Waves IV

Produced by Halcyon
Recorded at Trackdown Scoring Stage 6 & 8 March, 10 & 12 April, 17 & 18 May 2017
Engineering and editing: Evan McHugh
Editing, mixing and mastering: Daniel Brown
Photo: Linden Gledhill
Graphic design: Liz Duck-Chong

Digital release by Halcyon on 1 June 2019
CD release by Halcyon on 31 August 2019

Available on bandcamp here
Available on streaming services
Also available in CD format from the Australian Music Centre
Available for streaming here

Download the CD booklet, including the full texts here.

Audio Excerpts

Video

Waves IV, the latest in Halcyon’s ongoing series of self-released EPs, features significant contemporary works for voice by three distinctive Australian composers: Larry Sitsky, Ross Edwards and Matthew Hindson.  Though different in style and timbre, they share a common theme - humans drawn to contemplation by nature.

WORKS

• Matthew Hindson Insect Songs (1998)

• Larry Sitksy A Feast of Lanterns II: Seven songs from Chinese poetry (2015)

• Ross Edwards Five Senses: Five poems of Judith Wright (2012)

ARTISTS
Hindson: Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo-soprano,  Vladimir Gorbach guitar

Sitsky: Luke Spicer conductor, Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo-soprano, Vivien Jeffery violin/viola, Geoffrey Gartner cello, Clemens Leske piano, William Jackson percussion

Edwards: Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo-soprano, Bernadette Harvey piano, Joshua Hill percussion

This recording project was supported by Creative Partnerships Australia MATCH funding program.

From The Hungry Waiting Country

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 byTall Poppies on 6th August 2018
TP258

Available to buy from Tall Poppies or the Halcyon store

Audio Excerpts

Live performances

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

This Moment Must Be Sung

Recorded at Trackdown December 2013-February 2016
Engineer: Daniel Brown
Produced by Halcyon
Mastered by Utopia Audio
Cover photo: Linden Gledhill
Cover graphic: Liz Duck-Chong

Released by Tall Poppies on 1 May 2018
TP250

Available to buy from Tall Poppies or the Halcyon store.

Audio Samples

Halcyon’s new CD This Moment Must Be Sung showcases recent vocal works by Andrew Schultz and features three substantial song cycles: To the Evening Star (winner of the 2009 Paul Lowin Song Cycle prize) for soprano and piano, I am writing in this book for soprano, mezzo-soprano, cello, double bass, percussion, harp and piano and Paradise for soprano, cello and piano (runner-up in the 2016 Lowin prize) alongside three shorter works: Lake Moonrise for mezzo-soprano, bass clarinet, cello and percussion (from Halcyon’s Kingfisher project), I am Black for soprano and piano and Dark Chair for soprano, mezzo-soprano, clarinet, double bass and percussion.  You can read program notes for the pieces here and reviews of some of the works here

In Schultz’s own words: “Throughout my career I have returned time and again to vocal music. My interest is in both the words and the music and the ways in which they can complement each other and thereby enlarge the meaning and communication of each alone. So it is not surprising that I have been drawn to rich texts, old and new, and also sought to adapt and create texts that enable me the freedom to express my own personal experience. This disc presents a cross-section of my vocal music in the expert hands of Halcyon.”

TRACK LIST

• I am writing in this book op. 88
  1. A gift of paper 2. Secret meetings 3. Language of women 4. I see the word 'storm' 5. It is getting dark

• Lake moonrise op. 94

• Paradise op. 95
  7. Suspended earth 8. Safety glass 9. Child, who are you? 10. Jigsaw 11. Almost flight

• I am black op. 63a

• To the Evening Star
  13. Lake Isle of Innisfree 14. Pied Beauty 15. Mezzo Cammin 16. Money, O! 17. To the evening star

• Dark Chair op. 47c

ARTISTS
Luke Spicer conductor, Alison Morgan soprano,  Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo-soprano, Jason Noble clarinet, Geoffrey Gartner cello, Anna Martin-Scrase cello, Jennifer Druery double bass, Kirsty McCahon double bass, William Jackson percussion, Rowan Phemister harp, Chris Cartner piano, Sally Whitwell piano

War Letters

Recorded on 14 and 15 November 2015 at the Performance Space, Western Sydney University. 
Engineered  and mastered by Michael Macken.
Produced by Diana Blom and Jenny Duck-Chong
Cover design: Liz Duck-Chong

CD available for sale by Halcyon here
CD also available through Wirrpang

Listen to samples from the full CD at Wirrpang here

Read the full notes and texts from the concert program here

Released by Wirripang on 9 December 2016

The project of concerts and CD recording was made possible through the ANZAC Centenary Local Grants Program.

