Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

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The Australian Music Centre's catalogue does not include any recordings or sheet music of this work. This entry is for information purposes only.

It is listed in our catalogue because an event featuring a performance of this work was included in our calendar of Australian music. Details of this performance are listed below.

Work Overview

The work takes inspiration from the story of Arachne in Ovid's "Metamorphoses" (book 6), a tale of a weaving duel between skilful mortal (Arachne) and proud goddess (Minerva). It is a minimalist and texture-driven work meditating on rhythms and processes in the textile art of weaving. The work is framed around the two artistic weaves produced by each of the women. The first main section, "Minerva's Weave: Audacity," unfolds musicially as a representation of the stories Minerva selects to weave, scenes of mortal pride ending with disaster or downfall, sending a message to the proud but capable Arachne. Musically, the orchestra undulates line by line, thread by thread, only comprehending the full image much later in the process, when the evolving melody is played in full by the violas.

"Arachne's Weave: List of Names" follows, with a highly decorated texture gradually building up, punctuated violently by tutti chords that reflect the naming and shaming of numerous rapes from ancient Greek and Roman mythology as represented by Arachne in her woven image. This aspect of the story feels very current in terms of #metoo and the act of divulging gendered violence.

Recurring sections titled "Phocaean Purple" are like the edging to the two main scenes. Such details are described in vividly in Ovid's story, and Arachne's father is said in the story to have made his living as a merchant of this particular colour dye.

The metamorphosis in this story occurs after an enraged Minerva rips Arachne's weave to pieces, unable to find fault with it. A graphic notation section devised using multicoloured real embroidery threads was used in the musical section "Torn to Pieces." Arachne is so devastated she tries to hang herself, but a regretful Minerva takes pity and instead turns Arachne into a spider to weave forevermore. "Gossamer" is a meditation on this arachnid state, fragile, beautiful, natural and organic.

Work Details

Year: 2023

Instrumentation: Piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in B flat, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 2 tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion (vibraphone, tam-tam, suspended cymbal, snare drum, bass drum, glockenspiel, finger cymbals, tambourine), harp, piano, strings.

Duration: 10 min.

Commission note: Commissioned by Sydney Symphony Orchestra.. This work was made possible through the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s 50 Fanfares Project and was commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, supported by Peter M Howard