CD orders

The Waltz Book - 60 one-minute waltzes by Andrew Ford

Ian Munro, piano

'It is the large-scale structure that Ford is able to generate that makes The Waltz Book impressive. Often the same musical character will flow on between individual pieces: two or three may be directly linked in mood or character, and segue connections ensure a continuity that avoids any stop-start junctures. Additionally, seven "invocations" sharing a unifying, atonally angular theme are scattered through the collection to help bind it neatly together.

This is the first time the set has been recorded. Munro is poetic in his approach and exercises beautiful control in his pliant moulding of phrase. He successfully unlocks the secrets of each piece, showing in particular a superb control of silence, which is integral to Ford's writing. All come in remarkably close to the minute mark, typically just a few seconds either side. Individually these are superb little pieces, and together they form a Pandora's box of delights. The Waltz Book is to be counted amongst Ford's finest writing.'

Graham Strahle, Music Forum

'What began as a commission from pianist Ian Munro for a large scale piano work ended up as a series of 60 waltzes, each lasting only a minute. Andrew Ford's Waltz Book is a charming and surprisingly eclectic collection of miniatures; quirky, moody, enchanting and full of vitality, they provide a fascinating insight into Ford's extraordinarily wide-ranging musical palette. Central to the variety within this collection is the extreme contrast between the simpler, melodically driven, often folksy waltzes and the grittier, modernist representations of the form. Ford's craftsmanship is impressively consistent across this broad canvas of musical styles and while the pieces are all in triple time (of course) this is not always apparent to the listener. The waltzes are grouped in such a way as to bring a sense of internal organization to the set. In some cases, several waltzes based on the same material give the effect of a miniature set of variations within the whole. In this way, listening to a shorter selection can also be a satisfying experience, although the material works extremely well when heard in its entirety. Munro is a flawless interpreter, his playing full of imaginative colour and supple elegance. Ford is, of course, a well-known broadcaster and writer and his program notes are also very entertaining. A second CD includes an interview with the composer as well as PDFs of 10 of the simpler waltzes, giving the opportunity to print and play some of this delightful music.'

Mark Coughian, The Australian

'Munro relishes the craftsman's grinding, polishing skill that gave him the unusual, diverse product that has been performed by pianists the world over. With strong, clear technique, Munro's flair brings individual insights to his performance.'

Patrica Kelly, Brisbane Courier Mail

'An engaging and surprisingly rich disc.'

Julian Day, Limelight

Tall Poppies TP 209
Buy the CD from the Australian Music Centre
Buy the CD from the Buywell online CD store

Night and Dreams: the death of Sigmund Freud

Gerald English, tenor
Margaret Morgan, libretto

'Night and Dreams is true music theatre - sung and spoken texts are essentially of equal importance, and combined with evocative and often confronting recorded sounds they created a powerful and eerie atmosphere...'

Tristram Cary, The Australian

'A perfect little gem of chamber opera.... This work is stunningly intelligent, intensely moving, and a tribute to one of the most influential thinkers of modern times. It is a perfect vehicle for the talents of Gerald English, now in his 75th year, but still singing with a characteristic intensity of feeling and subtly nuanced interpretation of both the music and the dramatic material.'

Helen Thomson, The Age

Decca Eloquence 480 0461
Buy the CD from the Buywell online CD store

See also: the Night and Dreams website

Icarus

Hymn to the Sun; Like Icarus ascending; Chamber Concerto No 3: In constant flight; Parabola; Icarus drowning

Rohan Smith (violin); Annette Tesoriero, Richard Moore (voices); Terra Australis incognita; Kowmung Festival Ensemble; Andrew Ford (conductor).

"Icarus drowning , most strikingly of all, takes Brueghel's painting The Fall of Icarus as a starting point (in which all that can be seen of him are his two feet disappearing into the water) and in music of extreme slowness and growing intensity charts his descent through the water, recalling his ascent and flight as he does so. the poetic coda, with distant gongs and bells, was suggested by the site of first performance . . . and sounds both final -- it refers back to the opening of the violin piece -- and like a tolling lament. It is the most impressive piece in the cycle. "

Michael Oliver, The Gramophone

Tall Poppies TP150 CD

Harbour

A Martian Sends a Postcard Home; Clarion (alto sax version); Epithalamium; Harbour; Composition in Blue, Grey and Pink; Dancing With Smoke; A Salt Girl; Female Nude; And Now; Five Cabaret Songs

Gerald English, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Hector MacDonald, Stephanie McCallum, Marshall McGuire, Ian Munro, James Nightingale, Kathleen Gallagher, Daryl Pratt
et al

Tall Poppies TP128 CD

"Harbour, a Tall Poppies CD of pieces by Andrew Ford, one-time faculty member at the University of Wollongong, again proves that there is much worthy music being produced Down Under.

