The Moon (2007)

Instrumentation

  • Flute
  • Oboe
  • Clarinet in B flat
  • Bassoon
  • Horn in F
  • Piano
  • Violin I
  • Violin II
  • Viola
  • Cello
  • Double Bass

(Each line is a single player)

Duration

c. 9 minutes 30 seconds

About the work

This work explores the phases of the Moon in nine tiny movements, one for each of the cyclic phases and an added final movement:

  1. New Moon: when the stars shine bright
  2. Crescent Moon I: peeking through an eyelid
  3. First Quarter: when the skytide flows
  4. Gibbous Moon I: “coiling, emerging”
  5. Full Moon: when the eyes shine bright
  6. Gibbous Moon II: recoiling
  7. Third Quarter: when the skytide ebbs
  8. Crescent Moon II: eyes are drooping
  9. No Moon: eyes are closed

A nocturnal mood envelopes the work, but this is often combined with a playful childlike or naive character. Rather than shape a conflict-and-resolution musical path, ideas just start and stop in a riddle-ish or enigmatic fashion. The cyclic and circular nature of the month and Moon is a main inspiration here, with repetitive processes occurring in most of the movements. There is also very simple use of fractals, and much interlocking of parts, both of which are inspired structurally by the composer’s experience learning Javanese gamelan music.

P.P. 2009

Awards

The Moon was joint winning composition in the 2007 Women’s Composer Award of the Fellowship of Australian Composers and University of Sydney.

Availability

Score

Score and parts published by Kammerklang, 2009.

Recording

The Moon is available for streaming or mp3 purchase on the Kammerklang album Alpha (2013).

Stream

Via Spotify:

Or if you prefer, Soundcloud:

Purchase

Bandcamp. The Moon can be purchased as an individual mp3 track, or as part of the album Alpha.

Performance

First performance: 28 May 2009 at the Music Workshop, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, as part of Kammerklang 2009.

Broadcast

On Australian Sounds, 3MBS FM (Melbourne), 1 Jan 2016, presented by Leah Blankendaal.

Online

Kammerklang 2009 concert reviewed in Australian Music Centre’s Resonate Magazine.