ShylikeBlushingFlowersMusic-TheatreProject

“HisdiscerningblendofEastandWestcreatesanintriguing,kaleidoscopicsonicworld,onethatcarriesa

strongemotionalimpact…”(TheMusicTrust,Australia)

“somethingspaciouslyAsianbutwithaneffectivelycommunicativevocabularyofWesternnewmusic…Crossmanisarealforce”(GapplegateClassical-ModernMusicReview,USA)

CHINESE-AUSTRALIANMUSIC-THEATREWORKThis music-theatre work—Shy Like Blushing Flowers—is a collaboration betweenAustralian artistsBruceCrossman (composer/musical director), SimonKillalea (videoartist),IanStevenson(sounddiffusion)withperformersAnnaFraser(mezzo-soprano),ClaireEdwardes(percussion)andinternationalcollaboratorLindaYim(piano)fromtherenownedHongKongNewMusicEnsemble(HKNME).Thespringboardforthisworkisthe text of Tang Xianzu’s Chinese opera "Peony Pavillion," with hints of the Judeo-Biblical text “Song of Songs” and Shakespeare’s "Antony and Cleopatra". Fromdistinctivelydiversecultures,theseworksappearedatbothjuxtapositionalandsimilartimes(1598and1606respectively)andcorrelatethematically,exploringlovepermittedtoexistasdreammergedwithreality,andthesubsequenttemporal/spatialseparationof lovers (human and spiritual) and connection toDaoist “dao” and Christian “spirit.”Thecentralprotagonistsfromtheseclassicalworks,thevivaciousunmarriedfemaleandhigh status queen, are reinterpreted as a single persona in an intercultural fusion ofgrittytensionwithpoeticlushness,bringingaboutadeepeningmutualunderstandingofAustralian/Chinese cultures towardsa contemporaryAsian-Pacific artistic identity. ItsmulticulturalnatureaimstodirectlysynergizeEnglishandMandarinsoundsasbothaformofcommunicationandasdelicateandvigoroussoundpatternswithinaConfucianliving-colouraestheticinmusic-theatre.Event:TheArtsNSWDevelopmentofShylikeBlushingFlowersisatTheJoanSutherlandPerformingArtsCentre,QTheatreinPenrithfrom3-4pmon11October2017.Entry:ByInvitation.Requestinvitationbyemailingb.crossman@westernsydney.edu.auDirections:JoanSutherlandPerformingArtsCentreisat597HighStreet,Penrith.FromtheM4motorwaytaketheMulgoaRoadturn-offtoPenrith.FasttrainservicesleaveregularlyforPenrithfromthecountrytrainplatformsatCentralStation.

2

INTERCULTURALMUSIC-THEATRE

The living colour moment aesthetics of the Asia-Pacific and its calligraphical motionideasappliedtofilmarepresentinCrossman’sShyLikeBlushingFlowersmusic-theatreproject. Thedevelopment has two framing films as dream sequences—“FragrantRainClouds of Love” and “Strange Invisible Perfume”—amidst which sits the liveperformanceof“GardenofFire.”Inthefirstinterlude,“FragrantRainCloudsofLove,”Killalea’sstrongrootedtreeimagesofHongKongwithPicasso-likeCubistspaceofmoderncityscapes,whereemptinessandskyscraperssuggestintimatepresence,isareinterpretationofancientChineseplaywrightTangXianzu’s‘clouding’intimacyandsensualmassivesonicburstsofsoundwithlingeringmetaldelicacyofmyownmusic.TheancientKunqutradition,followingDaoistprinciplesoftheaffinityoftheartistwithnature,suggeststheeroticthroughthenaturalreverberanceofspringenergiesandisreinterpretedbySimonKillaleaasthegentlypulsingpresenceofHongKongasacontemporary‘sensualclouding’.Thegentleflowoftimethroughwaterbecomesintimateasdotheskyscraperslowmovementsyettheyarepepperedwiththeslowcruisinghumourofthepassingcarmotionandmusing.TheChineseoperatraditionofKunqusparked,inamoment,thedelicatetransientcrotalesmetallingeringsoundsamidstwrestlinginterval-colourspacioussplashesofensembleamidstwrigglingvocallinesinmymusicalscore,titled“GardenofFire.”ThetrioversionwillinvolvesopranoAnnaFraser(SongCompany),percussionistClaireEdwardes(EnsembleOffspring)andpianistLindaYim(HKNME)inaliveperformancewithreal-timedigitalvisualmixingbyKillalea.Inthisstrippedversion,thewrigglingvocallinesarelaidbare,withdelicatebowedvibraphoneebbingjoiningthedarkgong-likestoppednotesbeddingthevocalbeneath,withinterpretationsofthespacesthroughmetaphoricalnatureandcityscapeimagesofHongKongintime-lapsefilmmaking.Inthesecondinterludedreamsequenceofthemusic-theatrework’s“StrangeInvisiblePerfume,”themusicmergesthesensualityofShakespeare’salluringCleopatrawithTang’s“Douderixiayanzhiyushangxian,”amidsttheJudeo-Biblicaltradition’stranscendentsensualityof“Iarosetoopenformylover”fromtheSongofSongs.Killalea’sSydneyandHongKongshotCubistinterplayswillinterpretthemusicasadreamfilmsequencewithinShylikeBlushingFlowers.Inmyscorefor“StrangeInvisiblePerfume,”thePekingOperagongs’suddendemarcationsandquiveringmalletsoncrotales,lingerlikefragrantperfumeoverthewrigglingguzhengtonesandsharplyarticulatedbell-clearharmonics.