Despite the predominance of pieces for tenor voice, no hint of monotony encroaches upon this splendid release. Ford shows a striking variety of approach in his vocal compositions, ranging from the special-effects laden flair of A Martian Sends a Postcard Home to the folksy unpretentiousness of Epithalamium, the crystalline conciseness of A Salt Girl, the unalloyed triadic warmth of And Now, and the often humorous, sometimes touching ennui of Five Cabaret Songs. The title selection, a sizable and ambitious cycle for singer and string orchestra, is perhaps the most impressive of all. Ensemble writing, obliquely influenced by entities such as Lutoslawski’s Trauermusik, perfectly combines dramatic flair and experimental inventiveness. And as in all these works, Ford composes imaginatively for the vocalist, combining fine text setting with an unerring ear for good tenor sound regardless of the register or effect employed.

The non-vocal selections, while brief, are just as enjoyable. Originally written for solo alto clarinet, Clarion shows no lessening of effectiveness in its alto saxophone version. The work states two ideas (one static and tritone based, the other fast and nervous) then cleverly varies and integrates them. Composition in Blue, Grey, and Pink, despite its restrictive percussion scoring and dynamic range, contains nary a dull moment, contrasting and superimposing rhythmic layers in ways that would fascinate an African drummer. The amplified alto flute entity Female Nude, replete with breathy exchanges of sung and played pitches, palpably swoons with sensuous ardor. And all exhibit unusual, yet effective solutions to delineating larger formal concerns.

Performances are uniformly splendid. Tenor Gerald English is the star here and deservedly so, possessing both a ringing, highly flexible voice that sounds great in every register and clean, crisp diction. James Nightingale (saxophone), Kathleen Gallagher (alto flute), Marshall McGuire (harp), Daryl Pratt (congas), Hector McDonald (horn), and Ian Munro (piano) head up a first-class group of instrumentalists. Special mention should also be made of the Australian Chamber Orchestra (conductor David Stanhope), who passionately support the singer with some ferociously fine string playing in the title selection. Production values are top-notch and sound quality is excellent.

David Cleary, 21st-Century Music

Whispers:
Chamber Music of Andrew Ford

The Art of Puffing: 17 elegies for Thomas Chatterton; Pastoral; Sacred Places; Whispers

Duo Contemporain, Tasmanian Symphony Chamber Players, Gerald English, Griffiths University Ensemble

Tall Poppies TP053 CD

Broadway Boogie-Woogie
for solo piano

Michael Kieran Harvey, piano
Broadway Boogie
Move Records MD 3315

The Crantock Gulls
for two drummers

Match Percussion
Daryl Pratt and Alison Eddington
Water Settings
Tall Poppies TP 183

"The Crantock Gulls, named after the small Cornish village, were prey to polymetre squawking seagulls according to Ford and if his music successfully conveys it – and I’ve not misunderstood it – it was also raining like crazy... The arresting tattoos are
increasingly and uncomfortably fractious."

Jonathan Woolf, Musicweb International

Memorial
for cello and digital delay

David Pereira
Electric Cello
Tall Poppies TP 180

"Andrew Ford’s Memorial refers to the handing back of ‘Uluru’ (Ayers Rock) to its traditional guardians (the [CD] booklet says ‘owners’, but that’s another debate). Ford wrestled with his reluctance to engage with Aboriginal culture, but ultimately, seeing Uluru’s physical presence as a kind of memorial, almost a cenotaph in the middle of Australia, expressed this
partly as a lament, partly as a celebration of the strength and endurance of the Aboriginal people. The cello is treated with a delay which in fact makes
it sound as if it is placed in a vast acoustic. The echoes come to us as if from the inside of caverns measureless to man, and to me very movingly
express the loneliness and incredible hugeness of the Australian outback."

Dominy Clements, Musicweb International

Four Winds
for saxophone quartet

Continuum Sax
Icon
CSAX-02
Australian Music Centre shop

Swansong
for solo viola

Patricia Pollett
Australian music for viola
Tall Poppies TP162 CD

Rough Magic
for solo harp

Marshall McGuire
ABC Classics/Polygram 456 696-2 CD

Getting Blue
for alto sax and vibraphone

Duo Contemporain
Globe GLO 5176 CD

Wassails and Lullabies
for chamber choir and percussion

Adelaide Chamber Singers/Carl Crossin
ACSCD 002 CD

Spinning
for alto flute

Geoffrey Collins, flute
Tall Poppies TP069

Wassails and Lullabies
for chamber choir and percussion

Sydney Philharmonia Motet Choir/Walker
ABC Classics/PolyGram 446 975-2 CD

The Laughter of Mermaids
for six voices

The Song Company/Peelman

Vox Australis VAST016-2 CD

A Kumquat for John Keats
for solo piano

Lisa Moore
Tall Poppies TP040 CD

Patapan
for orchestra

Australian Youth Orchestra/Abbott
Tall Poppies TP016 CD

Ringing the Changes
for piccolo, bass clarinet and piano

HET Trio
Attacca-Babel 9161-4 CD

Australian String Quartets

Sydney String Quartet
ABC Classics/PolyGram 426 992 CD and cassette

Boatsong

Duo Contemporain
[Pro Viva ISPV 140] LP