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TP127 Anne Boyd
Crossing a Bridge of Dreams
$23 (Australian dollars)
buy at:
AMC -
Buywell - iTunes
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This CD presents some of Anne Boyd's most enduring and endearing works, mostly from the 80s. Most of these works reflect her passion for Asian music, especially in her use of the flute. In most cases, the performers who played the premieres of these works have been chosen for this recording, including a rare appearance of John Harding playing viola in 'My Name is Tian'.
The Tall Poppies Ensemble:Geoffrey Collins - flute
Alice Giles - harp
John Harding - viola
David Pereira - cello
Daryl Pratt - percussion
David Stanhope - conductor |
CONTENTS
| My Name is Tian | Kathy Marsh - soprano
Tall Poppies Ensemble |
Goldfish Through Summer Rain
Red Sun Chill Wind
Cloudy Mountain | Geoffrey Collins - flute
David Miller - piano |
| Cycle of Love | Hartley Newnham - counter tenor
Tall Poppies Ensemble |
Bali Moods I
Bali Moods II | Geoffrey Collins - flute
Nicholas Routley - piano |
| As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams | Sydney Chamber Choir
Nicholas Routley - director |
REVIEWS
Anne Boyd is currently regarded as one of Australia's leading composers. She studied music in both Australia and England. She also worked under Peter Sculthorpe. Crossing a Bridge of Dreams includes eight works (from 1975-85) for various subsets of the Tall Poppies Ensemble and the title track for chamber choir. Boyd makes no excuses for her interest in Asian music, especially classical music from Vietnam and Japan. She doesn't need any. Most composers who consciously try to mix traditions end up writing silly, derivative music--not quite Asian, not quite Western, but quite embarrassing. Boyd's works go much further. Her harmonic and melodic vocabulary relies almost entirely on modes, so the Asian influence is inescapable. But her delicate, pretty music invites the listener in for a chat and then converses thoughtfully. The Tall Poppies Ensemble responds well. Of particular note is harpist Alice Giles, who plucks a virtual cornucopia of colors from her harp. I also enjoy soprano Kathy Marsh's delivery. She si ngs with a dry and light tone. While her sound would be too thin for a larger work, it fits perfectly with Boyd's sensitive writing on the first track, My Name is Tian.
Thomson / Gale
American Record Guide, March, 2002
Crossing a Bridge of Dreams brings together eight compositions – recorded at various times – that clearly show the affinities with Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and Balinese music.…[re My Name is Tian] The beauty and objectivity of the musical style and the simple and moving stoicism implicit in the words elevate this cycle well above the level of obvious anti-war propaganda and ensure that is has not dated in the slightest since its composition in 1978. Kathy Marsh's singing, though blurred sometimes in enunciation, is almost ideal for its task in it musicianly straightforwardness and the instrumental playing is of a high order.
Roger Covell
Sydney Morning Herald. July 2000
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