NOMINATION: Performance of the Year - Notated Composition
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.
Portal was a piece that demanded a very high level of musicianship from its players; the piece would transition between sections of aleatoric, quasi-improvised textures into tightly notated sections of fast rhythmic activity, creating an unbroken 20 minute fantasy. Penny Quartet navigated this divide with impressive dedication, moving between traditional string quartet and freer, more textural writing with ease and expression, and always with a clear view of the musical intention. It showcased their mastery of old and new approaches to string quartet writing, and their ability to transition between very different musical roles. Through all of this transformation they maintained an incredible sense of ensemble, and the result effortlessly took the audience along with them.