Projects
WEST AUSTRALIAN LANDSCAPES
Much of our Australian guitar repertoire is focused around landscapes, yet almost all of the existing works are inspired by locations in the Eastern States of Australia. West Australian Landscapes was a commissioning project which sought to rectify the underrepresentation of Western Australian culture and landscape in the Australian guitar music canon. Supported by a grant from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, three new works for classical guitar quartet were commissioned, each inspired by some aspect of the Western Australian landscape.
Perth Guitar Quartet premiered these new works in a sold-out CD-launch concert at the Perth International Classical Guitar Festival on 28 July 2023 alongside Duncan Gardiner's Stone, Shell, Bone and Feather, inspired by the East Perth Cemeteries (and originally premiered by PGQ in 2016). The concert was hailed as “a stunning performance” which “…will no doubt put Perth on the radars of concert goers from all over the globe.” (rtrfm.com.au)
The works were recorded and commercially released on 31 July 2023, and are now available on all major music platforms. The album presents the world premiere recording of four new site-specific works each inspired by WA, thereby “righting an astonishing wrong [in the Australian guitar repertoire] with the release of new album West Australian Landscapes.” (The West Australian)
The album booklet and program notes can be viewed here. You can stream the album from our Audio page, or find it on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, and other major streaming services.
Read the review of the album launch concert on rtrfm.com.au.
SOUND FROM THE GROUND
Sound from the Ground was an immersive concert experience at the historic East Perth Cemeteries, one of WA’s most important heritage sites representing the lives of 10,000 early settlers. Previously examined by few other than genealogical researchers, Sound from the Ground developed a musical narrative to tell their stories.
The result of a year-long residency at the National Trust of Western Australia, the project included the commission and world premiere performance of an eight movement, twenty minute work entitled Stone, Shell, Bone and Feather, as well as seven new musical arrangements. Compositions by early WA settlers were re-discovered, arranged and performed again for first time in over 150 years. Sound from the Ground represents an innovative approach to heritage interpretation in its use of music performance and accompanying program notes as a primary method of communication.
Performed by the Perth Guitar Quartet, Sound from the Ground culminated in two sold-out concerts at the East Perth Cemeteries on 29-30, April 2016. The project won the 2017 Museums and Galleries National Award (MAGNA) for Interpretation, Learning & Audience Engagement, and was a finalist for the 2017 WA State Heritage Award (Interpretation). MANGA judges hailed SftG as “A complex and multi-layered project which unearths much early WA colonial history through the gravesites. The innovation displayed by the musicians in undertaking research, composing music, threading old musical scores and then producing a quality performance night shows a commitment to excellence and innovation.”