War Letters, released by Wirripang (Wirr 074), features four newly commissioned works by four generations of Australian composers - Larry Sitksy, Diana Blom, Elliott Gyger and Nicole Murphy.  Drawing their texts from the writings of ordinary ANZACs serving in WWI, the thoughts, reflections and feelings expressed in these personal letters are as fresh today as they were 100 years ago.

The War Letters project was instigated by composer Diana Blom, who, inspired by the writings of her own great uncle Frank Robinson, wanted to tell personal stories of every day men and women in wartime.

TRACK LIST

• Elliott Gyger Un poilu australien (2015)

• Nicole Murphy Dearest Mother ...' (2015)

• Larry Sitsky Letter from the Trenches (2015)

• Diana Blom Triptych (war letters) (2015)

ARTISTS
Alison Morgan soprano, Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo-soprano, Clive Birch bass, James Wannan viola, Jo Allan piano and Kaylie Dunstan percussion with Geoffrey Gartner conductor (Gyger)

Kingfisher

Recorded at Trackdown Scoring Stage, Sydney in May-July 2014.  Engineered and mixed by Daniel Brown. 
Mastered by Christo Curtis, Utopia Audio.
Cover photograph: Lorenzo Cortelletti
Cover design: Liz Duck-Chong

Available as a CD from Halcyon
Also available as a CD from Tall Poppies and the Australian Music Centre and as mp3s from itunes

Released by Tall Poppies 15 November 2015

Listen to the full playlist here
Read more about the Kingfisher project here

Hear more about the pieces on our Kingfisher composers interview playlist:

Kingfisher: Songs for Halcyon (TP263), released through Tall Poppies, features 21 new commissions written in celebration of Halcyon's 15th birthday.  An outstanding collection which showcases the richness of Australian contemporary writing for voice and chamber ensemble.

TRACK LIST

• Andrew Ford: To My Excellent Lucasia, on our Friendship [2:42]

• Stuart Greenbaum: Opalescence [4:00]

• Paul Stanhope: My Love in Her Attire [1:38]

• Elliott Gyger: The Pleiades at Midnight [4:27]

• Stephen Adams: Sometimes snow fell, sometimes darkness... [3:43]

• Jane Stanley: Round the Bay [3:31]

• Graham Hair: All About Anna [4:06]

• Rosalind Page: Aquila’s wing [2:49]

• Nicholas Vines: A King’s Manifesto [6:01]

• Katy Abbott: Follow Me Through the Shadow [2:57]

• Dan Walker: The Mystic Blue [3:40]

• Ross Edwards: The Tranquil Mind [3:16]

• Kevin March: Sea-blue Bird [4:07]

• Sharon Calcraft: Verathmende, Schillernde, Blitzende... [3:09]

• Andrew Schultz: Lake Moonrise, Op. 94 [3:56]

• Gordon Kerry: Music (La Musique) [2:59]

• Raffaele Marcellino: Turbulent Passions Calm [3:43]

• John Peterson: See, the Prismatic Colors Glisten [4:47]

• Nigel Butterley: Nature Changes at the Speed of Life [2:41]

• Moya Henderson: I Lost a World the Other Day [3:38]

• Gillian Whitehead: All One Water [4:24]

ARTISTS

Alison Morgan soprano, Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo soprano, Laura Chislett Jones piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute  Jason Noble clarinet, bass clarinet, Geoffrey Gartner cello, Willam Jackson & Joshua Hill percussion
 

“This CD is the result of a daring project to commission 21 composers to write new works for Halcyon’s two singers, Jenny Duck-Chong and Alison Morgan. Presented over 2 concerts in their 15th anniversary year, and then recorded at Trackdown, the works are now available to all. The music, commissioned from some of Australia’s finest composers (all of whom have had involvement with Halcyon), is varied and intriguing and functions as a snapshot of recent Australian composition.
The performances are electric. What more could one want? Oh yes, all the recordings are world premieres!”

