Sunken Dreams August 7, 2012

Australia’s leading vocal ensemble the Song Company, is delighted to deliver an aquatic revelation for your senses, when they present Sunken Dreams, two very unique and contrasting performances that fuse contemporary and classical music influences into one sensational concert.
Audiences will be invigorated by the power of the Pacific through the contemporary arrangements of New Zealand’s Jack Body and Australia’s own Peter Sculthorpe, featuring genuine water percussion, including the rare waterphone and submerged gongs. Jack Body's beautifully balanced sequence of lullabies and dreams breathes the wind of the Pacific and was specially conceived for the Song Company.

The Song Company’s Artistic Director Roland Peelman explains, “The two halves of the concert represent opposite views on the same phenomenon: the sea and water, as an elemental force in nature and in ourselves. The sound of water or being submerged is possibly the first and deepest sound in our subconsciousness and the sound of water reaches into the deeper levels of our humanity. It can often bring calm, peace, reassurance, but also dreams and fantasy. “

To close, the focus will shift to the northern hemisphere as the French impressionist era is highlighted through the work of the incomparable Claude Debussy. Monet’s paintings of waterlilies are as iconic as Debussy’s delicately traced musical miniatures. In Sunken Dreams we delve into the heart of European impressionism using six voices and the gorgeous liquid sounds of the vibraphone.

The Song Company is especially thrilled to announce their special guest for Sunken Dreams, internationally renowned percussionist Claire Edwardes, who will create the sensual, watery soundscape.

Peelman is delighted to have this exceptional artist involved in the work. “Claire and I have worked together a lot outside Song Company, but this is a chance to bring her into the group and also into the creative process of putting the ideas together for Sunken Dreams. Working together with Claire also gives us a chance of delving into different repertoire and exploring some musical corners we could not otherwise. We continuously seek to broaden our horizons and work with fantastic people who can bring something to us. Claire brings extraordinary energy but also a charm and sensitivity we do not always recognise in the world of percussion.”

“There will be quite a few 'swoon' moments, some funny exchanges and a seamless flow of beautiful delicate music, percussion at its sexiest!” Peelman is excited about how audiences will respond to this concert and hints at what they can expect. “I also hope that the concert has something meaningful to say about a great composer like Debussy and the way his melodies and harmonies can transcend the piano on which they were originally written.”

Australia’s leading vocal ensemble, the Song Company is committed to performing fresh and exciting interpretations of music works from all ages and stages of musical history.

SUNKEN DREAMS Program
Peter Sculthorpe (b.1929) Maranoa Lullaby
Jack Body (b.1944) Lullabies, Dreams and a Nightmare
Claude Debussy (1862 — 1918) Selection of Preludes and Songs including Claire de Lune, Golliwog’s Cakewalk, La Cathédrale engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral) and others.
Duration: 105 minutes with interval.

The Song Company Ensemble comprises:
Anna Fraser (soprano) | Clive Birch (bass) | Mark Donnelly (baritone)
Richard Black (tenor) | Susannah Lawergren (soprano) | Lanneke Jones (mezzo)

Official Website: http://www.melbournerecital.com.au/whatson/buytix?perfid=3217