The Drumfire Was Incessant, And Continued All Night With Unabated Fury (2012)
For solo piano and two WW1-style trench whistles
Duration: 10'
Commissioned by Zubin Kanga
Premiered on 11th August 2012 by Zubin Kanga
Purchase Score:
About:
I was inspired to compose The drumfire… after reading a harrowing account of the Battle of Pozieres by war historian Newton Wanliss. The piece focuses on the days leading up to August 9th 1916, when my great-great uncle Leslie was wounded. It begins with a sombre march-like figure that is quickly subsumed by a jarring rhythmic onslaught, reflecting the indefatigable artillery bombardment endured by all soldiers. The improvisatory section that follows highlights the chaotic nature of trench warfare, before the bombardment unrelentingly returns. The melancholia of the final march reminds us of the fallen.
The piece is dedicated to my great-great grandmother, Emma Elizabeth Robins.
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“The Drumfire… inspired by an account of the Battle of Pozieres in 1916 and the involvement of a relative, was clamorous and intense. An imperious whistle, blown from the audience, signalled the start of interpolated sections creating unpredictable dynamic tension in the structure.”
– Peter Maccallum; The Sydney Morning Herald
– Peter Maccallum; The Sydney Morning Herald
“The suggestion of menace in the triple-piano bass clusters and lurching middle middle register material was impressively conceived…this work presented as solid, subterranean sound blocks with rapid slashes in alt to heighten tension.”
– Clive O’Connell; O’Connell The Music blog (Lest We Forget)