— Tall Poppies

The Domestic Sublime

Available as a CD from Katy Abbott and the Australian Music Centre, or digitally on iTunes

Released by Leeward Side Records 2013

The Domestic Sublime - The Vocal Music of Katy Abbott (LS 1302)

Halcyon performs No Ordinary Traveller (2006) - song cycle for mezzo, clarinet, percussion and piano. Note: the full song cycle features on Sunburnt Aftertones.

CD also features performances by Greta Bradman, Leigh Harrold, and the Song Company.

Artists: Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo soprano, Diana Springford clarinet, Daryl Pratt percussion, Jo Allan piano

Sunburnt Aftertones

Recorded at The Simon Leadley Scoring Stage, Trackdown Studios, Sydney by Daniel Brown, 2010.  Produced by Haig Burnell.  Edited by Haig Burnell and Tom Grubb.

Available as CD from Halcyon 
Also available as a CD from Katy Abbott and the Australian Music Centre

Released by Move Records 2010

Sunburnt Aftertones - The Chamber Music of Katy Abbott Move Records (MCD441)

Halcyon performs No Ordinary Traveller (2006) - song cycle for mezzo, clarinet, percussion and piano.

CD also features performances by Caerwen Martin, Syzygy Ensemble, Mark Gaydon, Barry Cockcroft, Jessica Voigt and Joseph Lallo.

Artists: Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo soprano, Diana Springfordclarinet, Daryl Pratt percussion, Jo Allan piano

Audio Excerpts:

Cool Black

Cool Black, Chamber Works of Rosalind Page
Move Records MCD396

Recorded and engineered at Trackdown Digital by Daniel Brown, Sept 2007-February 2008. 
Edited and mixed by Daniel Brown, Rosalind Page and Halcyon.  Mastered by Kathy Naunton, dB Mastering.
Produced by Halcyon and AVT.

Available as CD from Halcyon, the Australian Music Centre and Buywell and mp3 from the Australian Music Centre and itunes

Released by Rosalind Page and Halcyon 2008

Audio Excerpts:

Inspired by the work of writers Apolilnaire, Lorca and Hardarson, Cool Black features three contrasting chamber song cycles from the visionary mind of composer Rosalind Page, performed by Halcyon.

Originally presented in performance by the acclaimed Australian ensemble, the works now come together on Halcyon’s first studio album, highlighting a mastery of poetic language, composition and performance.

Conceived and written across three years, Apollinairesongs (performed in 2002), Sonetos de amor oscuro (premiered in 2004 and winner of the 2006 Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize), and Hrafnsöngvar (2005) evoke the changing colours of the language and landscape in poems by Guillaume Apolilnaire (France), Federico Garcia Lorca (Spain) and Hrafn Andrés Hardarson (Iceland).

As the release celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2018, it’s clear both the works and the performances have stood the test of time. Delicate, evocative, and haunting, in Cool Black Halcyon and Page have together found an intimacy that feels like no less than an encounter.

TRACK LIST

• apollinairesongs

• Hrafnsöngvar

• Sonetos del amor oscuro (winner of the Paul Lowin Award 2006)

Artists: Jenny Duck-Chong mezzo soprano ,  Alison Morgan soprano ,  Mark Shiell conductor ,  Roland Peelman conductor,  Laura Chislett Jones flutes ,  Diana Springford clarinet, Nicole Forsyth viola ,  Clemens Leske piano ,  Patrick Murphy cello , Genevieve Lang harp ,  Ben van Tienen celeste ,  Tommie Andersson lute, baroque guitar, theorbo ,  Daryl Pratt percussion ,  Claire Edwardes percussion ,  Kirsty McCahon double bass ,   Rosalind Page balinese gong, soundtrack