Chamber: Trio to Large Ensemble
| Work | Instrumentation | Work Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Katrimba |
| 3min |
| Quietude |
| 6min |
| The Strawberry Thief |
| 8min |
| Don't Forget Your Music |
| 6min 30sec |
| Fantasia |
| 5min 30sec |
| The Feud Suite |
| 7min |
Browse Scores
Katrimba
Katrimba was commissioned by Canberra-based percussionist Katrina Leske to feature her wonderful Honduras rosewood Marimba. The piece nods towards the composer's jazz roots with an ostinato that superimposes groups of 2 and 4 notes over the pulse of 3.
A version for piano trio is also available.
Quietude
Commissioned by PLEXUS for their 'Post-Patriarchal' concert, paying tribute to the sacrifices made during the turmoil of the First World War.
Opening with a fragile and exposed line intertwining the violin and clarinet, symbolising both comradery and the white clouds which move 'in silent lines across the untroubled blue'. The setting is soon interrupted by a dark and troubled piano figure which echoes the memories of the destruction from the battlefield. This material slowly erodes and becomes more disfigured and unsettled as the piece progresses. The climax, full of jarring rhythms and angular intervals (which are based on inversions and systematic increases or decreases in pitch based on the original melodic material) is expressive of the mental shock endured by those undertaking therapy for post traumatic stress disorder. The piece concludes with a restating of the original theme, but this time includes a sparse piano accompaniment to add to the harmonic framework, hinting at the futility of war and the immense waste and suffering that comes from wars.
The piece explores the mental anguish of returning soldiers and takes inspiration from Richard Aldington's poem Bombardment.
Four days the earth was rent and torn
By bursting steel,
The houses fell about us;
Three nights we dared not sleep,
Sweating, and listening for the imminent crash
Which meant our death.
The fourth night every man,
Nerve-tortured, racked to exhaustion,
Slept, muttering and twitching,
While the shells crashed overhead.
The fifth day there came a hush;
We left our holes
And looked above the wreckage of the earth
To where the white clouds moved in silent lines
Across the untroubled blue.
The Strawberry Thief
A world of strawberries, birds, gardens and cheeky foxes comes to life in this collection of 3 short works written to commemorate 40 years of marriage - Stephanie and Ross Burton's 'Ruby' Wedding Anniversary.
During the composition process, the Burtons sent Greenaway ideas of inspiration, which weaved their way into the music.
1. The Strawberry Thief
2. The Secret Garden
3. The Little Red Fox
Second movement "The Secret Garden" only (for all 3 movements refer to the 'Advanced' version).
2. The Secret Garden
1. The Strawberry Thief
2. The Secret Garden
3. The Little Red Fox
Don't Forget Your Music
When composing the work, Greenaway drew inspiration from the following key questions:
How do we reach our full potential? What does it take to get to the top of our game? Passion? Commitment? Sacrifice? Motivation? Grit? Obsessive devotion? 10,000+ hours of focused practice or study? Genetics?
Pull up your sleeves and hold on tight – the musicians are in it to win it in the mad dash to the finish line! Commissioned by Bangalow Music Festival in 2016 to specially feature Southern Cross Soloists.
The piece has since been rescored for strings with piano for the University of Canberra to feature Wicked-Strings! Ensemble at the university's graduation ceremonies.
Fantasia
Inspired by the late Classical and early Romantic eras, the piece is inspired by Schubert, Beethoven, Mozart and perhaps a little bit of Debussy (and some modern-day film inspiration). Commissioned by Canberra Grammar School as part of their Silver Anniversary of the Evening of Fine Music, August 2011.
Written in 3 short movements: The opening movement is 'Allegro quasi fantasia' with a shimmering piano accompaniment (and hints of Dr Who). The middle movement is 'Largo - molto legato e espressivo' with a soaring lead clarinet line reminiscent of Mozart's famous Clarinet Concerto. The second movement segues into the final movement, a fast and exciting 'Maestoso' with hints of Pirates of the Caribbean.
The composer has since created an arrangement for string quartet (or quintet) with piano.
1. Allegro quasie fantasia
2. Largo (molto legato e espressivo)
3. Maestoso
1. Allegro quasie fantasia
2. Largo (molto legato e espressivo)
3. Maestoso
The Feud Suite
The Feud Suite is a collection of 7 short movements of music separated by vivid poetry. The music for this suite was originally composed for an original film sound track for the short film The Nest directed by Em Cooper (London, UK). Upon returning to Canberra, I wanted to re-work the music score into a suite for concert hall and collaborated with Canberra writer Tanya Kiermaier, whose poetry harks poignantly towards the darker side of Australia's Montague Island history, with the following evocative poetry :
"...Through the bitterness of dark, the light circles,
deep and silent as the universe.
while wind flaps and hums through snarls of kikuyu
whips round the children’s graves
and flings itself out into the spreadeagled ocean..."
1. Wind, Sky, Shape Shifting Clouds
2. Dischod in Conversation
3. Unfeather Your Soul
4. On The Edge
5. Snarls of Kikuyu
6. The Children's Graves
1. Wind, Sky, Shape Shifting Clouds
2. Dischod in Conversation
3. Unfeather Your Soul
4. On The Edge
5. Snarls of Kikuyu
6. The Children's Graves