Flying West: The Recording of music by Ann Carr-Boyd
Flying West: the recording
Studio 301 for recording Flying West. Jo Arnott, Angus Ryan, Janet Agostino, Ann Carr-Boyd, Danielle Grant, Diana Weston
J’oanne Arnott on recorder, Angus Ryan playing cello and harpsichordist Diana Weston perform superbly on Flying West.’ From Loudmouth’s review of Ann Carr-Boyd’s Fandango Returns, 2019
How many of us have a bottom drawer full of manuscripts from 40 years ago? By drawer-full I mean 30+ works of all shapes and sizes from suites to micro-pieces, songs to instrumentals. And in every style you can imagine. That was the state of affairs with Ann Carr-Boyd at the start of the Flying West project 2 years ago. Huge amounts of material that had been written for a specific group The Consort of Sydney, led by the outrageous Robert Goode, had lain dormant since the group disbanded after its decade of touring Australia and Europe. Largely unpublished and unrecorded, the last 2 years has seen the massive undertaking of reversing that situation. All works have been recorded by Thoroughbass and all scores and recordings published by Wirripang. Two new works have been created to mark this achievement – Wisp of Cloud played by Robert Goode himself, and Flying West written for Thoroughbass and after which this project has been named.
Players in the project: Danielle Grant (soprano), Joanne Arnott (recorders), Angus Ryan (cello), Tara Hashambuoy (violin/viola), Rita Woolhouse (cello), Janet Agostino (guitar) and Diana Weston (harpsichord)
MOSMAN ART GALLERY, 5-9 Vista St, Mosman Sunday April 19, 3 pm Afternoon tea follows
WESLEY CENTRE, CANBERRA 22 National Ct, Forrest Saturday May 9, 7.30 pm
BURRADOO, THE ROSE ROOM 51F Sunninghill Ave, Burradoo Sunday May 10, 4pm
Reviews
https://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/thoroughbass-flying-west-at-the-mosman-art-gallery/
https://www.classikon.com/review/thoroughbass-ann-carr-boyd/
http://musictrust.com.au/loudmouth/fandango-returns-music-by-ann-carr-boyd/
Programme Notes by Ann Carr-Boyd
Folksongs 76
I arranged eleven folk songs in the years 1976 and 1978 for the Consort of Sydney. Commissioned by Musica Viva Australia, they were designed to display the many different musical colours and moods of the Consort during their tours for Musica Viva in Australia and Europe. I researched volumes of folk songs and chose those which appealed to me and would suit the Consort. They are from Canada, France, Germany, Greece and Mongolia.
(i) Argizagi Ederra French folksong from Gascogne, arranged from Canteloube’s collection Chants de France
ii) O Dieu d’Amour French folk song to the god of love. From Cantaloube’s Anthology of folk songs from Savoie
(iii) Yees Merrmingas ma Pandicksay Greek folk song with the title ‘I met an ant walking along the road’.
(iv) Otan mou ipen ehe (When she said goodbye to me) Greek folk songArranged from Folk Songs of Greece – Alevizos
(v) Ma ti to theli mana sou (But why does your mother want…)Greek folk song from Folk Songs of Greece – Alevizos
(vi) Kharchin A Mongolian folk song from ‘The Music of the Mongols’ – Haslund Originally for male voice with flute and guitar
Nadir (1973)
Nadir for violin and harpsichord was composed for Mary Nemet, violin and Robert Goode, harpsichord and performed at concerts in Victoria and New South Wales. The title Nadir is used in its astronomical sense. The nadir represents the lowest point reached by a celestial body during its apparent orbit around a given point of observation, the opposite of zenith.
This work was written in a period in which 12-tone and atonal music exerted a strong influence on classical contemporary music. I was interested and eager to explore and experiment with new tone worlds in Nadir. The fact that I was never completely won over to atonality is evident from the present work, which is a mix of tonal and atonal music. Diana Weston describes Nadir in a delightful way, and at the same time explains very accurately how the piece works – I see this piece a bit along the lines of Charles Ives. Two people walking side by side each with their own thoughts and observations but not really holding a conversation, neither subservient – until the last section where they do a slow interrupted waltz in the park together, just because they like each other and are happy to be themselves in each other’s company.
