The three works on this CD were commissioned for celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Federation of Australia, which officially became a nation in 1901. The disc opens with the arresting (but decidedly un-celebratory) sounds of Ross Edwards’ Symphony No. 3 (“Mater Magna”). Mater Magna, or Great Mother, represents the vital female force in nature, and the symphony essentially is a “meditation on the need for ecological rebalancing.” Accordingly the music includes such natural-world sounds as birdsong and frog and insect rhythms. The first movement is based on a brief woodwind theme that makes an insistent presence amid the orchestral chaos. The dimly-lit, primeval atmosphere of the second movement calls to mind Stravinsky, while the beautifully uplifting finale is in the style of latter-day neo-romanticism/minimalism.
Brenton Broadstock’s Federation Flourish is, as its title implies, an all-out celebratory fanfare for brass and percussion, contrasted by a reflective and pensive central section before coming full-circle to a rousing conclusion. Music for Federation was composed by Peter Sculthorpe especially for the Commemorative Meeting of the Australian Parliament. Its nine sections were designed to follow the Order of Proceedings, functioning as incidental music yet held together by an internal thematic unity. The music ranges from Elgarian pagentry and Britten-like flourishes to John Williams/Close Encounters-type music for the serenely transcendent and poignant ending. All three works are given committed performances by Markus Stenz and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. ABC’s sound is top class. There’s a lot of excellent music making going on “down under”, and this fine Australian production merits your investigation.