3

ARTISTSAnnaFraser–sopranoSydney-basedandagraduateof theSydneyConservatoriumofMusic(2000)andNewEngland Conservatory (2002) in Boston, Anna Fraser has gained a reputation as aversatile soprano specialising predominantly in the interpretation of early andcontemporary repertoire. In 2002, before returning to Australia, Anna attended theBritten-PearsYoungArtistProgramundertheexperttutelageofthelateAnthonyRolfe-Johnsonandwasa featuredsoloist inHandel'sDixitDominusandthemasqueAcisandGalateadirectedbyRichardEgarrat theAldeburghFestival.Asamemberof theSongCompany,Annaregularlyperformsinnationaltours.ClaireEdwardes–percussionClaireEdwardes(percussion)isaninternationallyrenownedpercussionistandartisticdirectorofSydneynewmusicgroup,EnsembleOffspring.Careerhighlightsincludesoloperformances at theHuddersfieldContemporaryMusicFestivalandprizewinner as partofDuoVertigoat the2005 InternationalGaudeamusInterpretersCompetition. Shewonthe 2016ArtMusicAwardfor Outstanding Contribution by an Individual andwas the1999YoungPerformeroftheYear.LindaYim–pianoLindaYimisacorememberoftheHongKongNewMusicEnsemble,oneoftheleadinggovernmentfundedartsinstitutionsinHongKong.TheHongKongNewMusicEnsemble(HKNME)wasfoundedin2008topresentcontemporarymusictoHongKongaudiences.It has been widely praised for its innovative programming and interdisciplinarycollaborationswithartists fromdifferentmediums.TheHKNMEhascollaboratedwithorganisationsincludingZuniIcosahedronandGuangdongModernDanceCompany.BruceCrossman–composerBruce Crossman's sound world embraces Asian traditional musics, free formimprovisation and European influenced interval-colour sonority towards a personalPacific identity. Peter Sculthorpe, ChouWen-chung and Chinary Ung have influencedCrossman's Pacific-based aesthetic. Crossman's aesthetic is influenced by cross-disciplinaryideasfromChineseesthetics,Japaneseaestheticsandarchitecture,Filipino-Australianpoetryandabstractart.https://brucecrossman.comSimonKillalea–filmmaker/projectionistSimonKillalea isprojectionist filmmakerwho largelyworks in the fieldof rockmusicvisuals,includingwithSydneybandDecoderRingatCarriageWorksandforthetouroficonicAustralianbandColdChisel,includingthosewithanEastAsianfocus.Hedidthevisuals forBruceCrossman’sChineseopera-basedprojectwiththeCampbelltownArtsCentre,titledGentleness-Suddenness.IanStevenson–sounddesign/diffusionIan Stevenson is senior lecturer in sound technologies. His research interests are insoundtheory,listening,soundrecordingandsoundinstallationpractice.HeisamemberoftheDigitalHumanitiesResearchGroupatWesternSydneyUniversity. Inadditiontonumerous freelance engagements he has held the following positions: DocumentationManager,FairlightESP,Sydney;SoundEngineer,AutographSoundRecording,London.Eventwebsite:https://brucecrossman.com/teaching/events/Mediasamplesat:https://brucecrossman.com/media/