“I always think it's incredible that bits of wood, hair and metal can—with bodies and minds—express things that are difficult to express any other way.” Lisa Illean is reflecting on experiencing music’s transference from the mind and page of a composer, to living sound during live performance.
“[The poet] Les Murray spoke about a time when he learnt to evoke rather than explain,” the Australian composer says. “Fifteen musicians entering jointly into such a task is a beautiful thing.”
Illean is preparing to return to Australia from the UK for the world premiere of her new piece, arcing, stilling, bending, gathering.
Evoking rather than explaining is in the DNA of Illean’s work. “The music in arcing, stilling, bending, gathering is open – it doesn't press itself on the listener,” she says. “It’s an invitation to be still, to perceive form, to follow arcs of sound. Glacial chords and floating tapestries of sound mingle, the focus keeps shifting. It is spacious; it is intimate.”
The work is being premiered by pianist Aura Go, violinist Emma McGrath and musicians from ANAM, with Tilman Robinson on live sound.
Genevieve Lacey, who runs the commissioning project Finding Our Voice behind arcing, stilling, bending, gathering, has long dreamed of uniting Illean and Go. “Lisa meeting and writing for Aura is something I’ve been working on facilitating for many years. They’re two remarkable women, with fierce intellects, and amazing imaginations and musicianship — it felt like a perfect match.”
“Add the amazing Emma McGrath into the mix, alongside the ANAM musicians, and it’s a dream come true,” she adds.
Illean, who was born in Sydney, studied Practical Composition at VCA in Melbourne before heading to London’s Royal College of Music for postgraduate study. She’s collaborated with leading ensembles in London, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Britten Sinfonia, and the London Sinfonietta, and is represented by prestigious publisher Faber.
Lacey says, “Lisa’s work has inspired me for more than a decade now. She has a very distinctive compositional language, and her ability to turn her aesthetics and ideas into a truly unique creative voice is very unusual.
“And while her work is much lauded internationally, it is all too rarely celebrated and heard in Australia. So we wanted to create a chance for more people to discover and hear her music.”
Something Illean is grateful for. “It means a lot to be working in Australia and I’m thrilled to have a brilliant team of musicians bringing this project to life,” she says.
– Words by Rosie Pentreath
This interview was written for the upcoming Music Makers Vol. 47. Read past volumes here.
NEW MUSIC DAYS: FINDING OUR VOICE