Music of the Commonwealth
HD Duo - Michael Duke and David Howie
Music of the Commonwealth |
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The Commonwealth consists of fifty-four countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. With 2.4 billion people in the Commonwealth, what is it that ties so many together as members of this association? In 2018 through a generous grant from the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, HD Duo embarked on an ambitious
The Commonwealth consists of fifty-four countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. With 2.4 billion people in the Commonwealth, what is it that ties so many together as members of this association? In 2018 through a generous grant from the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, HD Duo embarked on an ambitious cross-cultural project that focused upon composers of the Commonwealth. The ultimate aim of this venture is to commission, perform and record one composition from each of the countries represented. This initial project focuses on the collaboration with six premiere composers from six different Commonwealth countries. Each composer was commissioned to contribute a chamber work for saxophone and piano that was then workshopped, premiered, toured and recorded for this CD. The principal aims of this project are to enhance and strengthen links between countries of the Commonwealth, greatly increasing cultural awareness and understanding. Through the music on this recording listeners are invited to immerse in the incredible diversity of culture, enjoying points of common experience as focussed through the lens of chamber music.
‘Six Preludes’ for alto saxophone and piano by Stephen Chatman (Canada)
- Moonlight
- Labyrinth
- Crimson
- Joy
- Silence
- Frenzy
‘The Man in the Wind and the West Moon’ for alto saxophone and piano by Stephen McNeff (United Kingdom)
‘Boiling Clouds’ for soprano saxophone and piano by Ruben Zahra (Malta)
‘Nostos’ for alto/soprano saxophone and piano by Aris Antoniades (Cyprus)
- A Morning in the Village
- Grandmother Maroulla’s Stories
- Ritual Dance (“Leventikos”)
‘Hammerblow’ for alto saxophone and piano by Brenton Broadstock (Australia)
‘Airs of Lanka’ for tenor saxophone and piano by Pradeep Ratnayake (Sri Lanka)