Xanadu Sky: Ensemble Offspring

Program

Gustave Le Gray (2012) by Caroline Shaw
piano
 
Walimbaya (Return) (2022) by Brenda Gifford
double bass solo
 
Musica battuta (2016) by Andrian Pertout
toy piano, glockenspiel
 
Spectral Malsconcities (2018)* by 
Sarah Hennies
percussion, piano, double bass

*Australian Premiere

Livestream

Description

With three solos and an epic 30-minute trio, Xanadu Sky is a journey through shifting patterns that slowly evolve like a hypnotic dusk horizon. Hear every subtle sonority of the double bass, percussion and piano as they each take their turn in the spotlight as soloists and join forces as a meticulous musical machine.
 
Alex Raineri (piano), Benjamin Ward (double bass) and Claire Edwardes (percussion) shine in solo works by Caroline Shaw, Brenda Gifford and Andrian Pertout. Finally, Sarah Hennies' crowning trio Spectral Malsconcities balances on a knife's edge between rhythmic virtuosity and carefully crafted chaos. 

Biography

Ensemble Offspring is Australia’s leading new music group, standing at the forefront of musical innovation. Led by internationally acclaimed percussionist Claire Edwardes OAM, the ensemble unites the country’s most fearless and virtuosic instrumentalists. Together, they create “visceral, joyous music” (Sydney Morning Herald) through kaleidoscopically varied performances that blaze a trail for Australian music.

At the heart of Ensemble Offspring’s mission is an unwavering commitment to the creation and dissemination of living new music. Since forming in 1995, they have commissioned and premiered over 350 new works, solidifying their position as the foremost champions of contemporary music in Australia. In particular, they actively promote underrepresented voices including female-identifying, First Nations, and emerging artists. This dedication has earned the ensemble the 2022 Classical:NEXT Innovation Award, the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Group Award, multiple APRA Art Music Awards and two ARIA Award nominations.

Ensemble Offspring’s annual development programs are an essential pillar of Australia’s musical ecosystem. Hatched Academy is an incubator for emerging Australian artists which nurtures the next generation of cultural leaders through a composer intensive, individual mentorships, and an associate artist position; the Noisy Women Commission amplifies the voice of an exceptional female-identifying or non-binary composer; and the First Nations Composer in Residence and Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers programs elevate the music of Indigenous artists, foregrounding their rich cultural perspectives.

By boldly subverting classical traditions, Ensemble Offspring deliver concerts that “burst with imagination, energy and inspiration” (Seesaw Magazine). Through their pioneering spirit, pursuit of excellence and relentless commitment to equality, the ensemble continue to shape a vibrant and diverse future for Australian music.