Newly signed to Wise Music G. Schirmer Australia Pty Ltd, Stuart Greenbaum’s music is mature, confident and impactful. Known for its lyricism, there is an infectious jazz element to his writing which frequently includes unprepared descending modulations, providing an urgency and interest to the listener. His compositional style could sometimes be described as an almost ordered improvisation.
“Greenbaum’s music; there's real poetry in it.”
Andrew Ford, 24 Hours
“Melbourne composer Stuart Greenbaum’s chamber works, like all the best art, is in the world but not of the world.”
Will Yeoman, Limelight magazine
The US Premiere of his 33-minute piano solo, Ice Man, will be performed by Amir Farid at Carnegie Hall on 29 May.
Ice Man is a programmatic work in three movements. It can be further divided up into nine sections which are based on the plight of James Scott, the Australian student who was trapped in the Himalayan snow for 43 days before being rescued.
Greenbaum noted “When I first read about him in a newspaper article it moved me greatly and I felt that I would like to write a piece of music based on his story. After much initial trouble I eventually came to the conclusion that it was impossible for me to write a piece of music which reflected James Scott's feelings. The piece is actually about my feelings; about how I feel about the idea of being in his predicament.”
Upcoming Australian performances of Greenbaum works:
Australia Ensemble performs Northern Lights
Greenbaum depicts the cosmic dance of the northern aurora in a work of shimmering colour, contrasting with the lyrical drama and formal poise of Schumann’s Piano Quartet. Northern Lights for clarinet and cello, looks to the heavens in a duo that captures the restless luminescence of the aurora borealis, ‘a beautiful spectrum of coloured light in dark skies’. The Australia Ensemble’s David Griffiths (clarinet) and Svetlana Bogosavljevic (cello) will bring light to this three movement duo.
May 18
Sir John Clancy Auditorium
University of New South Wales - Sydney
C24 Chancellery Walk
Kensington, NSW
Australia
The Song Company performs Upon the Dark Water
In the concert series ‘Forty Years of The Song Company “The Stars Turn”’, The Song Company performs works it has commissioned over its forty year history.
Under the Dark Water is a set of three pieces which was commissioned and premiered by The Song Company with assistance from the music Board of The Australia Council. It is dedicated to Roland Peelman, conductor of the premiere performance and recording. The piece has also enjoyed performances in the United Kingdom and United States of America.
"Equally convincing was Stuart Greenbaum's Upon the Dark Water. This work was highly evocative in its use of bi–tonality to set up what Greenbaum describes as 'floating sonorities'.”
Joanna Selleck, The Herald Sun.
Friday 14 June, 6pm - Newcastle Conservatorium of Music
Saturday 15 June, 3pm - St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong
Sunday 30 June, 3pm - Wesley Music Centre, Canberra
Thursday 4 July, 8pm - Ian Potter Recital Hall , Hobart
Friday 5 July, 7pm - Berry Uniting Church Hall