Sally Greenaway | Composer

Worlds within worlds is an exploration into perspective. The piece lurches into an energetic fanfare, depicting a bustling cityscape: a melodious metropolis made up of ever evolving monuments. The city's continuous construction is a march towards the clouds, referenced by relentless but optimistic driving rhythms and ostinato undercurrents symbolising the hustle of the city streets.

But soon we enter the quiet realm of the secluded courtyard, hidden from view and entered only by a narrow laneway. The solitude and privacy of this secret world within the city's walls is illustrated by long cantabile lines, coloured by the orchestration.

An abrupt interruption with muted brass brings us back to the concrete and grey calamity of man-made structures and its resultant man-made lifestyles - the corporate world at its most monotonous.

Alas, wouldn't it be wonderful to become a bird and escape? To fly high amidst the clouds and observe the jarring and chaotic architectural aspect below... Freedom to play with the wind and only the sun and the moon to dictate your schedule (not the 9-5 rat-race). Or perhaps, when the moon is lit and the city comes to a momentary pause, you may wish to delight amongst the stars?

During the composition process, Greenaway was particularly inspired by two artistic installations.

Firstly, Spontaneous City in the Tree of Heaven, which features hundreds of small bespoke birdhouses nestled in amongst the branches and trunks of trees in London's CBD parklands. The way in which the little birdhouses were constructed and installed is reminiscent of the sprawling reach of humanity, with human residents living stacked up amongst one-another in apartments.

The second inspiration came from Canberra artist Paul Summerfield's work Chaos at the Sky Regatta, which was commissioned for the adolescents ward at the Canberra Hospital. It is a wall mural featuring a jovial scene that brings to life whimsical imaginary flying objects above a wonderfully obtuse cityscape.

The composer wishes to thank the Cybec Foundation and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for this incredible opportunity, as well as Alastair McKean, Laura Holian and Brenton Broadstock for their encouragement and support throughout the composition process.