Brass Performances in Australia

 

After discussing with Professor Manning, I decided to look outside of the United States and Europe for some performances by brass players.  In my search, I stumbled across this recording of members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing David Stanhope's "Three Folksongs."  David Stanhope is a British composer who joined the Sydney Opera in 1986.  Stanhope remains active throughout Australia as a composer and performer.  

This piece, "Three Folksongs," is inspired by the works of Percy Grainger (who was born Australian).  Written in 1978, there are distinctive calls to Grainger's work while simultaneously taking a slightly more modern approach in the use of timbres.  I find it intriguing that the result of my search was a performance of Australian performers who are playing a piece that was inspired by an American composer (even if he was born in Australia).  

As I continue to search for more pieces written and performed outside of the United States and Europe, I am interested to see where my search leads me.  Australia isn't a country that I consider too far removed from the European classical tradition of music.  As a result, I hope that I can find brass music that leaves the traditions that I am comfortable with and allows me to experience new sounds and new works.