A brief history for violin and orchestra

Abstract

A Brief History for violin and orchestra was written for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, during my year as composer in residence with them. The original work was composed for the violinist Jack Liebeck and performed by him as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and conductor Benjamin Northey in Hamer Hall, on November 15, 16 and 17, 2019. The work was recorded by ABC Classic FM and broadcast in September, 2020. A Brief History was performed as part of A Symphonic Universe, a program featuring the music Sibelius, Mahler and this world premiere featuring narration by Professor Brian Cox. The three concerts were sold out. A Brief History is a throughout composer tone poem for violin and orchestra, dedicated to the life and work of Professor Stephen Hawking. Composing the work enabled me to continue my fascination with orchestral colour, using the score as a canvas for my tone colours, I continued my orchestral experiments that really began with the composition of my opera Dry River Run, some two years earlier. Many challenges exist when writing for large symphonic forces and a solo violin, and this proved to be a massive learning experience and in the end, a successful trial in the area of extremes in dynamic and timbre. Many future performances for the work have been planned, but currently on hold due to Covid 19.