmouth e-zine, May 2019

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From the Hungry Waiting Country

“Singers Jenny Duck-Chong​ and Alison Morgan, aka Halcyon, have been quietly getting on with making tricky and beautiful things for two decades now. For this, their latest CD, they return to the music of Elliot Gyger​, a composer, colleague and co-creator who has been with them throughout their journey. It is a potent combination: Gyger​ juggles words, notes, jokes and observations, meanings and warnings with uncanny skill, creating something at once complex and as clear as still water; Duck-Chong​ and Morgan take his ideas and make them dance with deceptive ease. “

Harriet Cunningham, The Sydney Morning Herald, January 2019

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From the Hungry Waiting Country

“Hardly surprising for the composer of the acclaimed chamber opera version of David Malouf’s Fly Away Peter (2015), this album presents some of the most virtuosic and uplifting vocal music ever created by an Australian composer.”

Vincent Plush, The Australian, December 2018

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From the Hungry Waiting Country

“As a collection of contemporary compositions, it is a testament to the substantial history of collaborative performances by Halcyon and their colleagues. The voices blend beautifully, with a purity of tone and little vibrato, well matched in timbre and style. The vocal writing is adventurous; the complex rhythms with explorations of tonality and harmony are formidable and are ably achieved by the performers who make up an experienced and tightly knit ensemble, exploring 21st century music, its ability to engage and the power of its messages.”

Shamistha de Soysa, Sounds Like Sydney, November 2018

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