Solo
Pythia, Oracle of Delphi
for solo harp (2024)
Throughout centuries, thousands of civilians of the ancient world would pilgrim to the Temple of Apollo, Delphi, the centre of the world. There, they sought the advice of Apollo himself, God of Oracles, Healing, Archery, Music and Arts, Light, and Knowledge. Upon the seventh day of the month, those who desired could enter the temple and make an offering to Apollo.
Deep within the temple, the gentle warm glow of the eternal flame illuminates the grand marble columns and precise Doric order. Distantly in the shadows lurks the high priestess of the temple, the Pythia, a mysterious woman who serves as its oracle. Should the sacrifice be successful, the pilgrim would be granted an answer to their query from Apollo, channelled through the Pythia.
Quietly, but with great conviction, the Oracle begins to deliver her prophecy. Clouds of fragrant vapour surround her and fill the temenos, the sacred enclosure. As the Pythia channels Apollo, she enters an ecstatic state, delivering the prophecy in complex verse and distinct cadence.
As the prophecy comes to an end, suddenly, in a plume of haze, the Pythia vanishes.
Five Modal Miniatures
for solo piano (2024)
I. The Enchanted Garden (Dorian)
II. Raindrops (Mixolydian)
III. The Stone Castle (Phrygian)
IV. Frogs Between Lilypads (Locrian)
V. Finale (Lydian)
Nocturne for a Southern Cross
for solo violin (2023)
Composed for Robert Smith
The Crux, more commonly known as the Southern Cross, is a cross-shaped constellation most easily visible from the southern hemisphere, south of the 35th parallel.
The Southern Cross is composed of five primary stars in the Southern Sky; Alpha Crucis, Beta Crucis, Gamma Crucis, Delta Crucis, and Epsilon Crucis. These names utilise the first five letters of the Greek Alphabet, άλφα, βήτα, γάμα, δέλτα and έψιλον. In the Modern English (Latin) alphabet, these letters are most often assigned to A, B, G, D, and E. Such letters also happen to be represented as musical pitch classes, a series of pitches with the same letter name.
Nocturne for a Southern Cross makes use of these five pitch classes and their separate harmonic series to construct a musical illustration of the Southern Cross. The piece freely deviates and returns to these pitches to facilitate a celestial exploration of time and space through the sound of a solo violin.
Throughout, we hear sparkling and meditative moments of artificial and natural harmonics, reflecting the shimmer of the stars, and soaring melodies carrying us between them.
1821
for violin & piano (2022)
On 25 March 1821, Greece declared revolution against the rule of the Ottoman Empire, crying “freedom or death”. This act of defiance against violence and tyranny subsequently led to the region’s independence.
Yet over 200 years later, this is still a considerably relevant conversation, most recently concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Time and time again we are proven that freedom is not something we are given, but something that we must fight for.
This work is not a celebration of war. Rather, it is one of peace. It is an illustration of the hardship; a hymn for those who have fought and continue to fight; and a celebration of justice.
The theme of the work is based upon the structure of traditional Greek dance. These dances occur with large numbers of people, their hands linked, dancing in an intertwining circle to symbolise the unity between us all, and how our lives weave between one another.
While this piece is a dance of hardship, of persistence and justice, most importantly, it is a dance of hope.
Acacia
for solo harp (2021)
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