Ex Machina (Canberra)

Modern masterworks at a virtuosic BPM

Showcasing the musicians of Omega Ensemble as a well-oiled virtuosic machine, this technically demanding program features Copland's explosive Sextet alongside contemporary masterpieces from Grammy Award-winning composers Bryce Dessner and Missy Mazzoli, and an exciting new work from young Australian talent Alex Turley.

Also at the centre of this pyrotechnic program are two world premiere works from in-demand American composers Nico Muhly and Christopher Cerrone, commissioned by the Ensemble.

Program

Bryce Dessner Aheym
Missy Mazzoli Harp and Altar
Christopher Cerrone Nervous Systems [World Premiere] *
Nico Muhly Measured to Fit [World Premiere] **
Alex Turley Zero Sum Game ***
Aaron Copland Sextet

* Commissioned by Omega Ensemble, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Third Angle Ensemble and Chatter.
** Commissioned by Omega Ensemble and supported by the 2021 Micro-Commissioning Circle
*** Commissioned by Omega Ensemble as part of the 2021 CoLAB: Composer Accelerator Program

About the Music

This thrilling program of 20th- and 21st-century music from important American voices presents complex and driving works showcasing the Ensemble as a virtuosic machine.

In short:

• Aaron Copland's Sextet started life as his Second Symphony. However, the work was largely avoided by orchestras due to its challenging complexity, and so, out of frustration, Copland re-wrote the work as a sextet in the hope that more ambitious chamber ensembles would take up the challenge.
• Postponed from the 2021 Season, Nico Muhly’s Measured to Fit was commissioned with the brief to “push the Ensemble to its limits”. The title makes reference to the micro-commissioning circle which supported the work, where each bar of the work was donated by an individual supporter.
• Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy-nominated composer Chris Cerrone’s music is characterized by immersive textures and dramatic impact. This world premiere is a co-commission with leading North American ensembles: Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra (Los Angeles, USA), Third Angle Ensemble (Portland, USA) and Chatter (Albuquerque, USA)
• Based on a 1930 collection of poems celebrating the Brooklyn Bridge, Missy Mazzoli’s frantic yet lyrical Harp and Altar is a cinematic work with a surprising turn.
• Known as the guitarist of the American rock band The National, Bryce Dessner is equally celebrated a composer for film and the concert stage. His popular work Aheym (Yiddish for ‘Homeward’), is a driving tour-de-force for string quartet.