In a new work for Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Caerwen Martin is set to break tradition – by coming back to it.
The Melbourne-based composer’s first Sinfonia receives its world premiere in Art of the Symphony on 27 and 31 August at Melbourne Recital Centre in a program comprising Britten’s Simple Symphony, Stamitz’s Sinfonia in F major and Haydn’s La Passione Symphony.
It also includes Sinfonias 1, 2 and 6 by Baroque Flemish composer Leonora Duarte. The only known works written by a female composer for viol, her set of seven Sinfonias are also some of the only surviving works written by a woman from the 17th century.
Subtitled Embracing Duarte, Martin’s Sinfonia No. 1 dabbles in an early Classical vocabulary. In returning to old musical roots, Martin joins Duarte’s works in direct conversation, reaching out over almost 400 years of musical history and forging new space for a largely-forgotten body of work.
Caerwen Martin. Image © Christopher Polack
Ahead of its world premiere, Martin speaks to Limelight about the experience of writing their work, and how it weaves a tapestry with Duarte’s.
When did you first come into contact with Duarte’s work?
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