Dance Suite (2022)
(for bandoneon (or accordion), violin, viola, cello, double bass and clarinet. )

i. Grotesque

ii Burlesque

iii Chaconne for Warren

iv Tarantella

I originally composed this work for New York based Bandoneon virtuoso JP Joffre, a performer well known to Townsville audiences following his performances here in 2018. The piece was to be a part of a national tour that JP was to do with Ensemble Q in May 2020 and of course, it was one of the first things in my diary cancelled during that terrible year for the world. 

Having given up on ever hearing the piece, it was a thrill beyond belief when Jack discussed it with me as part of the program for AFCM 22, given that the great James Crabb would be one of my fellow musicians at the Festival. 

The piece was born while I was listening to an Ensemble Q rehearsal of Korngold’s amazing Suite for piano (left hand), 2 violins and cello. I was intrigued by the Grotesque, and Korngold’s rather sarcastic and black use of the famous 1920s dance form. But moreover, the intricate and unrelenting drama and energy of Korngold’s music left an indelible stamp on me. (we should definitely program and listen to more music of this great master - he is much more than a writer of iconic film music)

The overriding nature of these dances is sombre, thick and dark. Even the fast Tarantella has a sinister edge to it, mostly due to the fact that the music was completed during the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires which affected the entire nation’s psyche. The Chaconne for Warren is dedicated to Paul Scott Williams in memory of his late husband Warren.