Peter Sculthorpe (1929 - 2014)

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sorry, no closer than before,... The Ventures got in the way!! My buying days have done vacay!!

Damn, well maybe you could make some sidesteps (or missteps however you view them) in the direction of Sculthorpe at some juncture. He is the finest composer to come from Australia and has one of the most distinctive voices in 20th/21st Century music.

[vandermolen]

Apologies if this has been mentioned already (possibly by me )as I don't have time to track back through all the messages. Just a plug for Sculthorpe's 'Memento Mori' (on a Naxos CD). A wonderfully haunting, atmospheric work based on the Dies irate theme. Rather in the spirit of Arvo Part's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten.

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Apologies if this has been mentioned already (possibly by me )as I don't have time to track back through all the messages. Just a plug for Sculthorpe's 'Memento Mori' (on a Naxos CD). A wonderfully haunting, atmospheric work based on the Dies irate theme. Rather in the spirit of Arvo Part's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten.

Yes, Jeffrey. A fine work indeed. There's another performance on an ABC Classics recording with Stuart Challender conducting the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. This recording also contains scorching performances of Earth Cry, Kakadu, and Mangrove.

What are some of your other favorite Sculthorpe works, Jeffrey?

[vandermolen]

I only have the Naxos CD John, of which Memento Mori is my favourite work. Having said that I think that I may have a CD with Sculthorpe's Requiem.

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It's sad to see this thread fade into GMG oblivion. For me, Sculthorpe is a true master and knows how to effectively weave the colors and flavors of his his homeland, which in this case would actually be Tasmania, into an exotic sonic landscape. I can't recall any composer, from Australia, who has achieved the kind of status Sculthorpe has had in the last 30-40 years. I do hope he is continuing to compose and that ABC Classics continues their Sculthorpe series.

I would like Kyle to chime in here, because I know he has a few of these ABC recordings in his collection at least.

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Cross-posted from the 'Purchases' thread -

Just bought some Sculthorpe I was lacking:

I'm really looking forward to hearing these. Does anyone here know these recordings? Would be interested in some feedback. I read some reviews from MusicWeb, but would like to hear what GMGers think.

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I only have the Naxos CD John, of which Memento Mori is my favourite work. Having said that I think that I may have a CD with Sculthorpe's Requiem.

The Requiem recording has a second disc of course of several other orchestral works. Several of these works such as My Country Childhood, Great Sandy Island, New Morcia, and an arrangement of Quamby for chamber orchestra receive world premiere recordings. Definitely check these out if you haven't already, Jeffrey.

[The new erato]

Cross-posted from the 'Purchases' thread -

I'm really looking forward to hearing these. Does anyone here know these recordings?

I have the quartet discs. Typical Sculthorpe. Athmospheric and evocative. Fine discs.

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I have the quartet discs. Typical Sculthorpe. Athmospheric and evocative. Fine discs.

Excellent!

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Here's a beautiful arrangement of Night Pieces for solo harp for those interested:

http://www.youtube.com/v/0BNs9q9ff7I

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I just found this fantastic brochure from Faber Music and it lists all of Sculthorpe's music. Very useful for anyone here interested in getting to know the composer's oeuvre:

http://www.fabermusic.com/resources/pdfs/19-brochure.pdf

[calyptorhynchus]

Australian media are just reporting the death of Peter Sculthorpe.

A great composer, and a great Australian.

Let's hope more of his music is performed and recorded now, which would be the best tribute.

[The new erato]

Australian media are just reporting the death of Peter Sculthorpe.

A great composer, and a great Australian.

Let's hope more of his music is performed and recorded now, which would be the best tribute.

Indeed. R I P.

[vandermolen]

Very sorry to hear this. Was pleased that BBC Radio 4 (not the classical station) paid tribute to him in the main 1.00 o'clock News just now and played a short extract from his music and mentioned a tribute to Sculthorpe from Tony Abbott the Austalian PM.

Just played the beautiful and sadly appropriate today Memento Mori (Naxos) in tribute.

[bhodges]

Yes, very sad. He might have been the first Australian composer I got to know, through the Kronos Quartet recording below, and then those with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. BBC obit:

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28705318

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--Bruce

[Madiel]

Australian media are just reporting the death of Peter Sculthorpe.

A great composer, and a great Australian.

Let's hope more of his music is performed and recorded now, which would be the best tribute.

What?! I missed this completely.

And I was just listening to one of his works tonight by sheer coincidence. It's the only recording I own (Cello Dreaming) and it was on a local CD that I only recently unearthed from a forgotten corner.

[calyptorhynchus]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-08/tasmanian-composer-peter-sculthorpe-dies/5484044

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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-08/tasmanian-composer-peter-sculthorpe-dies/5484044

Oh no! This is terrible news. Such an immense talent. It seems that when a composer passes, their music becomes much more known, I really hope this is the case for Sculthorpe. RIP

[calyptorhynchus]

I've been listening to quite a bit of Sculthorpe this week, and have been enjoying it all. In particular the later string quartets 14-17 seem utterly sublime to me.

Looking at the composer's website it seems there is quite a bit that hasn't been recorded. He wrote an 18th SQ which hasn't been recorded, though it has been played a bit. (SQ 12 (From Ubirr) is a version of Earth Cry and like that exists in two versions, with or without dij, also hasn't been recorded, but there is a YouTube performance (without dij).

There are also String Sonatas 3-5 which are unrecorded (YouTube performance of 3).

We could also do with some recordings of his larger works, such as the opera Rites of Passage, and his music for a TV programme Quiros.

Let's hope for a burst of recording before the usual neglect sets in.

[Brian]

"He began piano lessons at 7 and started composing shortly afterward. His piano teacher, he recalled later, was not pleased: She informed him that all the composers were dead and caned him across the knuckles."
- the NY Times obituary