Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

Hidden Thoughts goes to the heart of our humanity. It is where the intensely personal meets the public arena. Our hidden thoughts are anything but abstract, and putting them on paper makes it very tangible, no matter how anonymous. It breaks taboos! Self-censorship is alive and well in western civilisation.

Our unexpressed thoughts affect our personal life choices, which in turn, affect our society; how generous, fearful etc we are. Hearing our hidden thoughts aloud can sometimes break their hold on us or simply bring them further into our conscious world.

The hidden thoughts in this piece come from women who spoke anonymously through an online survey. The composer asked four questions: Do you have hidden thoughts and feelings? Tell me what they are. What have you learned to be brave about? What would you like to be braver about? Would you like to say anything more about hidden thoughts and/or courage?

More than two hundred responses from women were received. The composer says 'reading through the responses was a deeply humbling experience. While the words only reflect some of the thoughts, the music is as much about the thoughts that were not included as the ones that were'.

Work Details

Year: 2017

Instrumentation: 2 sopranos, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, flute/alto flute, clarinet in Bb/bass clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello.

Duration: 60 min.

Difficulty: Advanced

Contents note: i: taking chances -- ii: teabag -- iii: runaway -- iv: eat whatever I want -- v: do I matter? -- vi: stop talking -- vii: ghostly -- viii: sweet sixteen -- ix: what would you like to be braver about? -- x: support her, protect her -- xi: cigarettes on the ground -- xiii: crazy dreams... silver thread -- xiv: beauty and ashes -- xv: my lover is a woman -- xvi: do I matter? (reprise).

Dedication note: Dedicated to The Song Company. Dedicated to The Song Company To the women who contributed their hidden thoughts, Mum and Dad, Laila Engle and the memory of Irene Hendricks

Written for: Syzygy Ensemble, The Song Company

Commission note: Commissioned with funds provided by Australia Council.. Commissioned with funds provided by Australia Council. This work was partly composed in residency at Bundanon Trust NSW. The development of the work was also supported by Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and UKARIA Cultural Centre.

First performance: by Syzygy Ensemble, Invenio at Hidden Thoughts I: Do I matter? (LIVE & ONLINE) (Athenaeum Theatre) on 8 Mar 2021

Analysis

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