Textures and Variations (1972)
Textures and Variations was composed when I had returned to live in Sydney after studying and living in London for four years. In those years I attended many concerts and festivals, at a time when experimental and atonal music was in its heyday.
I had quickly discovered that I loved lush harmonies far more than atonal music, having employed an atonal style of writing (without much enthusiasm) in the slow movement of my first symphony, composed in 1964. On the other hand, I was keen to try out the new sounds and soundscapes which were to be heard in abundance, hence the title Textures and Variations for this work which explores the world of not-quite-so-tonal music. The score is quirky. The sparkling and crunchy sounds of the harpsichord contrast with the sustaining power of the other instruments to create ever-changing aural and rhythmic patterns.
ITT (1974) Theme and Variations on a popular Transylvanian Air
ITT was composed for Robert Goode as a lighthearted solo harpsichord piece which made reference to a theme used in a popular television series. An interlude and coda were added for a performance in the Sydney Town Hall where Robert played both the harpsichord and organ parts, and the work was introduced by well-known newsreader James Dibble. At the performance Robert made full use of the enormous capabilities of the large Hill & Son organ, much to the entertainment of the Sunday afternoon audience.
The following (authentic) notes were written by me for this performance: The music tells the story of the legendary Transylvanian hero ITT and is written in an ancient Transylvanian mode, in which the letters I T T correspond to the notes G, A and the doubly flattened note C. The music consists of a theme and seven variations, corresponding to the seven stages in our hero’s life.
Catch 75
Catch 75 was commissioned for performance by the chamber music ensemble Catch 75, later re-named The Consort of Sydney. The work was named after the group, with the word ‘catch’ meaning ‘song’. I wished the work to have an Australian flavour, although it does not refer directly to any particular work by an aboriginal or white Australian. Rather, there is a mix of aboriginal and European instruments using techniques from both traditions. I spent much time listening to the large collection of music made by Dr Alice Moyle on her many visits to northern Australia, in order to make myself better acquainted with aboriginal music.
Many of the effects in this piece are improvised. The cello is also the didjeridu of the ensemble and the cellist, to enhance the atmosphere, introduces sul ponticello freely, particularly on long-held notes. In other places where appropriate, the fingers slide over the strings while playing tremolando. The voice and recorder produce a wide vibrato at times to imitate the vibrato of the cello. When the keyboard player and singer are both playing sticks, it is quite characteristic of aboriginal music if the two sets are slightly out of time with each other.
Flying West (2014)
Flying West was commissioned by Diana Weston for Thoroughbass in 2014. It is the title work of the album and consists of eight short movements. I was inspired to write this work after reading a poem by Diana Weston. Diana based the poem on a day in the life of a Flying Doctor, as told to her by one of the doctors who works for the Royal Flying Doctor Service at Broken Hill. From this base the doctors, dentists and their assistants serve a vast area of outback Australia. It is truly an inspiring story.
The music
Composed especially for Thoroughbass, with its eclectic mix of baroque and contemporary instruments, I felt free to write in an equally eclectic assemblage of styles. The centrepiece is the calming Wings from the Sky, a musical reflection of the welcome sight of the Flying Doctor plane when it appears out of the vast sky, its crew arriving to administer comfort and life-saving help. In addition to be called to emergencies, the Flying Doctor plane calls in for regular clinics in outback towns. Many patients have driven or flown a long way to attend these clinics and I have tried to picture the long day, the waiting, the hope, in the section named The Clinic. In Red Earth you may hear a familiar hymn, ‘Onward Christian Soldiers‘, included in honour of the Rev John Flynn, the Presbyterian minister who founded this famous institution on May 15th, 1928, in Cloncurry, Queensland.
John Flynn saw a great need for such a service and it has grown into the largest and most unique service of its kind in the world. The pilots of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, in 2015, operate from 21 bases across Australia and fly the equivalent of 25 round trips to the moon each year.
Flying West is dedicated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service
Folksongs 78
(i) Guten Abend, Gute Nacht This arrangement is of a traditional German folksong. The same tune was arranged by Brahms.
(ii) Im Schonsten Wiesen Runde – German folksong
(iii) Itia Itia – Greek folksong
(iv) Mandinada – Greek folksong
Folksongs 76
(vii) Life in a Prairie Shack
