George Crumb 3: A Playful Afternoon | Australian National Academy of Music

This November we celebrate the legacy of the innovative American composer, George Crumb. Across four performances, as part of the ANAM end of year Chamber Music Festival, journey into the musical world of George Crumb – a composer whose music transcends time – and those influenced by his ideas.

At the heart of this festival are the great works of Crumb: Makrokosmos – an exploration of the world the artist inhabits and how they can live in it; Black Angels, the deeply moving and at times confronting depiction and exploration of death, war and humanity; and Vox Balaenae, a work that speaks of the plight of the natural world, and how it’s destruction is at the hands of humanity. As we currently grapple with war, climate change and a rapidly changing world, these works have a profound moral imperatives that are as relevant today as they were half a century ago.

The musicians of ANAM come together not only to mount these iconic works, but also pieces by Crumb students Jennifer Higdon and Osvaldo Golijov, composers influential on Crumb such as Edgard Varèse and Franz Schubert, as well as those working with his concepts today like Ross Edwards. Together, these composers share a curiosity and imagination that will guide you on a mesmerising musical journey.

KUUSISTO Play III

Harry Egerton (QLD) violin
Sola Hughes (QLD) violin
Jamie Miles (VIC) viola
Shuhei Lawson (QLD) cello

WENNÄKOSKI Suka

Maria Zhdanovich (SA) flute
Alexandra King (VIC) oboe / recorder
Clare Fox (NSW) clarinet
Dario Scalabrini (QLD) bass clarinet
Kina Lin-Wilmoth (VIC) bassoon
Calen Linke (WA) horn