Towards the evolution of style: Einstein’s garden and somewhere between the sky and the sea

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore composition for dance and opera within a collaborative framework. The compositional works were developed after researching modern Australian ballet and opera. Along the journey, I discovered examples of works that were personally inspiring on a number of levels: in the music, text, staging, direction, choreography, scenery, and use of imagery. The elements that resounded with me were then adapted into my own compositions and those elements are responsible for steering my works in a particular direction when it came to performance. I conducted a musical analysis of my contemporary dance work Einstein’s Garden and my chamber opera Somewhere Between the Sky and the Sea, outlining the background and evolution of each work, including compositional stylistic evolution; musical aims; materials and instrumentation; structural plans; choice of tonality; compositional processes and collaboration with the performers; to discussion of the particular staging requirements, and a review of the overall collaboration and production process. In the Einstein’s Garden analysis, I explored the relationship between Albert Einstein, science and music. In the Somewhere between the Sky and the Sea analysis, I studied Portuguese and Spanish music influences on the chamber opera as well as different forms of text setting. I then examined the context of the works and the influence that undertaking musical research had upon my own compositions.