NOMINATION: Performance of the Year - Notated Composition
For the performance of a single Australian work, showcasing the performer(s)’ success in revealing the nature and intention of a composition with clear notated instructions for the performer. Works with significant improvisatory aspects should instead be submitted for Performance of the Year: Jazz / Improvised Music.
A work is defined as a single complete musical composition, or expression. This includes music with movements or sub-works (i.e. song cycles), installations, and real-time compositions (improvised music).
If you believe your performance to be nominated in the wrong category or the details of your nomination to be incorrect, please contact the AMC via email at awards@australianmusiccentre.com.au before proceeding with the nomination.
Art Music Award guidelines →
Nominee
Drew Gilchrist & Alex Raineri
Nominee email
alexraineri@icloud.com
Title of the work
in Platonia
Composer(s) of the work
Chris Dench
Performance Date
15/12/2024
Venue
Brisbane Music Festival
Nominator Statement
Its very rare for a live world premiere to completely exceed your expectations, but Drew and Alex managed to do so. They took my score _in Platonia_ that Id been working on for seven months, and turned it into a sensory onslaught, capturing all the range of the music, from haunted stillness to snarling obsessivenesswhich is a truly singular achievement given the rich complexity of the score. Their performance was exactly what I had ideally imagined ...and more.
Its worth observing just why this was such a special premiere. The keyword is probably preparedness. Precision is not often a feature of premieres, but Drew and Alex had edited their parts, and learned them very thoroughly. Accuracy is often a victim of nervousness, but the two of them were so comfortable in their execution that the musical text was near-flawless. Beyond that, they also demonstrated remarkable stamina (they followed _in Platonia_ with two other similarly fierce pieces) and retained the sense of intense energy right through to the end of the works 24 minutes. But what made this even more than just a flawless execution was Drew and Alexs dedication to understanding the piece, and projecting its meaning, a step beyond that barely any first performances normally exhibit. After all, these two had no template to follow, no prior art to learn fromthey gave the music birth, and shape!
Honestly, this is why I compose: to hear my music played with this kind of fearless energy and artistic insight. I very much doubt if a better performance (of anything!) took place in Australia in 2024. Drew and Alex unquestionably deserve this recognition.
Nominee
Drew Gilchrist & Alex Raineri
Nominee email
alexraineri@icloud.com
Title of the work
in Platonia
Composer(s) of the work
Chris Dench
Performance Date
15/12/2024
Venue
Brisbane Music Festival
Its worth observing just why this was such a special premiere. The keyword is probably preparedness. Precision is not often a feature of premieres, but Drew and Alex had edited their parts, and learned them very thoroughly. Accuracy is often a victim of nervousness, but the two of them were so comfortable in their execution that the musical text was near-flawless. Beyond that, they also demonstrated remarkable stamina (they followed _in Platonia_ with two other similarly fierce pieces) and retained the sense of intense energy right through to the end of the works 24 minutes. But what made this even more than just a flawless execution was Drew and Alexs dedication to understanding the piece, and projecting its meaning, a step beyond that barely any first performances normally exhibit. After all, these two had no template to follow, no prior art to learn fromthey gave the music birth, and shape!
Honestly, this is why I compose: to hear my music played with this kind of fearless energy and artistic insight. I very much doubt if a better performance (of anything!) took place in Australia in 2024. Drew and Alex unquestionably deserve this recognition.